How Well Is Your UC Treatment Working?

If you have ulcerative colitis (UC), the right medication can help control symptoms. But just as the condition can change over time, so can your body’s response to certain medications. So, how do you know if treatment is really working or if it’s time to make a significant modification to your regimen?

That will all depend on symptoms, inflammation, and quality of life, says Tauseef Ali, MD, director of St. Anthony Hospital’s Crohn’s & Colitis Center and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City.

“It’s key for patients to understand and spend some time with their doctor, learning more about the disease, the disease process, and the goal of the treatment,” says Dr. Ali, who is also the author of Crohn’s & Colitis for Dummies.

Even if you don’t need to change treatments altogether, there are some ways to optimize your regimen. “Take medications regularly as prescribed,” says Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and gastroenterologist at the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Check in periodically with your doctors for lab work, stool tests, and colonoscopies.”

Dr. Ananthakrishnan also stresses the importance of regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, and a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables and limits sugars, processed foods, and unhealthy fats.

Determining whether you’re on the right path with treatment will require maintaining an ongoing, open dialogue with your gastroenterologist and paying close attention to any changes in symptoms and the way the condition is affecting your life. Take this 10-question quiz to find out how well your current treatment plan is working.

This assessment is part of a series aimed at helping you check in on UC before your next doctor’s appointment. Take more assessments.