• severe stomach pain, cramping, fever, headache, and bloody diarrhea.

Less serious side effects may include:

• mild nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, gas;

• fever, sore throat, or other flu symptoms;

• constipation;

• headache or dizziness;

• tired feeling; or

• skin rash.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect mesalamine oral?

Before taking mesalamine, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• azathioprine (Imuran) or mercaptopurine (Purinethol);

• pentamidine (Nebupent, Pentam);

• tacrolimus (Prograf);

• amphotericin B (Fungizone, AmBisome, Amphotec, Abelcet);

• antibiotics such as capreomycin (Capastat), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater), vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled);

• antiviral medicines such as acyclovir (Zovirax), adefovir (Hepsera), cidofovir (Vistide), or foscarnet (Foscavir);

• cancer medicine such as aldesleukin (Proleukin), carmustine (BiCNU, Gliadel), cisplatin (Platinol), ifosfamide (Ifex), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), plicamycin (Mithracin), streptozocin (Zanosar), or tretinoin (Vesanoid); or

• aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Voltaren), diflunisal (Dolobid), etodolac (Lodine), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), ketorolac (Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with mesalamine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about mesalamine.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.