u/Unusual-Status-7570

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Hi everyone, this is for people taking oral meds like sulfasalazine, azathioprine, mesalamine etc. I really need some honest reassurance and experiences from you all because I’m genuinely scared right now.

I’ve had IBD for around 4 years now, and along with that I also deal with joint issues, chondromalacia, and a lot of other physical + mental exhaustion. Over time I completely lost motivation to do anything, and because of that I developed really poor medication adherence. I know this is my mistake and I fully accept that.

One of the biggest issues is my sleep schedule. I barely sleep properly at night, wake up very late in the morning, and end up missing my morning meds constantly. I had told my GI earlier also that taking meds multiple times a day is hard for me and I’d prefer taking them together at night because consistency itself is my biggest issue. Earlier he didn’t allow it, but now he said taking the meds somehow is more important than missing them completely, so he’s okay with me taking them at night if that improves adherence.

My recent calprotectin came back 711 and my doctor got really upset with me. He basically gave me 2 months to become completely regular with meds, otherwise he said he’ll have to switch to biologics. He himself doesn’t seem very inclined towards biologics unless absolutely necessary, which scared me even more.

So I wanted to ask:

* Has anyone else here struggled THIS badly with medication adherence?

* Did your disease markers improve once you became regular again?

* How did you manage to finally stay consistent with meds?

* Am I completely fucked now because of my mistakes?

What scares me the most is the thought that if things don’t improve after 2 months, I’ll blame myself forever for not taking my meds properly earlier. I’m trying my best now, but honestly I’m terrified.

Please give me honest experiences, not false reassurance. I just really need help from people who’ve gone through something similar.

I’ve had migraine issues for years, usually triggered by sunlight, but for the past 7–8 months I’ve noticed screens are becoming a major trigger too.

Even moderate screen use gives me headaches, and once it starts it can take almost a week for things to feel normal again. I’ve tried everything I can think of:

• consciously blinking more
• taking screen breaks
• not staring continuously
• getting my eyes tested again
• upgrading my glasses/lens quality

I already wear spectacles and my eye prescription hasn’t changed.

I also went to a neurologist. I was previously on Amitriptyline, and now I’ve been prescribed Propranolol, but I’m still getting these migraines/headaches.

Another issue is that I have gut problems, so I can’t take NSAIDs and some other medications frequently, which makes this even harder to manage.

I wanted to ask:

1. Does anyone else get severe headaches/migraines mainly from screen exposure? What actually helps you?
2. Does this sound like a migraine issue, or could it be something else?
3. My migraines usually do NOT go away on their own. I often have to take medication, but I can’t do that too often because of my stomach/gut issues. Sleeping is also difficult during an attack, and if I do sleep, I often wake up in the middle of the night with much worse pain.

Would really appreciate any suggestions or experiences from people dealing with something similar.