Budesonide is a corticosteroid that can be given orally or rectally for management of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Because budesonide has a high first pass metabolism, the relative impact of systemic effects may be less than other steroids like prednisone.

Remember that CYP3A4 inhibitors can increase the concentrations of budesonide. I discuss this further on the podcast.

Different dosage forms of budesonide (oral versus rectal) can be used for different reasons. The site of the inflammation in Ulcerative colitis can determine which dosage form is most appropriate.