Total tiredness

[Tracylux]

Hi all,

Is extreme tiredness a side effect of sulfasazaline? I started on 500 mg 2 weeks ago and am soooooo tired all the time. I sit down and can barely keep my eyes open. Just wondering if this could be a side effect? Due to increase the dose tomorrow. If that increases the tiredness I'm in trouble! X

[oldtimer]

The fatigue is usually due to the RD, but the drugs that we take can make it worse. There is useful information on the NRAS site about fatigue which you might find helpful - not that it will get rid of it, just make you feel that there are people who understand that awful dragging feeling.

Consider too if you might be feeling a bit low or depressed. You might want to talk to someone about how you feel. There is the help line at NRAS if you don't have someone local who does understand how you might be feeling after the diagnosis. Having a diagnosis of a long term illness (at present incurable but controllable) can affect us much the same as a bereavement. The stages of "Disbelief, anger, sorrow and depression, acceptance" are exactly the same.

However fatigued you are feeling, you might find that exercise and distraction help. A gentle walk, looking at the countryside or flowers in the park, often helps fatigue, making you feel more pleasantly tired and able to rest better.

[Tracylux in reply to oldtimer]

Thank you, always good to get reassurance it's not just 'you'. x

[Tee-Cee]

Hello.

I am in the same situation, due to move up to 3 tablets tomorrow, feeling so tired and headache that will not shift, pains in stomach and neck. I hope side effects will soon go.

Hugs to everyone (gently though).

[JudyW5]

Hi Tracylux, I would say these are without a doubt side effects. If you add confusion and some depression to this then that is exactly what I experienced even before increasing the dose. I had a busy week ahead of me and there was no way I could have done any of it even though I was well rested (couldn't do anything else but rest I was so sleepy). Then I suddenly thought th at it had all started when I began the tablets. I phoned the nurse left a message and stopped them. I was back to being myself in less than 2 days! The nurse was quite happy as I couldn't have gone on. Nicely though the benefit of the tablets I had taken lasted for a little after the side effects wore off. And kept me going for a while before I started the next lot of drugs - methotrexate at a lower dose than I had tried before.

I forgot - my liver results were significantly up as well, so the medics were glad I came off the sulfasalazine. Hope you get sorted soon. It's difficult to know when to persevere with side effects and particularly difficult to stop the drugs when confusion is part of it all.