sulfasalazine and nightmares

[attatel]

Hi,

I've been taking sulfasalazine (4 a day) for about three months - added in to 20mg Mtx pw - and have definitely noticed an improvement. But I've started having frequent nightmares. I haven't had nightmares for years so wondering if there's a connection. I've also noticed my balance is worse than usual.

Anyone else experienced these symptoms?

Thanks!

Terry

[Gnarli]

Sorry, I'm not on sulpha but I've always has episodes of nightmares in full technicolour, surround sound with added smelly-vision. I hope someone on sulpha comes along with their experiences soon. Wishing you well

J

[attatel in reply to Gnarli]

Thanks! I feel for you with the nightmares

Horrible, isn't it?

[Gnarli in reply to attatel]

Reckon if could just write them down I'd have a blockbuster on my hands. I try not to dwell on them but they do get worse if I'm anxious about things. I hope it settles for you

[attatel in reply to Gnarli]

Haha! Yes, definitely! I feel like Stephen King and David Cronenberg have had a love child and planted it in my brain!

Thanks! You too!

[Gnarli in reply to attatel]

😁

[oldtimer]

I'm not on sulfasalazine myself, but I have had a lot of nightmares. For me it seems to be connected with my level of anxiety. They are more frequent when I'm 'not coping' and worry about whether I'm going to stay independent!

[attatel in reply to oldtimer]

I've got a long history of depression and anxiety, so completely sympathise. I don't think that's the problem for me at the moment though. I've actually been feeling more positive since I've been taking the sulfa, because of the improvement.

Thanks for replying!

[Neonkittie17 in reply to oldtimer]

Understand you very well and hope you can make some plans and feel more at ease for your future. 🩷 As soon as something unsettles me (not any little things as I’m not like that) I feel restless at night. I’ve had nightmares since last October when a vile in law verbally abused me. It was the worst thing like that I’ve ever experienced. I’m certainly no wimp and stand up myself if anyone gets unpleasant, but it was vile. I said politely I didn’t have to explain myself to her or anyone and kept calm as was at a funeral she did her toxic mouth f@rts. No other way to think of them, sorry! It wasn’t grief either as she was fine to everyone but me. She’s still horrible - always has been, sadly, but we are letting her drift off now to f@rt on some distant horizon. Result .. less nightmares. Hope yours stay away. x

[Skolfield]

Hi yes ! Last night I took my 3 tabs before I fell asleep ( I’m always forget to take them !) and although I had my eyes shut all night ( miracle because I’m awake 2-3 times a night now !) I had the craziest at times scary but really vivid dreams ! X

[attatel in reply to Skolfield]

The nightmares are bad enough, but I find I can't shake them off all the next day as well!

Thanks for replying and hope you don't get them too often.

[VeronicaF]

could it be the RA and not meds because I can't sleep very well, years ago when I was told I had fiber--- sorry spelling, when I had that before the RA too now

I was told people with it don't sleep right with that condition

[attatel in reply to VeronicaF]

Yeah, I sleep really badly all the time. It's one of the things I hate most about the disease.

I haven't really had regular nightmares until the last few weeks though.

I'll ask the nurse when I see her.

Thanks for replying!

[Hobbits]

Im taking Sulpha now for a bit, it’s an added combo to my Remicade Infusions. Only now after taking for awhile do I notice very, very slow improvement, sometimes it makes me nauseous and dizzy, but I really want this to work, so I’m sticking this out.

I only had one really bad dream lately about 🕷 spiders in an old cobwebby dark and dusty room with unfinished wooden plank flooring. There were spiders in intricate webs. Spiders all over and everywhere. All the spiders were black except the really scary red one.

I normally have one nightmare a year. I think it’s my subconscious forcing me to pay attention to things that are bothering me, things I am literally too fatigued to actually do something about.

I’m pretty sure the very scary red spider represents my female boss.

[attatel in reply to Hobbits]

Lol!

Let's hope that's your annual nightmare out of the way!

[Nicfly]

Hi attatel

One year late to the party I see but the side effects live on. I’ve been taking sulpha for a few years now, 2000mg/day, now slowly increasing the dose to 4000mg/day, I’ve noticed and increase in very strange and highly vivid dreams (hence why I am now on this thread). Just wondering if your dreams have tapered off after your body adjusted to the meds.

Hope this message finds you well.

[attatel in reply to Nicfly]

Hi, I don't take sulfa anymore because it stopped working for me - in fact with hindsight, I think it was a steroid shot that caused the improvement.

But my nightmares pretty much stopped when I came off it.

I'm sorry I can't be more encouraging - I was only on it for about 6 months.

I really hope that it gets better for you. RD is bad enough without it messing with our dreams!

Terry x

[Lisa1987]

I am really late on this discussion, but I’m going through the same thing. Started Sulfasalazine in May and tapered up slowly. The nightmares have been getting worse and worse. I just wrote my provider to get off of it. On drugs.com, vivid dreams are listed under frequency not reported under psychiatric. I’ve always been able to wake myself up from nightmares in the past, but no more. I don’t realize I’m dreaming until I wake up. I’m exhausted all day and disturbed by the dreams. In the dream I’m always confused, stressed, and have so much to do. I’m getting off this drug. Posting this so people won’t think they are crazy. There is another person I found from a Google search whose daughter also had bad dreams on it.

[attatel in reply to Lisa1987]

It's awful. I haven't taken sulfasalazine for years now, but I remember how those dreams and nightmares used to hang around all the nexr day. If it's any consolation, the nightmares stopped when I came off it. Thanks for posting - it can be very frightening if you don't know it might be the meds. Best of luck.

[Jackie1947]

18 years on it with no sleep problems/ nightmares.