Sorry to hear that you're not improving.

Keep a record and let your medical team know.

There are other alternatives - have a look at the treatment pages on the NRAS site.

A few people on here have had problems with sulpha affecting their mood, so be sure to tell your medical team. I was on it for years with no problems once I’d got used to it. But that did take a couple of months.

Ask your doctor for pain meds it takes awhile for the sulfar medication to work

These drugs do take a while to act I think and there are other alternatives but they have to try the easy (and cheaper) ones first. I personally couldn't tolerate sulphasalazine which gave me terrible tummy pains. Took me nearly 2 years trying different combinations with limited improvement until I got the biologic humiria which worked well for me and within 4 weeks all the pain had gone. I am still pain free several years later. I am sure that eventually you will find something that works, it just might take a while. You have to keep going back and asking for something else.

MTX has sent my LFT's rising on occasion, usually with a dose increase but thankfully I'm pretty settled on 20mg injections, always room for improvement though!

I also tried SSZ, as double therapy with MTX, but as you're finding it affected my mood. Hopefully you'll find the longer you take it the less that will become but I gave it a really good go, months longer than I should have really but my Rheumy was on extended leave & nobody would take responsibility to stop it without her ok'ing it. I also had bad nausea which wasn't helped by the antiemetic which previously has helped. I think as long as you give it long enough to expect the low mood problem to lessen & go then you can't say fairer than that.

Your pain needs to be addressed whilst you're waiting for SSZ to work or finding a DMARD to control you so I'd push for that to be discussed at your next appointment. I'd list options, another DMARD, maybe read up about hydroxychloroquine or leflunomide & also NSAIDs to help reduce your inflammation until you're properly controlled.

Let us know how it goes next month?

Have you been in hydroxychloriquine?

I currently take methotrexate via injection hydroxychloriquine and salphazine and folic acid with predisolone and naproxen when the predisolne was reduce I still had great pain but as stated on here they have to try tablets first for 6 months before anything else. I’m now on all of these tablets and biologics benaplai I have chronic stomach pain sometimes and with the sukfazune it made me feel very sick nearly all day are you taking omeprazole ? Folic acid? They help with that I’m now down to 5mg predisolone on biologics and all the same tablets but I have to say although still a bit of pain and stomach cramps loose bowels a few days a week I’m getting about and the pain is so much better.

It’s all trial and error but do keep going back to rheumo and tell them

Hi, I felt the same on sulphasalazine and cane off it. I’m now on lefluonomide, my fourth dmard, and I haven’t had any of the horrible side effects I got with the others so I’m hoping it will be a success. See you taking any painkillers? Your pain needs to be controlled while you wait for your meds to work. Hope this helps 😊

I know how you feel I had to come of Methotrexate inject and tablet damaged my kidneys I started on sulphasaline I got as far as 4 a day then everything went wrong I took a urine infection needed antibiotic rash on my legs and back itchy too like headaches I seam to have difficulty in concentrating I’ve stopped them again I don’t think anything will agree with my system it’s been damaged

Oh, you & I could be twins 🤣 .....I started Sulfasalazine in January this year, before that I have been on Methotrexate, then Lefluomide both failed, have the same side effects, sickly feeling, diarrhoea, fatigue also thinning hair. It’s just not doing much at all, having flare ups in my ankles, toes & wrists, but main problem is dry none productive cough.

Seen RA Consultant last week, now awaiting Rituximab infusion.

Best of luck

Thank you everybody for your input , I’m now back at the hospital next week after being told today on the phone to stop sulphasalazine, it’s trial and error, bloody fed up with it , anyway many thanks all of you x

Ditto to everything youve spoken about, we've been on sane drugs to no avail! Same RA symptoms too, my RA is mainly in my wrists and knees. Steroids have been great for the last 7 weeks to the point I was in denial about having RA! But then it rears its ugly face. I have a beautiful family, four children good friends but unless you suffer from this condition no one understands how you feel. It's not just the swollen angry joints, horrible fatigue it effects you emotionally. The trial And error that we have to go through to try and find the right drug is demoralizing as it just adds to the emotional side. I try to be upbeat, strong and posituve but sometimes i just say ' damm it i feel like shite leave me alone im doing nothing today' I just concentrate on my good days now, and I have a lot of them.

I have been suffering from severe drepression and anxiety for 3 years, 6 months after starting sulphasalazine. Stopped taking them a few weeks ago and in a couple of days my mood lifted, my anxiety virtually stopped and gets better everyday. I noticed that some pains are beginning to return but worth it in comparison.