Early on this year I was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, I’m only 20 years old
Naproxen never worked, neither did steroids. I’ve not long had a steroid injection which massively helped and I’ve also recently been prescribed Sulfasalazine and am taking 4 tablets a day.
The first three weeks on them I was fine with no side effects. But this fourth week they have been giving me awful stomach pains so I have been advised to have a few days break from it. Do any of you know how long it takes for Sulfasalazine to get out of my system? I haven’t taken any since yesterday morning and am still suffering with the stomach pains!
Thank you in advance
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sportlover5
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I’m on week three of Sulfasalazine. Three tablets a day. Going up to 4 on Friday. So far so good for side effects but my knees are complaining more and more and my wrist and shoulder have joined in too now 😔
Hi, I took lower dose of sulfa. As soon as I upped it I got some nasty side effects. My doctor told me to stop taking it and it would take 6 weeks to completely get out of my system. The worst of the side effects eased off after 3 days then the longer I was off them the better I felt. I'm going to be taking methotrexate injections instead. It's better on the stomach . Hope this helps and you should feel better soon.
It was when I upped it too, when I started taking 4 a day. 6 weeks seems like such a time! I hope you get on better with the injections. Thank you for your help, I hope you feel better soon too
I’m having a similar experience - just starting week 4 on Sulfasalazine and everything was fine at first, but since the weekend I have had diahorrea and awful stomach pains, the like of which I have never experienced before. I don’t want to stop taking it as I understand it should get better over time, and my options for other DMARDs are limited due to other health considerations. So just getting by with Imodium for now - and being thankful that lockdown means I can avoid going out! 😜
I do hope someone here will come along and say that it will stop eventually! 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Thank you for your reply. I had the stomach pains for a week so I wish I’d carry on taking them a little longer and might have been better now. Thank you
Exactly the same side effects with me, it is horrible! Hopefully your side effects wear off soon when your body is use to taking more of them. From what I have now heard hopefully the pain will ease the more often you take them and I believe that they are really beneficial and will for sure help in the long term. I hope you feel better soon. Thank you so much!
I haven’t noticed if it gets worse/better when eating different foods? Haven’t really thought of a way to find out? What is the brat principle? Haven’t heard of that before. Thank you
It’s for Irritable bowel sufferers and others ... Banana Rice Purée Apple Toast. Basically things that don’t race through so fast and are simpler foods. When my son was a baby if he ever had an upset tummy I moved straight off dairy and onto simpler foods. If I ever have a cold I shift off dairy until I’m better. It makes a huge difference to how bad my asthma gets when ill. I’m thinking ahead to Friday onwards when I hit upping to 4 pills and just wondering if I should prepare myself.
I’m seriously hoping I get my knees back and can keep dropping the Pred down. I haven’t bothered shifting down another notch this week because it’s been too hard.
I hope you will be able to make it through and the Sulfasalazine works.
Thank you, I’m going to look into that and might give it a try. I think I should also not have dairy for a few days and see if that makes a difference as that would be interesting to know.
Another idea, when I was first diagnosed I had to take naproxen and was advised to take omeprazole which is a stomach lining tablet. If you’re able to get some of those, that might also help? I’ve only just thought about that🤷🏼♀️
I’m hoping your knees get better soon, painful/swollen knees really are one of the worse!
That would be interesting... I am already on lanzoprazole which is basically the same although they might switch me over because apparently you can take a bigger dose of omeprazole.
My face swelled up and I was covered in hives. I had to take several antihistamines when it first happened but after that only one or two a day. I seem to remember after a few days I had no symptoms but kept taking the antihistamine for the 2 weeks recommended by the pharmacist.
I too reacted to sulfasalazine. Within an hour really bad headache told to preserve 4th day very dizzy still told to preserve day 6 swollen tongue, hoarse voice, lips tingling then throat got tight. Took loads of antihistamines called NHS hotline who called an ambulance. Took just over 2 weeks until things settled down
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