Sulfasalazine

[gussmithy]

Hello

I will probably be advised to soon start taking methotrexate or sulfasalazine. Grateful to hear from anyone who has taken the latter & what, if any, side effects were experienced.

Gus.

[Annscottie]

Hi Gus.

I was diagnosed with RA in March and couldn't have methotrexate because of a chronic lung condition. I was prescribed sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine.I started on a low dose and gradually built up to 4 x 500 mg of sulfasalazine a day I am pleased to say that I have had no side effects (apart from orange wee from the sulfasalazine). My regular blood tests appear to show that my body is tolerating it well BUT as people on here say a lot everyone is different and I'm sure that others have had a very different experience.

Best wishes.

[PloddingOn1 in reply to Annscottie]

I’ve been taking sulphasalazine for over 10 years and never had any issues with it regarding side effects. I do have neutropenia too but it didn’t worsen that. After a few years on it I did start to get frequent severe flares again so now take it alongside Benepali. I hope you soon get a combination that works for you.

[Hidden]

Morning. I have been on both for 12 years. Mtx was raised gradually, then Sulf added and raised gradually.

I notice straight away if I miss my Sulf dose and have been fine with it. I take omeprazole every day as a stomach protector.

Everyone is different, but I’ve been fine with Sulf.

[medway-lady]

First thing please I’d avoid asking about side effects as everyone is different so unique. It’s also hard to avoid Dr Google and I’m sorry you are needing to take medication but remember if 10% get side effects then 90 % don’t. You may find you get some and they go or are bad so you’ll move onto another medication but RA is a journey and needs patience because most of the meds take a fair while to work some 3 months! I hope you get benefit from the medications and try not to worry too much. X

[sylvi in reply to medway-lady]

Couldn't agree more darling. You worry more than you need too. xxx

[AgedCrone in reply to medway-lady]

Oh so true ML!

I read with amazement how many people thrive on drugs that had me sleeping on the bathroom floor with my head down the loo🫢🫢🫢.

Thankfully now nicely settled on something that suits me.

[Gottarelax]

I haven’t had any side affects and am taking both MTX and sulpha.

[Haz58]

No side affects on sulfasalazine. All the best.

[Mall]

it is a drug that can affect your stomach and I was prescribed stomach protectors alongside. With a few folk mood can be affected. It did affect mine at a higher dose 6x500 daily, there was a noticeable difference when the dosage was reduced to 4 tablets. The most noticeable side effect is it colours your urine. I found it very good in reducing inflammation and hence pain for a number of years so give a go and if it doesn’t suit you no doubt your rheumatologist will have a number of other options to try. Remember all our drugs can have side affects, some suit us and some don’t, with some the effectiveness dissipates over time and are replaced with something different. Trust your rheumatologist and their recommendations and thoroughly discuss your fears of side effects with them.

[Jackie1947]

I've been on Sulphasazine for 17 years as a base drug and others thrown in during that time I'm now being investigated for microscopic colitis and Sulphasazine is ? contributed to that apparently. If you start getting gut ache take advice. Although it's only the last year I have so 16 years with no problem.

[AgedCrone]

It really isn’t any help asking about side effects because everyone reacts so differently…and if you have a list of nasties & are expecting them to happen to you…you will become anxious..& that causes all sorts of problems of its own!

These days doctors really are very good at prescribing the right combination of RA drugs….so just look forward to what you take to be right for you.

Good Luck!

[virtualreality]

Hi Gus, I take both of these and had no obvious side effects from the sulfasalazine apart from some coloration of urine. Whichever you end up trying, I hope it works for you.

[Nuttyshirlz]

I’m on both have been for 7yrs what affects me doesn’t mean it will affect you don’t worry about something you not taking yet.

[gussmithy in reply to Nuttyshirlz]

I'm not worried, just trying to get a balanced view because, by the nature of the site, one tends to hear mostly about undesirable side effects not the good ones. I'd like to hear all views.

[Nuttyshirlz in reply to gussmithy]

like my nurse told me you got to get up the rough hill before you can get over it and skip in the daisies that’s what it’s like to take them both.

[BMCV]

I'm afraid I had awful side effects with SSZ. Nausea, dizziness, loss of taste, insomnia. Only able to stick it for 6.5 weeks. No side effects at all on MTX.

[Boxerlady]

No side effects from Sulphasalzine after the first few days of each dose increase - apart from the impressively yellow wee! I get the Methotrexate "hangover" the following day but it's manageable and definitely better than the effect of no medication 😁

[Vonnie69]

Been on methytrexate 20 years and blood is tested every 2 months. No special problems for me.

[Gymcactus]

On both and no problems for me, I was given the enteric coated sulfa and they do not affect stomach. Good luck

[bpeal1]

Asking about side effects isn’t very useful we are all so different. I take a large dose of sulphasalazine (2g twice a day -normal dose is 1 or 1.5g) with no side effects at all. Sulphasalazine put my friend in hospital. However, she takes methotrexate with no side effects and I was very ill with that.

Unfortunately it’s a case of having to try it to see if it works for you.

[MaryinFL]

I have been on both. Initially I was put on methotrexate. It worked well enough against the RA but at 3 months my blood work showed slightly elevated liver stats, and by 6 months they were heading for the moon. Plus I had a lot of hair loss. So my rheumy switched me to sulfasalazine. My blood work looked great, but I felt terrible. I had extreme muscle and joint pain, different from but every bit as bad as RA.