sulfasalazine tablet swallowing

[purplecyclist]

I've been on methotrexate for 10 months (now metaject) and the suggestion is to add in sulfasalazine as well. I notice it is 2 tabs 2x per day. I have never been good at swallowing tablets and i wonder what size they are and what they taste like? (I never manage to swallow them quickly enough not to taste them). Thanks for all the wisdom shared in this group, it really helps.

[Adorable1]

Hi

Sorry I don’t have any experience of those meds , hopefully someone will come along who does soon.

I take hydroxy and the taste is horrible they are not big tabs , but I never manage to swallow them quickly enough either..

Good luck with the new meds

[Neonkittie17]

I always needed a big mug of warm tea to fire them down. No other way for me. 😑 x

[Boxerlady]

I take Sulphasalzine and Hydroxychloroquin and I use a technique I picked up here - hold them under my tongue, take a big mouthful of liquid (usually fruit tea in my case) and swallow everything down. Works for me - don't even taste the Hydroxychloroquin!😃

[Adorable1 in reply to Boxerlady]

Ooh I’m gonna try this tonight , thank you. The hydroxy have a horrid taste

[bpeal1]

They are quite large tablets but are an easy shape to swallow and there are some good suggestions above. If none of those work sulphasalazine is also available as a liquid so you could ask to try that instead.

[janeywaney63]

I have liquid sulphasalazine. Was on the tablets and then had base of tongue cancer and stopped all my ra meds as I couldn’t cope. I was put back on tablets in May. Told them I choke on the tablets ( radiotherapy killed my salivary glands) they refused me liquid sulphasalazine!! I was then cutting the tablets in half and in quarters to try and get them down. Saw my ent consultant for my 3 monthly cancer check and she gave me liquid form straight away. It’s a lot more expensive which is why they don’t want to give it. So push to get liquid if you can! It’s now the least of my worries as a shadow was found on my lung a couple of days ago. Waiting for pet scan.

[Creakywrists in reply to janeywaney63]

So sorry to hear that. Hope things go as well as possible for you.

[purplecyclist in reply to janeywaney63]

thanks for the helpful advice, hope you get your scan soon.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to janeywaney63]

Hoping all will be alright. 🙏🩷

[Hopeful1]

I have enteric coated ones which are capsule shaped. Never noticed a taste- unlke hydroxy! Good luck.

[purplecyclist in reply to Hopeful1]

thanks for that, I had to look up enetric and it says its a coating that doesn;t dissolve in the stomach acid and waits until it is in the intestine, so it sounds like i should not taste it in my mouth for sure.

[Nyreedw in reply to purplecyclist]

You will the prescription to say EN on it for sulphasalazine or pharmacy won't give you that one, as it costs more. My rheumy does my prescriptions and states which versions he wants for me. I've taken sulphasalazine, hydroxychloroquine and mtx together for years. Was put back on it when I wasn't allowed my biologics due to severe post op infections x

[Bethany02]

Struggled to swallow them for ages then some nice doctor said let's try the enteric coated ones and before you put them in your mouth put water first then tablet and more water to swallow no more issues and am still on them years later they do also make your urine a lovely bright yellow 💛

[Scottishlad]

I can't remember much if any taste with sulfasalzine tablets. Just make sure you have water ready to wash down the tablets.

They will colour your urine and maybe your sweat. You may want to avoid white tops in warm weather as your sweat may stain and it's not easy to remove.

[purplecyclist in reply to Scottishlad]

that is a good tip about white tops as well, thank you

[Alozz]

I had trouble swallowing these pills. My rheumatologist said it is OK to use al pill splitter.

[purplecyclist in reply to Alozz]

that is interesting to know and just the kind of thing this group is so helpful for, i think I might be the same.

[Gymcactus]

I take enteric coated ones, no taste to them but you should drink a whole glass of water when you have them as advise recommendrecommends.

[Canaries]

I find tablets difficult to swallow, ask for the enteric coated sulfasalazine. I take a drink of water, then tablet on tongue, another drink of water, head back and swallow. It works for me. Good luck.

[Haz58]

I have trouble swallowing tablets but as these are coated they go down easily with water. I take 3 twice a day. No taste at all.

[Cattledog]

This may help “Gloup original “ swallowing gel for tablets. You can buy it on Amazon in different flavours.

We use it for my son who has Downs Syndrome and has difficulty swallowing tablets. With a spoonful of this he can take 3 at a time. Brilliant stuff, he used to choke on tablets especially the powdery ones.

He always has half a glass of water afterwards as well.

[purplecyclist in reply to Cattledog]

that sounds like a very useful gel indeed, I didn;t even know such a thing exists, many thanks.

[esmarchant]

I’m not saying this is your case but I thought I’d tell my pill swallowing story incase it helps anyone. When my kids were little we had a pediatrician that said most people don’t teach their children how to swallow pills. In my case he was correct! I always tried to put my head back and I’d shake my head and it blocked the pill from going down my throat. I’d always gag!!! He said “you must put the pill in your mouth, take a gulp of water and bend your head down to face the floor and the pill will slide right down.” It worked like a charm! It was hard to get my kids to do it after they already had the mindset of fear the pills would make them choke but eventually they learned just like I did. I am forever grateful to that doctor!

[purplecyclist in reply to esmarchant]

Before I was diagnosed with RA in december I didn;t really take pills and I don;t remember ever being taught when I was a kid, i think medicine was always on a spoon in those days. I even find paracetamol hard to swallow. I am going to try your method this afternoon. Thanks so much.

[Cattledog in reply to esmarchant]

Unfortunately, this method doesn’t work for me. The pills just come straight back into my mouth!

[Vixen2]

Hey. I was on Sulpha yrs ago, when i was first diagnosed (at 21). I was on a really heavy dose, with Indocid, steroids & very strong painkillers. Total agony. To be honest. I had an awful time. Took about 3 months for my body to get used to these strong meds. I felt sick all day, every day. My husband (now ex). Was really worried about me 1 day. My bro in law came in to the room. But i didn’t recognise him. He looked familiar. But i just didn’t know his name. We often joked together. So they thought nothing of it. Then they realised i was serious. I couldn’t read or write. So we contacted my Rheumatologist & she just lowered my dose. I was normal the next day. I didn’t mean to make you nervous. It just always brings it back to me whenever i see Sulphasalazine! Good luck. X

[whitedog]

I was changed to this after finally ditching MTX.

At first I was still paranoid about yellow pills so they gave me the liquid which was fine - like drinking orange juice. But the pharmacist encouraged me to try the tabs as the liquid was so expensive.

I agreed but they started me on the ordinary ones which I couldn't get down. So then got the EN coated ones which I told myself were just like oval shaped sweets with a hard shell. They are quite big but pop them in, big gulp of water and they're down. I actually take my first two together with two Thyroxine tabs in the morning and rarely have issues.

There is a slight size difference between Salazopyrin - the Pfizer ones - and generic ones which I think are a tad smaller. No taste - just bright yellow wee. And, for me, no nausea whatsoever. Just bad guts for the first couple of weeks or so.

[purplecyclist in reply to whitedog]

thanks, that will be very useful info to have when getting my prescription.

[Beadie]

Hi I have been taking 6 sulfasalzine tabs for 3 yrs and swallow them ok, but everyone is different, just give it ago.🙃

[Hidden]

They are big tabs but shaped in such a way, easy to swallow good luck