Has anyone been given sulfasalazine for arthritis

[kw60uk]

Has anyone tried sulfasalazine for arthritis

[cosi]

Yes I was given Sulfasalazine for artritis (RA) some time ago.

It didn't work and it gave me very bad side affects, along with many other useless drugs.

[kw60uk in reply to cosi]

What side affects did you have

[cosi in reply to kw60uk]

Sorry for my delay in replying.

Apart from feeling very ill my face became swolllen and my eyes puffy and I couldn't see properly. I went to see a new GP (we had just moved) and he said to stop taking the drug straight away and I improved immediately. Then he refered me to a Rheumotology dept. in our new locality where I had a new type of treatment.

[kw60uk in reply to cosi]

What new treatment did you have

[Hidden]

I've been on it for several years & haven't had any problems, apart from making my wee very yellow!!

[kw60uk in reply to Hidden]

I am quite worried about starting to take it after reading a lot of side affects

[Hidden in reply to kw60uk]

You can but try it & see how you go, I'm also on Methotrexate & biologics.

[kw60uk in reply to Hidden]

Have u any side affects on methotrexate as doctor wants to put me on that as well

[Hidden in reply to kw60uk]

I suffered sickness on the tablets but now have injections & have no effects from them.

[Rubyroo1]

Hi, I just saw your post as I searched for Sulfa....I have been taking sulfasalazine for RA for about 3.5 weeks now, gradually upping the dose week on week, now up to 2000mg per day, doesn't seem to have had any effect as yet, still have achy knees and wrists. Also taking 10mg per day of prednisolone which helps but takes a while to kick in usually feel a little better by the afternoon. I also take ibuprofen and paracetamol. No bad side effects as yet apart from yellow wee as someone else had commented on, but no real benefits either......

How are you getting on with the sulfa ?

[kw60uk in reply to Rubyroo1]

Hi Rubyroo1, i am on 4 tablets a day now they are making me very weak and drained and very stiff when i move and one minute shivering and then sweating i have to have bloods done every 2weeks do you? I was on prednisone before the sulfasalazine but doctor hasn't said whether i need to take them as well, i have about 4 boxes of prednisone left so just wondering if i can take them as well.

[Rubyroo1 in reply to kw60uk]

hi, interesting you should say that last week I was off work for 3 days, as my knees and wrists hurt so much, back today but still in pain. Yes so, I am now having 4 x 500mg tablets per day and also 2 x 5mg prednisolone per day. The consultant told me to take this as well as Adcal-D3 twice per day. He also told me to take ibuprofen and paracetamol up to the recommended max per day. I have had my first blood test to check my liver function which is ok, and then my second at the end of this week, so yes every two weeks at the mo.

[kw60uk in reply to Rubyroo1]

What is adcal-d3?

[Rubyroo1 in reply to kw60uk]

Its Calcium and vitamin D3 tablet - you can buy it from pharmacies without prescription but is kept behind the counter. I think it is to offset the issues with the prednisolone and the issues that it can cause with bones and weakening them.

[kw60uk in reply to Rubyroo1]

Thank you

[Nondplume]

My Husband has had RA Sero+ for two years now. His RA factor was over 600. We got the Di Adamo book on Arthritis as it has all the right supplements for your blood type. So he started on those twice a day for 18 mths and now takes them once a day. I added a few other supplements like Hyleuronic acid and Serrapeptase - Drs Best. It has good anti inflammatory properties. After suffering serious side effects from Methotrexate ( Bacteraemia) he went onto Sulfasalazine and Minocycline ( from an infectious disease Dr) He is now RA symptom free apart from this weird chest pain - ? Muscular, ? Vasculitis ? From the ? Sulfasalazine, which he has now cut back to 1000 mg a day. Side effects listed for Sulfasalazine include all of his symtoms including the skin rash and itching. He has been off Prednizone for three months and has no other pain and no join deformity. This pain is associated with exercise. We are monitoring his heart because he has had episodes of Afib over the past two years also. He also takes Magnesium. You can get a spray magnesium which helps joints when massaged in. I also made a massage oil, paste with shea butter, aloevera with Lots of anti inflammatory oils. That worked well. The last Visit to the Rheumatologist was a bit of a waste of time because she didnt do bloodwork to include the CCP, CRP or the RA factor. The latter two have been down for over a year but the CCP had not changed according to her. It sometimes takes up to three years to reverse apparently. He will get those tests in the new year. This has been a long arduous journey for him but he is now practically normal again. Thanks to the Antibiotic Protocol by RoadBack Foundation. I am a retired RN.

[nikrush in reply to Nondplume]

Hi there,

I was interested to read about your husband because I am taking Minocin and have also just started Sulfasalazine. Could I ask you what dose of both Sulfa and Mino that he was on and how long it took before his symptoms got better? Great to hear he's had such a great response!

Thanks