Azulfidine/sulfas | Arthritis Information

This stuff kicking my butt all over the place! Stomach upset, the runs, hyper sensitive to light, and feeling overall pretty crappy. I thought there would be a side effect or two, but damn sam. So, again, I would love some input from anyone whose been on this drug. I'm so new at all this new drug stuff. It's really intimidating. I did do a ton of reading on it, but I'd much rather hear from people who have taken it. the generic name is sulfazine ec 500 mg. Thanks.

I took it for about 4 days...I took 1 pill a day for 3 days and then 2 pills on the 4th day... but i was RED!!!!!!!!!!! I called the doc and all he said was to stop taking the drug. like NO DUH!!!! I started to itch and it looked like i was super sunburnt and my skin prickled... then i started having trouble breathing..I was at work and could hardly walk and I went to the office to tell the secretary that i needed to go and she took over an hour to find a sub for me!!!UG!!!!!!!!! When i got home i called my PCP and went into the office. They gave me an EKG (?) to check the chest pains and said i should have gone to the ER right away, I got 2 shots of solumedrol and a PX to take for a few days. I was out of work for 2 days...

THis isnt what you want to know, but at least you know what my allergic reaction was like... in case you are experiencing any of these things.hope things work out for ya!

Later

MONK; I'VE BEEN ON SULFASALAZINE FOR ABOUT A YR. (SEVERAL NAMES FOR SAME DRUG) I TAKE 2000 MG A DAY PLUS OTHER MEDS BELOW. NO ALLERGIC REACTION TO IT BUT IT AND MOBIC DO NOT CONTROL MY RA LIKE I THINK IT SHOULD. THINK I NEED ANOTHER DMARD. I TRY TO LIMIT TIME IN THE SUN BECAUSE THERE IS SUN SENSITIVITY WITH THE DRUG. WHAT OTHER MEDS ARE YOU ON? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE MED? MAY BE A DRUG REACTION TO ANOTHER MED YOU ARE ON. I HAVE HAD MY MEDS CHANGED MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS. IS YOUR DIAGNOSIS RA? ONE THING I DEFINITELY KNOW, NO BEACH TIME ON SULFASALAZINE....YOU BURN BADLY!!!! PM ME ANYTIME.Monk, I also had an allergic reaction to it much like Unicorn described. I took it for two weeks. I got red, itchy and very nervous - tingly. Let us know what happens.

Good Luck Monk...and be careful!!

Monk:

Didn't work for me either -- runs and the sun sensitivity were the big issues -- plus crazy itchiness -- (I am itchy enough already living in dry skin, thank-you). I had to discontinue.

Can you imagine someone living in the Caribbean being put on a drug with sun-sensitivity issues? C'mon now! You just can't avoid the sun here -- it's not that I was trying to get a tan -- just everyday living nearly burnt me like toast.

Monk,

Sorry to hear that the Azulfadine is whooping your butt.

I have been on it for about 6 to 9 months and in general am doing well on it. I had some light inter-reaction in the beginning, mostly a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and some light sensitivity to my eyes, a little more than I normally would have.. Nothing major though. But if you are showing the slightest intolerance for it, alert your doctor to what is happening to you, since starting the pills. Sulfa drugs are very hard drugs for your body to assimilate and not everybody can continue taking them.

Please do not got outside with out a SS of less than 15 and limit the amount of time you stay outside. There is no tan or work that needs to be done, that is more important than your good health.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Toni

I've been taking sulfasalazine for about 9 months. I'm doing fine on it. I take 2000 mg a day.

We just put a pool in, so I've been in the sun everyday for a few hours and haven't noticed anything different with sun sensitivity.

Kelly

I have been on this med since May and I hate it! It worked great for about two weeks. I really noticed an improvement with minimal side effects (gas, mild nausea, some light sensitivity).

Then the real fun began. I began getting sores in my mouth so I uped my folic acid dosage-didn't help. Then I had a metallic taste in my mouth ALL the time. Everything tasted like metal. YUCK!

The gas instensified as I moved up to 3 pills a day and I was exhausted! I had no energy, got sick when I was out in the sun, dry itchy skin, dry scalp, mouth sores, upset stomach, metallic taste-ugh!!!

It zapped me of my personality completly and I didn't see my friends for the entire month of June. Finally, one day when I wa sat work and someone offered me some cake and it tasted like metal, I said NO MORE. Stopped taking it and immediatly began to hurt and get stiff.

So now I am taking one pill at night and one Mobic at night. I've been on that for about a week and a half--the side effects have gone away, but boy am I stiff. Time to call the rheumy, I guess.

Sorry for the long post-had to vent...hate this med for me!

Hi Monk! I am a newbie/oldie here. Was on a while ago, but am back again. I too was on sulfasalazine and it did me in...I was also on MTX and had to stop it. Frustrating as heck when you are supposed to give these drugs a chance to work, but the side effects are horrendous! My stomach said NO to this drug! Now I am on to Arava....what that will bring, who knows, but I am hoping....

I'm also on prednesone, relafen, spirnadalactone (water retention), and now this sulfa. Oh and multi vitamins and calcium. To me, that's a lot of pills. And I don't like being told what to do, so having to eat and sit and take my pills in the morning makes me feel like a 5 yr old. On the other hand, it's what is making me feel like an old lady. I'm 44!

The prednesone is the bomb however. I'd feel super if I didn't have to start this sulfa drug. We're leaving for the coast on sunday, so by then hopefully the side effects will have mellowed by then. If not, bye-bye drug.

So glad to know there are so many people in the same boat as me! I always know where to go and get a life perserver. THANX BUDS!