Has Anyone Had Luck With Sulphasalazine?

Happy New Year everyone!  My rhuemy just put me on Sulphasalalzine to help me go off of prednisone.  I haven't been able to stop the prednisone after two years straight and, also, after about 18 months of pred shortly before that.  So, three and a half years of pred with a 6 month break and she wants me off pred as soon as possible.  It is easy to really need pred since it really helps my pain and inflammation problems from my RA and/or lupus issues.

Ginny,

I too was surprised to see a doctor would prescribe this drug to a lupus patient. When I looked it up on the Mayo website it says Sulphasalazine is a sulfa based (of course) drug used to treat patients with RA. I hesitated to post, but everything I have read states that anyone with lupus should avoid sulfa based drugs like the plaque. There is quite a bit of information on the LFA website as well, I'm adding the link here for anyone who wishes to read. http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_empty.aspx?cx=016941646516273541596%3Aivv9xkjkidg&cof=FORID%3A11&q=sulfa+based+drugs#1001

Melissa

Hi Audrey,

I was prescribed this drug, but for RA/potential IBD, not for SLE.  As others have pointed out, it is quite common to have a reaction to this drug because of the sulfa base.  I had a horrible reaction, although it doesn't appear right away.  I was taking it for 5 weeks before it dropped my platelets way low (dangerously low) and caused a rash from head to toe.  My rheumy took me off it immediately and told me to avoid all sulfa drugs from here on out.  He kind of put me on it because I think for insurance reasons I had to fail a traditional DMARD for RA before he could put me on a biologic, and at the time I did not want to take methotrexate.  this drug has helped many  people, though, so it may do wonders for you.  Everyone is different, I would just recommend that you follow up with your doctor routinely, and take your blood work seriously, as this drug is infamous for dropping blood counts.

Best,

El

I have it in my own record that I am allergic to sulpha drugs.  I tried to take them for a kidney infection, but they make me sick, makes me have nausea, dizziness, and woozy.

So I best add this to my list of things to ake to the Rheumy.

I'm on board with everyone else and was surprised to see you were given a sulfa based drug. I looked it up because I didn't know much about it and it looks like it is given mostly for ulcerative colitis and RA that doesn't respond well to other meds.

I hope you respond to the new meds okay and that you do okay off of the prednisone. Keep us updated on how things are going. Take care

---

Thanks so much, everyone, for your quick response to my questions! I think I understand now why I haven't heard of this med very much from this group. In my research on this it says that about 30% of lupus patients are allergic or have negative results from sulpha drugs. It is considered a DMARD and I am thinking my rhuemy has to go through all the basic DMARD's before putting me on the more expensive biologics like el suggests.

My rheumy has had me on methotrexate injections in the past (for about 18 months) and they basically stopped working. That seems to be the story of my life with this disease. I have not had any allergic reactions to sulpha-based medications and my nephrologist has me on some sulpha meds at times due to my kidney infections and frequent stones. I also take a thiazide diuretic for high blood pressure (as prescribed by my kidney specialist) for my kidney problem called Dent's Disease. My rhuemy is watching me closely and I will see her every four weeks for now so she can see how I am doing. She seems to be focusing on my RA issues and has suspicions that I might be in the early stages of ulcerative colitus.

My family doctor says I have multi system health issues and that I really have them all stumped. (Don't we all stump them with this disease?) The three of them decided on this approach for now (rhuemy, nephrologist, and family doc) to see how I react. I have a standing blood work order each month and they all see the results. The physicians on my team all work together on my case - thank goodness.

I only had one time where I had a terrible rash on my skin - all over - and it was very itchy and I welted up whenever I was in the sun. This was six years ago when I was first suspected to have lupus or RA. I have not had anything like it since then - I sure hope this medication doesn't cause it return! I will try not to freak out, Ginny - YIKES!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your sharing. I started taking 4 mg of prednisone this week and I seem to be fine. Right now I am also starting the sulphasalazine slowly. I am taking one tablet twice a day and will move up to two tablets twice day next week. Has anyone had success with this medication?

Audrey

---

 

Hi Audrey,

Hope all is going well. Just wanted to mention that my son is on sulphasalazine for psoriatic arthritis. It took a few months to really make a difference. One thing he found out the hard way, it really increased his sun sensitivity. He was already careful about being in the sun, but now, just a few minutes can make him really sick (nausea, rash, fever, etc.). You probably already knew that - but I thought I'd mention it.

Good Luck!

---

Take care,
Fran

Dx: Lupus, sjogren's, celiac, severe allergies.
Daily Meds: Plaquenil, Zyrtec. Aciphex, Nasacort, Prozac, Ambien CR.
Daily Supplements: Calcium, B-100 Complex.
As Needed Meds: Epinephrine, Benadryl, Proventil, Xopenex, Tylenal, Darvocet, Prednisone.

Thanks for the sun warning, Fran! I sure hope my sun sensitivity does not get worse but I have become accustomed to accepting the worst, unfortunately.

I really want to thank everyone for the comments and suggestions to my question. It is certainly difficult to keep up with everything - family, home, work, career - with the challenge of autoimmune disease. Sometimes I wonder how any of us do it!

For now, I am doing OK. I keep working to make sure I don't just give up on moving. I have to keep moving. I remember my Oma (grandmother) saying the same thing. She had RA and it was very hard on her. She used to have gold injection treatments. I never even considered I would have the same challenges as she did!

Happy New Year everyone!

Audrey

---