Has Anyone Had Luck With Sulphasalazine?

I'm a little surprised you were prescribed this.  Lupus usually doesn't react well with Sulpha based drugs.  We're actually supposed to avoid them!  But hey, I'm no doctor!  So your rheumy must have special reasons to use this medication.

You might not find many members here that have tried this medication. If you're feeling iffy about it, I'd ask your doctor why he/she prescribed it when Lupins aren't supposed to take it. I was told that we need to treat sulpha based drugs as though we have an allergy to them.  I have it in my chart!

Have you ever tried Azathioprine (Imuran)? It's an immune suppressant. Works well for most people and it's standard treatment for RA. It's been a great med for me.

I hope this helps and hasn't made you freak out!  Hehe... That was not my intent at all, but to give you some information to mull over!  Let's see if anyone has actually tried this medication. I'll be curious to know too!

34 years old. Diagnosed with Lupus in 2000. Fibromyalgia, Anti-phospholipid syndrome(APS)(stroke, 2002), Sjogren's, Raynaud's, Libman Sach's Endocarditis, vasculitis, sacroiliitis, arthritis (neck), anxiety. Prednisone, Imuran, Coumadin, Clobazam, Amitriptyline, Didrocal, Cozaar, Zoloft, Neurontin, calcium, multi-vitamin, vitamin D, Magnesium, vitamin B6, Acidophilus

Moderator for the Lupus and Fibromyalgia forums

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

Suspected dx: UCTD/Early Lupus

Current Meds: Enbrel, Plaquenil, Methotrexate, nexium, tramadol, nasonex,Tylenol PM

Past Meds: Relafen, Vioxx, Mobic, Voltaren, Sulfasalazine, Entocort, Prednisone, Humira, Reglan, zyrtec, zegerid, aciphex