Sulfasalazine

[Marcy]

Ok Sulfasalazine is a 5 asa drug. On the research I did on it it says it can also have brand names pentesa and the like.
Is anyone else taking the sulfasalazine brand? The reason I am asking is my PCP has me on 500 mg 4 times a day. The first day I was fine day 3 to present I have been utterly exhausted,sleepy, and totally dysfunctional. When I called the nurse she said it would take time for my body to adjust.. TIME???? how much time? I mean I know I shouldn't but today I only took it this morning and still an hour after taking it I was on my bum and really wanting to just go to bed. I am going to take another dose at bedtime. I also take Zoloft 50 mg.hydroxyzine 25 mg and estradol 2 mg at night so could it be all the meds together just knocking me for a loop? Is there anyone else who has experienced these side effects from a 5/asa meds? Help I don't know what to do. I waited so long to be put on medication for CD and now that I am I have issues.
:sign0085:

 

[Jennifer]

I don't recall anyone mentioning side effects like that and it isn't listed on the side effects list (not exactly that anyway). Here's the list of side effects: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000880/ At most it could fall under serious but I'm not sure. I never had any side effects while taking it. It could be a bad side effects or drug interaction and one of the best people to talk to about that is your pharmacist. See what they have to say. If the side effects are worse than your symptoms, you may have to try another drug.

 

[Marcy]

Crabby,
Thanks for the reply. I have spoken with the doctors and pharmacist about the way I have been feeling since I began the Sulfasalazine. They are aware that even some antibiotics make me groggy and even otc tylenol. They want me to just give it some time to see if I adjust. I have went through the Mayo clinic library and it says when you have extreme inflammation Sulfasalazine can make you extremely drowsy. In the effect that it makes your body rest so the medication can do its job. If that is the case I guess my inflammation must be off the charts lol...Just trying to adjust to all the new changes so I suppose along with everything else it is going to have to be given time.
Warm regards

 

[Lisa]

Interesting Marcy...I haven't heard of that. Sulfasalazine was the drug of choice when I was younger - I was on it for years on and off.....don't remember any side effects from it either. Do you take the coated tablets or the uncoated ones? I've taken both but sure prefer the coated ones!

 

[Jennifer]

You mean coated like time release right?

 

[Lisa]

Not a time release really, but coated to get through the stomach before starting to dissolve....looking at literature, the coating is to protect the stomach....

These are also seen under Azulfadine EnTab......

 

[Marcy]

Hmmmm...
well they say they are enteric coated but when I handle them I get a bit of powdery residue on my fingers. I spoke with the other doctor today and he said I shouldn't be getting this tired with the Sulfasalazine. They did however say the hydroxyzine will make me tired but I only take it once a day and it is at night. They also are not time released so I am stumped as far as the drowsiness. Guess I will have to just suck it up and find different ways to cope with it. Thanks for all the input

 

[Miss Underestimated]

Perhaps it is taking your body longer to process the hydroxyzine now that it has something else to do.

 

[Marcy]

I have been on the hydroxyzine for over a year so I think my body has been adjusted to it. HOWEVER, I talked to another pharmacist and they said it could be a reaction to my estradiol I take for surgical menopause. The one medication I never even thought about and it is only 2 mg so just didn't think it could have been the culprit.lol.. Guess I learned a lot today thanks everyone

 

[Miss Underestimated]

Interesting! I had just read about one drug causing another to be metabolized more slowly than normal, that's why it occurred to me, but a pharmacist would be the person with the answer.

 

[upsetmom]

Hi i'm new to all this so i need some help. My 14 year old daughter was just diagnosed with undetermined colitis (possibly chrons)(whole bowel was inflamed) after being sick for a year.She was put on predisone for a month and then sulfalazine 2 tablets twice a day. Things got under control for a few weeks and now she has had diarrhea again for a week . She also has the flu so i don't know if if thats causing the diarrhea or not. She has no other symptoms. Should i wait or go back to the doctor? Thanks

 

[2thFairy]

I've not known estradiol to cause drowsiness, but I suppose any drug is capable of doing that since everyone reacts differently.

 

[my buns are burnin]

I was just put on sulfasalazine.. no side effects except a headache yet. here's hoping

 

[EDZEL]

How interesting! I've been taking sulphasalzine since 1984 and hadn't really thought that it might have side effects! (do I read the small print on the leaflet - no, of course I don't, LOL - I'd need a magnifying glass in any case!) I do recall that for a long time I was taking the uncoated version and then one day my pharmacist only had the coated ones and asked if I would mind having them 'because they can upset your stomach' -which would seem to be in direct contrast to what passobuff noted above, so work that one out?! - I said I'd be fine and have mostly had the coated version ever since. They still leave a powdery residue on my fingers though - and don't even ask me about the condition of the underside of our white toilet seat from splashback, it's embarrassing! We should get a black one I think...)

To sum up, I've lived with it so long now I probably don't even know what are side-effects and what aren't, TBH - but it will certainly make me look at things more closely from now on...

 

[tek254]

I have been on sulfasalazine for 6 months after going off 6mp. I take 500mg x 1. if I go above that, the nausea and malaise kick in big time. Its to the point I am on Zofran to combat the nausea. Hoping to get on something else. My GI took me off everything but my rheumy wanted me to try this with the thought that controlling the inflammation from AS would also combat the Crohns. Best of luck.