Sulfasalazine?

[MJ229]

Anyone have any experience with Sulfasalazine? I've been on asacol and pretty much every other mesalamine there is. Pentasa and lialda worked for me for 2 years and now I've been battling this last flare for on and off for the last 2 years.

So I am wondering if any one of you had good results from sulfasalazine? My symptoms have worsened and I have inflammation clear to my splenic flexure.

Any info is greatly appreciated! thanks all!!

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I've been on Sulfasalazine, Asacol & Pentasa. Sulfasalazine was the first medication I was put on when I was diagnosed in '96. I was on that medication for a few years until it stopped working for me. But, while I was on it this medication did seem to work pretty well for me.

All three of these medications are part of the 5ASA drugs. I am adding some info for you as well. But, usually these are the types of medications that are less potent and ones that doctors usually prescribe when you're first diagnosed. Hope this helps some. Xxxx

http://www.ccfa.org/resources/aminosalicylates.html

 

[beachbums86]

I'm currently on sulfasalazine, it's doing pretty well. I was initially on remicade but I stopped taking it because of cost. I did fine for several years on no medication at all. maybe 7 years. I started having problems again. i'm not sure if you would call it a flare up or not but I felt I needed to go back to the dr. they wanted to give me I believe it was delzicol or however you spell it. For me with no insurance it was over 400 a month. I told my dr I couldn't afford it so they prescribed me this sulfasalazine. The pills are big but all medicine sucks in some way or another so I won't complain to much. So far it seems to help. before I started taking them I was going to the bathroom between 7 and 12 times a day. now i'm down to 2 or 3 and the urgency isn't there like it was before. oh and it's like 22 dollars a month with no insurance which is awesome. I've noticed no side effects but If I miss a day of pills I can tell an immediate difference. now that I've said all this it will probably jynx me and it'll stop working or my liver will die because of it or something lol. but so far so good.

 

[MJ229]

Thank you both for your feedback and information!

Cross-stitch I checked out that website thanks for giving me the link. It was helpful

Beachbum thanks for all your input. It's nice to know its been working for you! My hope is that it will work for me too If this doesn't remicade is what my doctor wants me try next. Which I am nervous about! :-/

Wishing you both the very best!!!

 

[Jonsey88]

I've been on Sulfasalazine for SEVERAL years now. I think i'm on the max dose so my dr says (500 mg x 6 in the am and 6 in the pm; 3000 mg twice daily). I don't really think it does much for me anymore. I understand it is a sustaining drug. I went to a natropath last year and she said I had a wheat sensitivity. I began going off of wheat and slowly 'forgot' to take my pills and I was fine for about a year. However, after my recent scope with no meds in my system the biopsies agitated my intestines and i'm flared up. Back on Prednisone! Joy!

As much as I found sulfasalazine helpful I also question it's capabilities. Or maybe I was just on it for so long. I'd say about 12 years.

Diagnosed at 9 (1997). 26 years old now.
Been on Pentasa, Cipro, Prednisone a few times, Azathiropirine and Sulfasalazine.

 

[mseve]

I take sulphasalazine because my ins won't cover any modern 5ASA's. I notice that it decreases the amount of inflammation in my fistulas. I seem to do better on it than pentasa/lialda as I noticed no difference with those. The pills are large and hard to swallow, that part I don't like. It causes rashes in some people due to the sulpha component, but so far I haven't had that problem.

 

[theOcean]

If you're not having good results with a 5-ASA like Sulfasalazine, you may want to consider going on an immunosuppressant. 5-ASAs just treat pre-existing inflammation, whereas immunosuppressants actually treat existing inflammation and prevent future inflammation by suppressing the immune system a bit. You'll want to talk to your GI regardless to let them know the Sulfasalazine isn't helping anymore.