Posted 5/6/2016 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hey,
Your story sounds very similar to mine, I've also been put on Sulfasalazine, however I'm not experiencing any of the side affects you've described. My consultant said the meds have to be stopped if you experience side affects, have you let your doctor know? My problem is also in my knees, this makes exercise incredibly difficult. I had several steroid injections directly into my knees, they worked brilliantly, until they didn't any more. I've now been put on oral steroids and they've improved my mobility massively, while my knees are less sore I've started physio to help with mobility and strength. The physio said the best time to do this is two weeks into the steroids, I only have 2 weeks left on them as they are really bad for you in the long term, so hopefully I've improved my strength and fitness enough to still be mobile once I'm off the steroids. I used to go to the gym 5-7 times a week, run, swim, hike, etc frequently, so having my fitness/mobility taken from me is devastating, so I totally understand how you feel when you say about quality of life. My GP also upped my dose of sulfasalazine from 4 to 6 tablets a day as they weren't having much of an effect. However he said as I'm only 24 and healthy otherwise, I should be able to lower the dose once it's all under control. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions I can help with :)