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Sulfasalazine and sulfa antibiotic allergies

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/11/2009 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
The information I'm finding on this seems to be contradictory.

I have a sulfa antibiotic allergy, yet my GI wrote me a prescription for sulfasalazine (I'm having insurance issues and may not be able to afford other medications). Some websites say there may be an issue with with as sulfasalazine is essentially a sulfatimide, but others aren't so clear.

Has anybody had experience with this? I'm very confused right now.
Posted 12/11/2009 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
I had an allergic reaction to sulfasalazine and on my chart my GI was calling it a 'sulfa allergy" and that's what I tell other drs.
I found this from mayo's website
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sulfa-allergy/AN01565
Personally I think sulfa is sulfa and I would avoid it in any form.
Posted 12/11/2009 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks. That's helpful. I was starting to think I was losing it a little.

Kinda sucks though. Sulfasalazine is the only really inexpensive drug to treat UC...and I'm getting to start the deductables on insurance all over again, soooo...
Posted 12/11/2009 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
I hear you! Have you tried Colazal? I'm really bad at remembering what people have and haven't tried on here. My GI said that tends to be cheaper than asacol, but I'm in MN so I don't know. I'm out of the loop when it comes to insurance and drugs because I'm still in school and on my parents insurance so I pay what they tell me to! I hope you find something though!
Posted 12/11/2009 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
I have not tried colazal yet.

I'm currently on COBRA from my parents insurance, but it's being a douche. The economy is so bad I haven't found a steady job as of yet with real benefits.
Posted 12/11/2009 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
Elaine Gotschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle, talks about a program to desensitize for folks who really want to try sulfasalazine or for whom sulfa drugs are the only option. You can read her comments here: http://www.scdiet.org/4faq/azulfidine.html
Posted 12/15/2009 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
thanks so much for that princesa, I am going to give that a go because I cannot tolerate any of the sulfa drugs for UC.

Posted 12/16/2009 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Colazal is expensive, I don't know where you get it from but it cost more than Asacol anywhere that I looked. Generic Sulfasalazine is less than $20 for a month supply and that's if you take it at full dosage. I get mine from Walmart right now, I only take half a pill 3 or 4 times a day, I think it helps, I dunno, but I am doing pretty decent since starting it and taking other natural things including Whey protein, enzymes, probiotics, Quercetin / Bromelain. With this disease it is hard to tell what helps or not and what is just a random occurrence.

I had problems with both Asacol and Colazal making my symptoms worse, but it apparently does help some people.
Posted 12/16/2009 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
I had issues with Asacol, but did well on azulfadine/sulfasalazine. I continue to take a maintenance dose because, as far as I can tell, it's about a safe as taking aspirin on a daily regimen.
Posted 12/17/2009 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
Yea, I had the same problem with deductibles and asacol, they wanted me to pay $950 out of pocket before the insurance kicked in, and then after that I would have to pay $120 a month, ridiculous. Nothing should cost that much, especially with sulfasalazine being so inexpensive being the same stuff.

I would imagine though that if you have a sulfa antibiotic allergy, then you would have a bad reaction to it, but I do not know for sure. My GI doc said it can give you a bad skin rash if you're allergic, it definitely sounds like no fun.
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