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Sulfasalazine Major Question

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/11/2014 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hi!

So as some of you have read in my previous post, I just came off imuran (ill feeling side effects) and instead of jumping to remicade, which my GI loves to put his patients on. We settled on Sulfasalazine, hoping I'm not allergic to it, fingers crossed.

Question one: how is this drug for the ones that are on it? Side effects? I was reading some scary things, however not as scary as Imuran and Remicade I guess.

Question two: I'm on Zoloft, and saw that this is a potentialy serious drug interation with Sulfasalazine. Anyone else experience this?

Thanks y'all !
Posted 6/11/2014 7:06 AM (GMT 0)
One of the major downsides of sulfazine can be headaches. My GI put me on a low dose at first, and moved my dose up to the 1.5 g/day I take now over about a month. I get some more headaches now than I used to, but they respond to Tylenol so it's not a big deal.

My platelets have slowly been dropping since I started taking sulfazine, but they are just a bit below normal and no one is worried about it.

I think you need to talk to your GI, your pharmacist and the DR who prescribed Zoloft before you combine these two meds.
Posted 6/11/2014 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
Can't remember the details of your other thread. Was there a reason you didn't do one of the mesalamines instead of sulfazine? They usually have way less side effects than sulfazine does, but are usually much more expensive.
Posted 6/11/2014 12:03 PM (GMT 0)
No mesalamine unfortunately :( very allergic. Allergic as in sending me to the hospital allergic. Boo. If sulfa and the Hydrocort enema don't work, not sure what's next. Never going to go on imuran again! Made me so ill and remicade is not where I want to head. Other suggestions? Other meds?
Posted 6/11/2014 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
I would hold out for the Vedolizumab, available in the next few weeks.
Posted 6/11/2014 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
Sulfasalazine,like colazal, are turned into mesalamine and a byproduct by biological action in the gut. Completely puzzled as to why it won't send you to the hospital if you are allergic to mesalamine and why your doctor would put you on it.
Posted 6/11/2014 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
This is why it's so tricky for me. I get abdominal cramping and bloating from Lialda and now the sulfa. However, this is a symptom of the drug and I am in a flare. Just confused, if that is just something I should ride out. If its normal. GI is calling me back soon.
Posted 6/11/2014 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
The doctor figures you might be intolerant not allergic. Allergies to mesalamine are rare and allergies are very serious. The doctor would not give you something that could cause a allergic reaction. The mesalimine drugs are worth a little suffering from experimentation as they are very safe and are all many UCers need. You could have been just flaring or had a problem with something in Lialda. Mesalamine making UC worse does happen but it is uncommon and not dangerous. Think positive as that really helps. The guts are connected to the brain.
Posted 6/11/2014 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
AZYooper you are so correct! The gut is connected to the brain. Fingers crossed this reaction is short lived. This disease is a tricky little shi*!!
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