Sulfasalazine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

• Mum...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 20, 2017

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Been a psoriatic arthritis sufferer these last twenty years. My flare-ups are dreadful. After taking them for just two weeks, symptoms are abated; it really works for me despite convincing my new GP I knew what I was on about! Methotrexate was awful. No side effects with sulfasalazine with me. After three months, no pain at all....but one needs to drink lots of water. I've had periods on and off this drug, all due to flare-ups..."

• Swe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 31, 2018

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Awful drug!! I was on this drug for 2 months. Started at one tablet a day, then increased to 2 tablets a day, equaling 1,000 mg. It seemed to help some with joint pain, but the side effects were awful. Intense migraines from the start, then a few days ago, I had to call an ambulance as I felt like I was having a heart attack and couldn't breathe. I was vomiting as well. My liver enzymes were through the roof, and now they think I have liver damage. I'm due to have a liver biopsy soon. Run, run far away from this med!!"

• her...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 21, 2018

For Ulcerative Colitis "I have been taking SAS or sulfasalazine entabs for over 40 years, 9-12 pills a day (500 mg each), which is more like a Crohn's dose. It has handled my ulcerative colitis perfectly. Over the years, I tried to wean off of it because I felt so good. The symptoms returned. I'm back on the pills. No problem whatsoever. I have tried other pills (Asacol and others I don't remember). None worked as well. It's effective and safe. No side effects that I notice. I am a male, 65 years old. I play hockey 3 times a week. This drug is why I lead a normal life. The low dosages did nothing for me (anything below 4000 mg per day)."

• KDL...
• February 1, 2017

For Ulcerative Colitis "I have taken sulfasalazine for 40 years. It worked OK on my U.C. until I had a flare-up. I would have to take 8 pills a day for months. My urine was always orange, and Medicaid only paid for a limited number of pills per month. After much research this year, I tried a probiotic for my gut. I found that one probiotic (45 billion active cultures) a day did a better job of keeping the U.C. at bay. I can eat vegetables I couldn't before. I have less gas and more normal bowel movements. I quit taking the sulfasalazine because it interfered with the probiotic. I haven't had a problem these last 6 months, even with excessive stress."

• Anonymous
• February 29, 2012

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I never got to the full dosage of 2 pills twice a day. I was slowly increasing the dosage from one pill once to one pill once... that's as far as I got. The side effects were horrible. My mother, a breast cancer survivor, likened my side effects to chemo. My mind couldn't focus. I couldn't sleep, yet I was always drowsy. I always noticed that the side effects would ease about 6 hours after taking, then would show 30 min after taking. I finally gave up and changed meds."

• RRL...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 24, 2020

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "This sulfasalazine is the fifth or sixth drug my doc put me on. It seems to be helping, but I can still feel my joints getting worse, just not as fast as they were. I had my first knee pains when I was 9 years old. I was told it was just growing pains. IMHO, there is no such thing as growing pains. I have been on sulfasalazine for well over five years now. It does not make me sick, lose my hair, dizzy, or more grumpy than normal...for me anyway. It works well as long as you are not allergic to sulfur."

• Dee...
• March 13, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "My rheumy, after RA diagnosis in 11/2019, put me on prednisone, then added plaquenil, then sulfasalazine, gradually to 3 tabs 2x a day. No side effects. After my joint pain was 75% diminished, my doctor weaned me off the 10 mg daily prednisone. Took 3 months. There was a little bit of flare-up after each lessening of prednisone dosage, but after a few months, nearly every joint felt 90% better. It's been about 1 year since I went off prednisone completely, and I've noticed one of my knees has become pain-free, and only one has some pain. I also have a little pain in one shoulder, but compared to the 20-something joints that had been initially affected, I'm happy with this drug cocktail. I believe both drugs are helping me greatly, but I'm not sure how efficacious if I only took one and not both. For that reason, I must rate this drug 9/10. I'm very grateful that my doc was able to get me from excruciating pain to nearly normal function. I hope you will all find your magic elixir."

• fig...
• June 21, 2021

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I have psoriatic arthritis for the last 10 years. At the start, sulfasalazine did wonders on my rather bigger joints, but after 1 year of use, it only relieved up to an extent on my finger joints. After 10 years, I had multiple disc herniations because my spine got hit by the disease silently, and it progressed without giving any signs. So an annual MRI scan is always recommended. I went back to sulfasalazine. Let me give you some tips on sulfasalazine: pros: *well tolerated by most people *medium efficacy *prevents bone and cartilage erosion, unlike NSAIDs *can be used long-term on a sensible dose *your best bet before biologics *liver toxicity lower than methotrexate. cons: *efficiency drops after a year *does not stop disease progression or new joints from being added *does not work on the spine or axial joints *works less on smaller joints such as hands *affects blood count results *less anti-inflammatory than methotrexate."

• Jel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2014

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I slowly increased the dose weekly. I was okay on 2 a day, but once increased to 3, my eyesight got a little worse. I reduced them for a while, then slowly up to 4 a day. The nausea was terrible, I also felt really ill and very tired, but didn't know why. Had to take time off work, I felt so bad. Lowered the dose to 2 again and was better, but once I tried to increase it again, the nausea and ill feelings came back. Stopped them and eventually felt better. Didn't realize just how bad they had affected me until I was back to normal again!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 11, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Without a doubt, the worst medicine and side effects. After long use with no relief, my body became septic, and I nearly died. These reviews are all rosy and do not reflect the negative side. Read patient reviews, you will be shocked. I have permanent side effects."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been dealing with RA (ankylosing spondylitis) for about 30 years. My medications have run the gamut from A to Z. The last medicine was Humira, which ended up giving me Hodgkin's lymphoma and 6 months of chemotherapy to put it in remission. I am now back to square one and was prescribed sulfasalazine. A few weeks after taking it, I noticed constant nausea, ringing in my ears, hair loss, and constipation with no relief for my swollen knees. I am done being a guinea pig for these pharmaceutical companies and am looking at a natural approach using a strict diet, turmeric, and other natural compounds to manage this. No more science experiments for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2021

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I had a shocking experience with sulfasalazine. For five weeks, the drug did nothing-swelling in my foot remained the same. At the end of week 5, it wiped out my white cells completely (neutropenia/agranulocytosis), which essentially caused my body to die. It caused a very large necrotic abscess (necrotizing fasciitis) for which I needed two emergency surgeries, and all my systems were affected (cardiac/digestive, etc.). I was very close to becoming septic, and it was thought I might need a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, I didn't, however, I was put into hospital isolation for weeks and spent months in and out of hospital stays, hooked up to IV antibiotics, blood transfusions, etc. Then I had a year-long journey of recovery (post-surgical wound, hair fell out, 'odd' skin problems that I'd never had before). Fortunately, my digestive and cardiac issues seem to have fixed themselves with time. Still dealing with many immune issues that I'd never had before this saga."

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2024

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I’ve been on sulfasalazine for just under two weeks. Prior to this, I spent about 2 months not being able to walk and in constant pain. Since I’ve been on the medication, everything gets a little bit better every day. I’m in so much less pain and have started to be able to walk again. I was so worried about trying this drug after reading reviews. It does make you feel sick now and again, but I’ve found that if I drink plenty of water and eat before taking the pills, I don’t have any side effects. I’m so happy I tried this medication and surprised it worked so quickly!"

• Hur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 6, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I started taking sulfasalazine (SZS) with Plaquenil 2 months ago for RA. Immediately felt dizzy, confused, nosebleed, and depression, and also severe vision changes. Bi-weekly blood draws were a total painful waste of time. Then began a very intense ringing in my ears. Discontinued Plaquenil twice a day, and dropped the SZS from 4 per day to 3. I did get some relief from RA, but far from worth the suffering of the severe side effects. Ringing in my ears continued, especially bad in the mornings. Stopped SZS 2 days ago, and ears still ringing like crazy. I hope this stops soon as I am almost crazy with it. Both drugs are very nasty, and I will never again take either of these drugs. Appointment with rheumatologist as soon as the ringing stops. She suggested an appointment with an audiologist to address the tinnitus. I know it is the SZS causing it. Going to try a different treatment, might as well go all the way at this point. Not ruling out Humira or another biologic."

• eri...
• May 24, 2013

For Crohn's Disease "I tried Lialda, Pentasa, and a few other medicines for my moderate Crohn's disease, and they all made it worse. I tried sulfasalazine, and I am symptom-free as long as I don't forget to take any doses. If I miss a dosage, I may have some loose stool, but after I go back to taking it, I once again am symptom-free."

• Ela...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been on sulfasalazine for 6 weeks, and the last 2 weeks I have been unwell, tight chest, feels like I have a lump in my throat. Fuzzy head, and I feel so congested and generally weak and unwell. Anyone had symptoms like this?"

• And...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 25, 2018

For Psoriatic Arthritis "This worked great for about 10 days, then I started getting nerve pain and had to discontinue, but it completely cured my psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis after just ten days! I was symptom-free for almost two years. Things started drifting back again, and I used it at lower doses, it always helps some, but I just can't stay on it due to the nerve pain in my legs."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've been on sulfasalazine for 4 weeks. I am taking 2 in the morning and 2 at night, with methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine. The first 2 weeks were great as I was only on one in the morning and one in the evening, but since using this, I've had more flare-ups worse than ever, like when I got when I first got R.A. 15 years ago in my 30s. I feel so ill, so I'm going to cut down to 1 in the morning and one in the evening. I can't move with pain in my shoulders and rib cage. Just want to be pain-free again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2017

For Ulcerative Colitis "This medicine has completely turned my life around! Just when I was losing hope, I started this medication 1000 mg 4 times a day. I went from having severe gas pain, blood, mucus, a lot of BM, and an uncomfortable distended stomach after I ate to EVERY symptom GONE after the first month of taking this medication! The only side effect I've experienced is that in the first few days of starting the medicine, I had really bad stomach upset, but after day 4, my body started to adjust, and I had my first normal BM in almost a year! I also get headaches randomly, but ibuprofen always knocks it out. Totally worth giving it a shot!"

• Wsw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 10, 2022

Sulfasalazine for Rheumatoid Arthritis "Taking for 3 weeks. Such severe headaches ended up in the ER. Doesn’t matter if it helps joint pain if the headache is continuous and unbearable. This is a vile drug and would not recommend it to anyone."

• Mum...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 30, 2018

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at 44, had nail psoriasis since 14 years old. Forced to stop methotrexate at week 8 due to hair loss. Switched to sulfasalazine 7 months ago on 2000mg. 4 months on 2000mg per day but no improvement, but also no side effects. At 5 months, I developed plantar fasciitis, severe fatigue, apathy, low mood, and stiffness throughout my whole body. I was told it was the PsA. I put on a stone in weight - I am 5ft 2ins and normally weigh 9 stone. I felt and moved like a woman twice my age. I gave up on sulfasalazine a week ago. The next day, I felt a different person and have felt better again with each passing day. Fatigue has gone, mood lifted, stiffness lessened, and the joint pain significantly reduced. Whilst I still have some joint pain, stiffness, and sore feet, I am significantly better in myself since coming off this drug. I start Otezla tomorrow."

• Mik...
• February 1, 2017

For Crohn's Disease "My doc said, 'let's try sulfasalazine.' So we did, and I've been on 1000mg three times a day. Don't even realize I have Crohn's disease most of the time. (Recommended). There is that other part where everyone gets a different reaction though..... ."

• Ven...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2024

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "In the beginning, I had ringing in ears, numbness and tingling in lower extremities, headaches while taking 2 tabs daily - but the swelling and pain of RA decreased significantly. My doctor said he had never heard of this. Well, it's clearly stated in the side effects. I wanted to try again, so I am on 1 tab daily. I sometimes have upper epigastric pain. We will see if I'm able to progress to 2 tabs daily."

• lje...
• February 1, 2016

For Crohn's Disease "I've only been taking this for 2 1/2 weeks, but I'm very impressed that my chronic loose stools have completely stopped! I've noticed no negative side effects, and if mild constipation is a side effect, I welcome it. I am now taking a little less loperamide, and I'll be experimenting to see if increasing dosages of sulfasalazine will enable me to take even less loperamide. Later, I'll get blood tests to make sure the new drug isn't having negative effects that I don't notice. After all these years dealing with diarrhea, I'm so grateful my doc suggested I try this stuff!"

• Pen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Was on this drug, sulfasalazine, for RA, although the real problem was severe carpal tunnel in both wrists. Two months after starting the drug, my blood tests started showing liver damage. I am now awaiting a liver biopsy. Little improvement in liver damage after 8 weeks off the drug."