Sulfasalazine and Nausea: What Users Say

• cas...
• December 11, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with RA when I was 10 years old. I was prescribed methotrexate originally, and that worked well. But when I reached 21, I wanted to come off of it because I wanted to be able to consume alcohol. I was then prescribed sulfasalazine and found that this worked just as well as methotrexate. The only downfall was how long it took to kick in and relieve my symptoms. After taking sulfasalazine for a little over a year, I went into remission for 3 years. But this week, my jaw is very stiff and hurts pretty bad so I started back up on sulfasalazine (2 pills in the morning, 2 pills at night). I have no side effects. For those who get nausea from sulfasalazine, folic acid really helps with that. I highly recommend this medication."

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "It’s only been a few weeks, and sulfasalazine has stopped the shooting pain in my wrist, along with bad cramping in my fingers and thumb, that was waking me up at night. While the swelling in my hands and feet hasn’t gone down much, I’m enjoying the relief and feel grateful. I just now started the two-a-days but am optimistic about my ability to stay active. I’ve only experienced a little nausea so far, and it’s worth it. Headed to the gym to see what I can do!"

• Cbs...
• January 22, 2018

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I’ve been on sulfasalazine for RA for about 10 weeks. I increased the dose gradually over 3 weeks. Once I reached the full dose (2000 mg/day), I started noticing side effects. Mostly headaches and nausea. I decided to try to stick it out, and I’m so glad I did. Eventually, side effects went away as I adjusted to the med. Over the past week, I’ve felt better than I have in years! Still have joints that are sore, but the symptoms I have are very mild compared to what they once were. Hoping this continues to improve over the next few months."

• Hil...
• April 7, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I was on sulfasalazine after being diagnosed with PSA. My first arthritis medication. I was also experiencing reactive arthritis when first diagnosed. I started at 1 tablet 2 times a day. I had some quite adverse reactions to start, such as trouble sleeping and nausea. My rheumatologist suggested Humira. After reading up on Humira, I decided it was worth trying to soldier through a longer trial period with sulfasalazine before switching, eating plain food, etc., to minimize the impacts of side effects. I'm so glad I did. Now I'm at 4 tablets a day. All the side effects are now gone, and I can eat normally. Sulfasalazine has reduced joint inflammation to the point that I can exercise. I recommend giving sulfasalazine's side effects a bit of time to equalize."

• db6...
• July 23, 2017

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Was put on sulfasalazine 2 weeks ago! I've had methotrexate, plus injectable Meteject, leflunomide, and now this traumatizing, horrible stuff. Every single DMARD has had horrendous effects on me. Started sulfasalazine 2 weeks ago and have had continual, nonstop pressure, headaches and sweats, nausea, and feel bloody awful... so, so, so bad. I went away for a week on holiday and I've never felt so ill! It completely ruined my family holiday. These headaches are ruining my life! It feels like someone's got a clamp around my head and has turned the heating up to full blast in my bones and body! Not happy at all. :'("

• 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!"

• 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."

• Ana...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Been on sulfasalazine now for 7 weeks, along with methotrexate. Started off at 1 daily, increasing to 6 daily by week 6. Feel rubbish, nausea, headaches, night sweats, poor sleep, and generally exhausted. RA pain has improved but not at this cost. Need to find something else."

• Ric...
• January 13, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I was recently diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at the age of 45. Very early stages according to my doctor. He placed me on sulfasalazine. Started 1 pill per day for 2 weeks, then 2 a day the next week, then 3x per day the following week. When I made it to the 3x per day, I had a terrible reaction: severe nausea, headaches, and sensitivity to light, and I noticed I felt weak and was about to go to the emergency room. I stopped immediately and felt better within days. I'm diabetic and tested my blood sugar and did notice a massive drop on this medication. The symptoms I was having could have been low blood sugar. The sulfasalazine may have reacted to my metformin to cause low blood sugar. I was switched to Plaquenil."

• per...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2023

For Psoriatic Arthritis "28F, diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis one year ago. I had very painful fingers and knees, and taking weekly 25 mg methotrexate injections helped, but did not fully eradicate the pain or help me regain function. After a bout of uveitis and a new onset migraine with aura, sulfasalazine got added (2500 mg, titrated up to 500 mg a week). Although it took a while to work, it improved my condition dramatically. It feels almost back to normal pain and function-wise, and general fatigue levels have improved somewhat. The abdominal side effects are the ones that still bother me, with bouts of nausea and painful bloating almost daily. I was advised it may take a few more months to improve, but honestly, I feel I can live with that as long as I get to keep the benefits of it."

• Jod...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2023

For Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been prescribed 2 tablets of 500 milligrams three times a day for my rheumatoid arthritis, and I have been taking this medication for over a year. However, I have not noticed any pain relief from it. When I started taking it, I experienced nausea and had to reduce the dosage to four tablets a day. I gradually increased it back up to six tablets a day, but it still does not seem to be helping me."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Been using the sulfasalazine medicine for 45 days now, dose 2+0+2 per day. It has reduced my pain significantly, but I feel nauseated, exhausted, and lost my appetite."

• Jin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2015

Sulfasalazine for Ulcerative Colitis "Severe headache (seems like my head is gonna explode), nausea, and vomiting."

• Nan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 25, 2023

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I experienced dizziness, nausea, and tinnitus. It has helped my arthritis, but the side effects are making me want to discontinue taking it."

• che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 20, 2023

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I had difficulty sleeping, a mild headache, and nausea, and found it hard to concentrate."