are rashes common with sulfasalazine??

peridotlouise

i took my pill today, im on 1 a day for the first week.
straight away a rash came up on my left arm, it's about an inch...and it itches
is this normal?

stickywicket

I've never taken sulf, peridotlouise. I think it's a possible side effect but I've no idea if it's serious or not. A bit worrying, given it's the Christmas period. Remember you can always ring NHS Direct for advice.

dreamdaisy

I doubt it is connected to the sulph, simply because that pill is enteric-coated which means it takes time for it to be digested: I think that side effects are rarely instantaneous so please don't fret. Put some unscented cream on it - aqueous, E45 or even just plain Vaseline, that will keep it soft and non-itchy. I am sure all is well, and you will be fine but as sticky said, if not then ring NHS direct. DD

valval

been taking them for couple of weeks still feel sick but no rash and it was a bit quick but you never know with these things keep an eye on it if gets worse see your gp val

skezier

hi Peridotlouise,

it can be one of the side effects and maybe it does need to be checked out with someone.... if you can't get hold of anyone i would ring NHS Direct just to be on the safe side.

i hope its coincidental but please just run it past a medic cus it is one of the side effects. hope it will soon settle down for you, Cris x

lindalegs

Hi Louise.

When I was on Sulphsalazine, I came out in a rash and when I showed my GP he took me off it as it shows an allergic reaction. My rash didn't itch but did start on my arms.

I think you should get it checked just to be sure. If you can't see a doc, it being Christmas Eve and a Saturday, maybe you could ring NHS Direct for advice.

Luv,

Mat48

Hi - haven't been on here for a while but I just looked and saw this post and thought I would join in by saying that i had a rash with Sulph and had to come off it also. Mine was extremely itchy and all over but started on my chest and the soles of my feet and was quite alarming really. I took Sulpha for 3 weeks and it was only when my GP doubled the dose to 20mgs after 2 weeks that this allergic reaction occured.

I think DD is probably right that it would be too soon for an allergic reaction but actually mine weren't coated - just large yellow pills and I think it's possible to have an instantaneous allergic response to a drug. I definitely suffered a bit of nausea and loss of appetite on them from the first dose and some depression too - whereas the Methotrexate is not giving me any side effects yet apart from some hairloss/ frizzing which I hate! I've been on it for a month now and have just had dose raised to 15mgs - no difference to the RA yet though either!

Good luck - advise you to get the rash looked at asap - and Merry Christmas! Mat48

lindalegs

May I just say that it might not be too soon for an allergic reaction as it depends on how many tablets Louise has taken so far because they're building up in her system with each tablet she takes. That's why it's best to get it checked out IMO.

It's best to err on the side of caution.

Happy Christmas to all. x:-D

Luv

agslegs

Hi - I developed a rash on my arms and legs about 3 weeks after starting taking sulfasalazine. The rash was very itchy and came on when the dosage increased to 4 tablets a day. My rheummy nurse and GP told me it was probably an allergic reaction and I was advised to stop taking the tablets until the rash went away.

I am now back to one tablet of sulfa a day and will try to build up the dosage again. If the allergy comes back again I think I will then need to stop sulfa completely and go back to the drawing board.

heather89

Hi, I had a rash when beginning Sulfasalazine, but I "worked through" it, came out the other end and am now on 6 tablets per day!

dreamdaisy

Hi peridotluise, how are things now? Has the rash gone, spread or remained the same? Did you contact anyone about it? I think it's rare for an instantaneous reaction after one tablet but hey, who knows? I hope you are OK and had a good Christmas. DD

valval

well just popped in to see how it going has rash gone??? val

anniek

Hi ,I had a reaction to sulphasalizine on the 3rd week I was covered in spots over the whole body and was pretty sick I had to come off it ,hope yours is ok now ,Anne

peridotlouise

hey everyone,
hope you've all had a good christmas

im starting 2 pills today, ive had one, having the other after dinner in a bit...
that small rash has gone, havent experienced any other side effects except my skin feels slightly prickly at times but no rash to be seen... but tbh i dont know if im panicking because ive heard so much about sulfasalazine

flare came back and i couldnt close my hands the last few days and was in a lot of pain
but went to docs, got naproxen and feel so much better. right hand still slightly stiff but not the pain i felt yesterday..

nervous about upping the dosage on second week but i want to get through it. im such a worrier in general though which probably doesnt help me

Mat48

Hi Peridotlouise - I'm a worrier too and got in such a stew about starting Methotrexate 5 weeks ago. Then I went to a locum GP to ask about raising the dose when, like you, my hands doubled in size and were so stiff none of my fingers would bend. As soon as he told me that rheumy had said I must double my dose from 7.5mgs to 15mgs I got in a complete panic and spent the whole week worrying. Finally I came off my x3 ibuprofen for 24 hours to see if my hands were still going to flare - I thought maybe the low dose of metho had done its job? But no I ended up with hugely swollen, painful hands again and so that night I doubled my dose of Metho and hey presto - not a side-effect in sight still apart from slightly frizzy hair.

But when I was on the Sulpha back in May/ June I hadn't a clue that it had any toxicity or possible adverse side-effects at all because my GP never told me and the pharmacist just handed me a brown bottle with no contra-indications at all. So it took me ages to clock that the purple itchy all over body rash or lumps on my neck and ear were anything to do with my own reaction to Sulpha?! Whereas I came Metho with loads of preconceptions and worries/ horrors and to date have tollerated it fine. It's made no difference to hands yet though but hopefully that will come in time. I wish my GP would give me Naproxen but he refuses saying it's either Ibuprofen (max dose taken regularly with meals) or Prednsisone and I keep forgetting to take the ibu and the Pred gives me mood swings and insomnia. Is the Naproxen really effective at calming hands down then?

peridotlouise

hi mat 48,

naproxen is a godsend to me seriously with the pain... i go from not being able to bend my fingers without agonising pain to just feeling completely normal, can move my hands now fine!! still some slight stiffness, but sooo much better. dont know if that works for everyone, but it helps me so much. i take one 250g in eve so that i wake up better, and one in the late morning. with food though. im just hoping it keeps working because ibuprofen does nothing for me.

yeah being a worrier is horrible...ive been panicking all day about upping my sulfa to 2. x

Mat48

I had no major probs with the Sulpha until i got to 4 tablets per day. I'm struggling today because the ibuprofen isn't doing it's job at all and all is stiff and achy - hands are downright strange with flashes of extreme pain in the palms. I stop taking the 1200 ibuprofen once a week on Methotrexate day because I would be taking 18 tablets if I didn't and also I feel better about taking the 6 MTX tablets if I'm in pain as it's so toxic it scares me otherwise!

Life would be so much easier if we weren't such worriers wouldn't it?! Good luck with the Sulpha -if its any consolation my GP prescribed it for me because he said it was the most long standing of the DMARDs and he thought it less toxic/ scary than Methotrexate, which he wouldn't prescribe without the rheumy's say so. I think that's why he doesn't want me taking Naproxen now that I'm on Methotrexate?

frogmorton

Hi Mat

good to see you after such a long time x:-)

I sometimes wonder if it's the cost with some of these pills x:-? Reason being that l know a lass who got naproxen off her GP no problem rather that l suspected giving her any of the stronger painkillers (back problem).

DMARDs (such as sulfa and MTX),l 'get' totally...after all the rheumatologists are the experts with these medications.

Glad that your rash has gone Louies and l wish you all the best with the sulfa.

Love

Toni xxx

Mat48

Yes I think you're right Toni - cost comes into it more than we often realise - especially when a practice has opted out of NHS direct and manages it's own finances like a business. I would mind this less if I had a mild case of something or if they were open about financial impacts on their decisions, but RA is a chronic long term disease and I resent having to take 12 pills a day when I could take less and get more benefit. In Scotland all prescriptions are free courtesy of the SNP government here but there's always a price to be paid somewhere of course! I've got a sore throat and feel grotty so suspect I'm coming down with my eldest son's man-flu but can't snuggle in bed because my OH is just off a night shift and I don't want to wake him and 3 teens are slumbering in their smelly bedrooms having kept me awake with their banging and lights on an off - home 3am type thing. Grrrrrrr :evil

Anyway happy new year to all here on AC. x;) x;)