They put me on a new drug actually used for people that have crohn's disease its called sulfasalazine. I'm already having problems with it. it makes me really dizzy. I was just wondering what worked you you guys.
Hi...sorry not too much knowledge about Crohn's...i know they have good luck with Remicade infusions for it
good luck...Sulfa is a milder DMARD for rheumatoid, so not sure for Crohns
No i dont have crohns but they use the meds for people that couldnt handle the methotrexate.
Have you tried taking it at a different time of the day? I use to take my methotrexate Thursday mornings and use to feel sick for 2 -3 days. After reading what other people did in this group I changed my day to Friday night right before bed and it's worked out a lot better. It seems like the time of day, the food you eat before your medication, and what you drink really makes a difference on the side effects you feel.
Dear Mrs,
I have taken both, for about the 3 month mark, had substantial problems with both, let the Rheumy know, this is your ticket to the biologics!!! Yipee! Insurance protocol started me with SZ first, then MX. Now on Enbrel, what a difference!
http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/cd-biologics-10/cd-evaluating-crohns-treatment
These drugs bypass all of the systems that usually are affected by chemical drugs. Remember severe side effects are RARE!
Wishing you WELL,
SK
Why did you switch the drugs? did they make you sick or did they not work?
I was first on sulfazasaline or however you spell it, then moved on to Methotraxate. My dr. said they always start out with these before moving up to the biologics.
Yeah My doctor put me right on MX when then found out I had Psoriatic Arthritis. no matter what i did it always made me really sick for about 3 days. it also made my hair thin out alot.
I tolerated mtx fairly well until recently (about my 12th week). The problem was that it did not work for the PsA. Just yesterday my rhuemy took me off it, gave me a scrip for prednisone with a slow taper while I await approval for Enbrel. We'll see what happens. Hope you find something that works.
My doc recommended prednisone. its a steroid and I personalty try to stay away from them because they make me gain weight.
I'm not to worried about finding a new treatment right at the moment because my joints have been feeling great, and i haven't really been getting sick at all ether. When it starts to get colder then I really need to start worrying about finding the right treatment for me.
I was started on MTX but had issues with side effects, liver function tests were not good after 2 weeks of taking it. They then put me on Enbrel which worked great for the PsA, but unfortunately developed some type of skin infection and was taken off it in May of this year(after 4 years of successful relief). In the meantime I have moved and had to start with a new Rheumy, she put me on Sulfasalizine approx. 3 months ago. I had severe side effects from this drug. (seems like I do with most of them, but of course they are very rare) I had to go off all meds for the PsA until infection is gone for 4 to 6 months. Luckily my dermatologist has given me 2 steriod injections which seem to be keeping symptoms at bay. I wish you luck and I hope the biologics work as good for you as they did for me, if you start taking them. By the way, she had put me on the maximum dose of sulfasalizine, once I got up to 6 pills a day the effects were so bad I could no longer function and ended up in ER for GI issues, and many other very bad things, I hope no one else has to go through this, I am sure the side effects are rare but it gets frustrating when you get rare side effects from 3 or 4 different medicines. Try to laugh and love every day, and stretch and exercise as much as possible. Hope this helps a little, I wish you luck!
i take both sulfasalazine AND methotrexate. Fortunately, I havent had problems with the sulfasalazine but i did find that it takes a while to get used to the metho. i cant explain the feeling but it does lower my appetite and overall feel weird. I also had heart palpitations for a little while but those went away. hang in there! i havent switched to the biologics because im scared of those side effects but many people here love them.
I was on oral mtx a few yars ago. It didn't work for me so I was started on the biologics. I have been on Humira, Enbrel and Simponi all of which did not work well for me. The doctor has had me on Enbrel and Mtx injectables since January. I am still not responding very well so in Oct she will probably put me on Remicade. Cross your fingers for me! I have found with mtx, both oral and injectable to take it at night, before bed. I eat a bland diet for a few days as my appetite disappears and things taste different and textures bother me. I am ususally not a picky eater. I seem to crave grilled cheese sandwhiches and sliced apples. I know very odd and not my usual sweet cravings. I have a little trouble with nausea and dizziness but my body has adjusted so the side effects really don't bother me. I do not drink but if I do have a glass of wine I do not have it 48 hours before or after my mtx dose. I tkae 2 mgs of folic acid per day, which really helps with the side effects, my mouth gets really sore without it. My hair has thinned since I have been on the high injectable doses (22-25 mg) but my hairdresser has helped me to style it differently. I also needed her help as I have limited mobility and swim 3 days a week so needed something really easy. She also colors it for me with a really gentle formula. My hair hasn't looked so good in years! I get so many complements on it and I have to laugh to myself as I wouldn't have taken such care of it if I hadn't noticed it was thinning!
I hope this helps. I hope you can keep your sence of humor about all these changes. I know keeping my sense of humor and playfulness has made the biggest difference for me. When I lose it, even for a little while the s/e and everything about PsA are worse.
I have been on MX and Enbrel for almost a year. I take 8 pills once a week. The 24-48 hours after i take MX i am in a fog and fatigued. So I have shifted my schedule to take MX on saturday nights so I am worthless on Sunday rather than a work day. It was too hard to get thru a work day in such a fog. Otherwise I have had no issues. My liver enzymes have spiked a couple of times, but got back under control in a short period.
I cannot say I am 'cured' or pain free, but better than pre-medication. The fatigue is probably what bugs me the most. Hate feeling like I need to go back to bed an hour after I woke for the day. yuck...