I was diagnosed with having psoriatic arthritis about 2 ...

I too have psoriatic arthritus and have been taking Sulphasalazine for almost 4 years now. The drug significantly improved my symptoms and eased the pain and stiffness I was experiencing. I have not had any negative side effects. My joints still get swollen and I have some pain in my feet and ankles if I have been walking around a lot or have been on my feet for long periods.

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis some 18months ago. Tried methotrexate for 3months, but was taken off it due to complications with liver. Consultant recommended sulphasalazine, and have been on full dose for last 6 months. Have found good response with larger joints (knee, shoulder), but still suffering with my feet. Have recently started some light exercise (swimming and cycling), which I feel has helped with alleviating symptoms.

Would appreciate some advice on experience withs alleviating feet inflammation / pain.

[quote:2f62692c46=\"Audrey \"]I too have psoriatic arthritus and have been taking Sulphasalazine for almost 4 years now. The drug significantly improved my symptoms and eased the pain and stiffness I was experiencing. I have not had any negative side effects. My joints still get swollen and I have some pain in my feet and ankles if I have been walking around a lot or have been on my feet for long periods.[/quote:2f62692c46]

Helen -I have been taking sulphasalazine for RA after a few months. I had previously been on Metatrexate for 6months. I asked to come of of this as I was feeling very weak. I have now been on Sul. for the last few weeks and am now on three tablets per day. My pain seems to have disapeared quite quickly but I'm not sure if this is because I am feeling too weak to do much at all. I am hoping this feeling will disapear in the near future

i have psoriatic arthritus and the consultant thinks i have rheumatoid arthritus not psoriatic arthritus??? most my joints are stiff, painful or swollen but main areas are back, neck, feet,elbows and fingers but does affect other joints. i was on methotrexate for over 12 months but symptoms got much worse and failed liver test eventually so switched to sulfasalazine and have been on them for well over 12 months. apart from still having same joint problems i am now feeling totally knackered all the time and have a lot of bloating and acid reflux. could be caused by medication but dont know. had to give up my job as a groundworker as i was physically exhausted yet i,m told i should still be at work. i can hardly do anything except for slouch but i feel fine when slouching!! anybody else feel similar. what work do others do and does your condition limit you on a daily basis???

I was put on sulfasalazine for psoriatic arthritis, I took it for four weeks but felt very tired, spaced out and tearful with it. Also developed a rash, at this point I was told to stop it immediately. I too had acid reflux but the feeling of being tearful and spaced out was horrific - I am not on anything right now but am getting sore fingers and knees again!

I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis a year ago and started off on Methotrexate which made me feel sick and stopped working after a couple of months, then I was put on Sulfasalazine a month ago. I'm trying to work up to 4 tablets a day but when I'm on 3 a day I feel so tired. I fall asleep inadvertently at about 7:30pm and

wake up at 3am! I feel so floppy and lacking in energy.

If I 'fail' this drug, if the side effects are too strong for me to cope with (which it looks that way at the moment)

I will be put on a Biologic, once a month injection which is much more expensive but my GP says works so

much better, but where I live you have to fail 2 x DMARD's to get on a biologic.

If it's not working for you, then go back and tell your consultant and ask to try a new drug, they tell me there

are so many I will just keep trying different ones until I find one that works.

Don't suffer with a drug that's not working for you....

Hi there, 

I'm also on Sulfasalazine. I've been taking it for 3 months now, haven't done miracle yet :-(

A friend recommended me drinking fish oil. 

I recently bought a big bottle, found one specifically for people with joints problems "Pure cod liver oil - for the relief of joints and stiffness".

I read a lot about benefits and apparently it's brilliant for joints and immunology system in general as well. 

It tastes horrible but I thought I'll give it a try. 

  

Does anyone drink fish oil? Does it  really help with stiffness & joints problems? 

I'm 18, and I got diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis about 5 months ago now (arthritis is affecting my right foot and my left knee) at first I had a steroid injection in both joints and then was told to start taking methotrexate, after a week of taking methotrexate I started to have severe mouth ulcers, my GP told me to stop taking them if they're causing the ulcers (which they were), a few weeks later I was told to start taking sulfasalazine (told to take 4 a day every day). Overall they're great tablets, it stops the pain (not completely) but it certainly reduces it a hell of a lot! Only down side is that my face and eyes are always puffy, and people say to me "your face looks chubby, have you put weight on?" Or "you look knackered, are you tired?" And even though the arthritis affects me a lot, I still go to the gym often and try and keep in shape, so I'm an 18 year old lad that's 5ft 8 and athletic build, but I have a chubby puffy face that doesn't seem to go at all regardless of the gym sessions I do and all of the water I drink, such a pain.

I am 34yo & was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis about a year & a half ago. I've been taking 4 tablets of Sulfasalazine EC daily (2 in the am & 2 in the pm) since. I don't think the medication is doing anything actually. My joints are still painful & swell regularly. My knees & hips lock up frequently. I actually go in less than two weeks to begin injections of Cimzia (a monthly biological) that they are giving me while I continue on Sulfasalazine. I have noticed other side effects that the doctor keeps telling me will calm down or are not worrisome. I lose feeling in my hands & feet when they get cold, I bruise incredibly easy, I have zero appetite & have lost weight (I am a recovering anorectic so every pound counts), I'm constantly tired & weak. The next ones are harder to convince the doctor are real issues. I'm bipolar, but since starting this medication my moods are even more erratic. I also have a history of migraines, but again, the migraines are constant & so bad that i vomit until my nose bleeds from the excruciating pain. My psoriasis has gotten worse, it's in my scalp & in places it had never cropped up before. I'm honestly at a loss. I hope all of us can find better solutions.