Neutropinia caused by rare side effect from Sulphasalazine

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I'm fairly new to this site and this is the first time I've posted but I'm looking for support / guidance / any help!!

I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis on 10th October and was prescribed Sulphasalazine, I'm 30 and generally fit and well.

Initially I started on 1 tablet a day (500mg) but this went up to 4 tablets (2000g) over a 4 week period. During this time I had issues with what were believed to be side effects such as cough, dizziness, nausea, the runs (TMI!), foggy head etc but my bloods were coming back normal so we continued with medication. 

On Friday 14th November I had my routine blood work and received a phone call in the afternoon to say my WBC had dropped below the 'normal levels' and that I needed to be aware that I could be at risk of infection. 

I went for a retest on Monday 17th November and received another phone call in the afternoon telling me I had to be admitted to hospital urgently as my WBC had dropped dramatically. I later found out it had dropped to zero.

I have now been in hospital for 5 days in the haematology unit, being closely monitored and having blood work everyday. I have been put on IV antibiotics as I was showing signs of infection, I'm having GCSF injections to stimulate bone marrow as well as a huge amount of other meds!! 

My WBC still remains at zero and so far has shown no signs of shifting. 

I just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience or are aware of this happening and what recovery times are like.

My Drs just keep saying they don't know and I need to ride it out but I can't help but worry. 

Thank you in advance and sorry for the essay! 

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    Whoops that should say 2g or 2000mg by 4 weeks 
  • Posted

    GCSF treatment usually lasts about two weeks and the treatment is fast at boosting WBC levels. Continue with all the treatments you need to take. Don't worry.

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