10 Proven Benefits of Sulfasalazine for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction to Sulfasalazine 0:00

Your doctor prescribed sulfasalazine. You went back home and you Google it. And now you are terrified. Side effects, warning, horror stories from strangers on the internet. So you were thinking, do I really need to take this medication? Maybe I'll try some turmeric instead. Here's what those internet posts won't tell you. Sulfasazin has been used since 1940s. over 80 years of real-world experience. And it could be the difference between keeping your joints and losing them. Today, I'll tell you 10 science-backed reasons why you need to take sulfasalazine to control your rheumatoid arthritis.

and stay until the very end for the sulfasalazine success checklist. 5 things you can do today to get the most out of this medication with the fewest side effects. So I'll be telling you more about how we can use this medication safely to control your rheumatoid arthritis.

Why RA Needs Treatment 1:12

Before I go further, don't forget to like and subscribe and also accept our gifts, the free copy of the book as well as a recipe of a smoothie that can help you fight RA. You have been diagnosed with rheuma arthritis Your joints are swollen. You are stiff every morning. Your are exhausted. And your doctor hands you a prescription of sulfasalazine. Go home and do some research. Read about nausea, the headache and the rashes. someone says it turned their urine orange. And suddenly, you are more afraid of the medication than the disease, than that rheumatoid arthritis.

That could be the most dangerous moment in your RA journey. Because RA is not just joint pain and stiffness. It is a disease actively destroying your joints right now, even on those days when you feel okay.

Reason 1: Disease Modification 2:12

Pain is the alarm. The real fire, the joint destruction, is happening silently underneath. And the only way to put out that fire is using disease-mortifying antirheumatic drug like sulfasalazine. Now let me share 10 reasons backed by science, not social media. why you need sulfasalazine reason number one it modifies your disease not just your symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis medications like ibuprofen acetaminophen they mask the pain that's like putting tape over the check engine lights the lights goes off but the engine is still broken.

Sulfosalagin is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug that helps control inflammation at its origin, preventing joint damage. This is not just a painkiller, it's a joint saver. 2. It is proven by decades of research.

Reasons 3-4: Faster Relief and Joint Protection 3:18

Big studies over the last few decades had shown a significant benefit of adding sulfasalazine to your treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It works well in combination with other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate. And we have talked a lot about methodrexit in our prior videos if you want to learn more about it. That's why sulfa salazin is a good team player with metho trexates. Reason number 3 It works faster than most rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Some rheuomatoids arthritis take 3 to 6 months.

Sulfasalazine can show results as early as 4 weeks, with most patients improving by 3 months, when you are in pain, even weeks matters. Reason 4 It protects your joints from permanent joint damage. Sulfasalagin significantly reduces the rate of joint destructions. Your joints don't grow back if they are destroyed. Sulfasalgin helps prevent the damage before it happens. all of you rheumatoid arthritis warrior we are halfway through and i have six more powerful reasons why you need to take sulfasalagin to control your rheuma

Reasons 5-6: Triple Therapy and Lower Cost 4:30

to arthritis please stay until the end that also includes one about pregnancy that could change everything one that would save your fifty thousand dollars a year and the sulfasalazine success checklist is waiting for you at the end. Reason number five. It helps you avoid stronger, riskier medications. When sulfasilazin is combined with methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine, we call this triple therapy. That includes metotrexit, sulfosalzine and Hydroxy Chloroquin. When we combine these three medications together, they work as good as biologics.

And by adding sulfasalazine in this combination, you may avoid or delay needing the injectable biologic that costs much, much higher. Reason number six. it saves your serious money and the dollars. Biologics cost thousands of dollars a study showed that triple therapy achieved the same identical disease activity control compared to the biologix at a fraction of the cost that's why sulfasalagin addition to your medication regimen could save a lot of money for you without compromising the disease control.

Particularly, for those of you who are living in a resource-scarce area, sulfasalazine could be a good resource. It could a be good drug to add so that we can effectively control rheumatoid arthritis without needing the biologics. So any of your RA warriors who're still struggling with controlling your array, ask your rheometologist on your next visit if we could add sulfa salazines

Reason 7: Pregnancy Safety 6:12

to better control your Rheumataid Arthritis. Now the reason number seven. it is one of the safest RA drugs for pregnancy. Most RA Drugs like methotrexate or leflinamide must be stopped before pregnancy, but the American College of Rheumatology strongly recommends sulfasalazine as a safe through our pregnancy and breastfeeding. For women planning a family, sulfasalazine could protect your joints and your baby. You might need to take some extra folic acid, at least 2 mg a day, and check with your doctor how much you might be needing when you go on sulfa salazin and when pregnant.

8. Stopping your DMOD puts you at serious risk. Studies have shown that patients who stopped their disease-modifying anti-romantic drug had significantly higher risk of flares and irreversible joint damage. The American College of Rheumatology is clear on this. A minimum of one disease modifying anti romantic drug and that could be sulfasalazine is recommended in all patients with rheumatoid arthritis. stopping is not an option it is a gamble you are doing with your joints and it could lead to permanent joint damage reason number nine untreated rheumatoid arthritis don't just hurt your joint it destroys your Without treatment, RA attacks cartilage, the bone, leading to deformities and disabilities.

Reasons 9-10: Preventing Damage and Triple Therapy 7:42

It doubles your risk of heart attacks. it increases lung disease, osteoporosis or bone weakness and even depression. Every month without treatment is a silent damage you can never undo. That's why sulfasalazine could be that option that can protect your joints. Now the reason number 10, it is the key to the most powerful drug combination in rheumatoid arthritis. Studies show that triple therapy that includes metatrexate, sulfasalazine, and hydroxychloroquine matched equally to biologics like etanercept or enbrel, one of the most widely used biologic.

Triple therapy does not work without sulfa salazin. skip it and you'd lose access to a strategy proven to match biologics at a fraction of the cost. That's why it is a good addition to your triple therapy to control your rheumatoid arthritis without increasing the costs. Now, let's be honest, lets talk about the side effects. The most common? nausea, upset stomach, headache, and sometimes skin rash. These mostly happen in the first few months. A study of over 1100 patients found only about 10% had to stop sulfasalazine due to these side effects.

If you tolerate it past the 1st year, you are likely to tolerate long term, so have some patience.

Side Effects and How to Tolerate Sulfasalazine 9:12

The slow dose build up, one pill a day, increasing over 4 weeks is designed to minimize the stomach issues. Taking with food can also help you minimize these side effects. Yes, it can turn your urine orange, but it is harmless, just the medication's color, so don't worry much about the color of your urine. For men, it can temporarily reduce the sperm count but completely reversible when you stop it. If you are planning to conceive, talk to your doctor, but don't panic. The side effects of sulfasalazine are mild and very manageable.

joint destruction, disability and heart disease and they are not manageable easily. So one action for you today, if your doctor recommends you to take sulfasalazine, please take your sulfa salazane consistently. It modifies your disease, it is proven, and it works fast. It protects your joints, it avoids stronger drugs, and it saves your money. And it is also safe in pregnancy. Now here is your bonus. The Sulfasalazine Success Checklist. 1. Take it with food every time. This dramatically reduces the nausea that you have.

2. Follow the slow buildup protocol. Start with 1 pill a day, increase over 4 weeks, don't rush it.

Sulfasalazine Success Checklist 10:48

3. Take with folic acid. Sulfasalazine interferes with Folic acid absorption, so supplement daily could help you. 4. Never stop without talking to your doctor. Feeling great means it's working. Stopping on your own can trigger a flare and it becomes an irreversible joint damage. 5. Have regular blood tests so that we can monitor for any side effects. If this video helped you, hit that like button and subscribe to our channel. We fight misinformation with science, explained simply. Share this with someone scared to take sulfasalazine.

This video could save their joints. And together, we can control rheumatoid arthritis so that you can live a fulfilling life. I'll see you in the next video. Bye bye.