Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Sulfasalazine

Sulfasalazine is a sulfa drug used primarily in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. It is a 5-aminosalicylic acid derivative. It is sold as Azulfidine in the United States. It is also used for rheumatoid arthritis (see Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs). It is usually not given to children under 2 years of age. more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
Growth hormone
Salbutamol
Salmeterol
Sandimmune
Sandostatin
Sansert
Saquinavir
Sarafem
Satric
Scopolamine
Seasonale
Secobarbital
Secretin
Selegiline
Semprex-D
Sensipar
Sensorcaine
Serax
Serevent
Serine
Seroquel
Serostim
Serrapeptase
Sertindole
Sertraline
Serzone
Sevelamer
Sevoflurane
Sibutramine
Sildenafil
Silibinin
Simvastatin
Sinemet
Sinequan
Singulair
Sirolimus
Skelaxin
Sodium cyclamate
Solage
Soma
Somatostatin
Sotahexal
Sotalol
Sotret
Spiperone
Spiriva
Spironolactone
Sporahexal
Sporanox
SPS
SSD
Stanozolol
Stavudine
Stelazine
Stilbestrol
Stilbetin
Stimate
Stiripentol
Strattera
Streptokinase
Streptomycin
Suboxone
Subutex
Sucralfate
Sucralfate
Sufentanil
Sulbactam
Sulfamethoxazole
Sulfanilamide
Sulfasalazine
Sulforidazine
Sulla
Sulpiride
Sultamicillin
Sumatriptan
Suprefact
Suramin sodium
Sustaire
Sustiva
Suxamethonium chloride
Symmetrel
Synarel
Synercid
Synthroid
Syntocinon
Zaleplon
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Side effects

  1. diarrhea
  2. headache

Brand Names

  • Azulfidine ®
  • Salazopyrin ®
  • Pyralin ®

MIMS Guide to Sulfasalazine

Section: 1(d) Antidiarrhoeals Pregnancy Category: A

Sport Category: Permitted in sport

Uses/Indications: Ulcerative colitis; Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome; Crohn's disease; rheumatoid arthritis unresponsive to NSAIDs

Contraindications: Haematological, renal or hepatic dysfunction; hypersensitivity to salicylates or sulfonamide derivatives; GI or urinary tract obstruction; porphyria; children < 2 yrs

Precautions: Perform blood counts, urinalysis before and during treatment; maintain fluid intake; G-6-PD deficiency; atopy; slow acetylators; lactation

Adverse Reactions: Hypersensitivity; GI upset; fever; rash; headache; oligospermia; folate deficiency; others, see full PI

Drug Interactions: Oral anticoagulants; methotrexate; sulfonylurea hypoglycaemics; urinary acidifiers; phenylbutazone; indomethacin; sulfinpyrazone; salicylates; antacids, ferrous sulfate (concurrent); penicillins, oxacillin; some local anaesthetics; digoxin

PYRALIN EN (Tablets) Prescription required. S4 Sulfasalazine; yellow e-c tab; Dose: Should be taken with food. GI disease. Initial dosage. Adults: 1-2 g 4 times daily; children: 40-60 mg/kg daily in 3-6 divided doses. Maintenance. Adults: 2 g daily in 4 divided doses; children: 40 mg/kg daily in 4 divided doses. Rheumatoid arthritis. Adults: 1 g 2-3 times daily Pack: 500 mg x2 Brand substitution is permitted. : PBS/RPBS (Rp 5) PBS: $58.15

Actions

Pharmacodynamics.

Sulfasalazine has, among others, an immunosuppressive effect and has shown affinity to connective tissue. It has also been shown to have a wide range of effects in other biological systems. It is, however, difficult to judge the clinical relevance of its various pharmacological actions since the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis is largely unknown. Moreover, the mode of action of sulfasalazine in the treatment of ulcerative colitis is also not known. A metabolite of the drug may have an inhibitory effect on an antigen-antibody process occurring in the intestinal wall and the salicylate component may act as an anti-inflammatory agent. The drug does not appear to have any long-term antibacterial effect on the stool flora of patients with ulcerative colitis (see Antibacterial effect, below).

The following effects have been found in vitro: inhibition of bacterial growth; inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis; increased intestinal cytoprotection due to inhibition of prostaglandin degradation; reduction of leukotriene formation; modulation of polymorphonuclear leucocyte function; inhibition of proteolytic enzymes; inhibition of DNA synthesis; and impairment of folate absorption and metabolism.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


The diminishing value of the Physicians' Desk Reference and drug package inserts as a medical and legal standard of medical usage of pharmaceutical drugs
From Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 7/1/05 by Craig G. Burkhart

In the legal arena, the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) is often held to be the standard for medical usage of pharmaceutical drugs. (1) It is used by attorneys as a resource to support testimony that a certain adverse effect can occur with a drug and that the manufacturer or physician knew or should have known about it. It is used as an impeachment tool if a pharmaceutical manufacturer or physician denies knowledge of a particular adverse effect or disputes the existence of the adverse effects.

The PDR constitutes a collection of the package inserts of many of the available medications as well as a picture of the stated drug. The PDR is provided free to physicians and is sold for profit by Thomson Healthcare to various entities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and the general public through bookstores.

The PDR is not a coherent discussion of the various drugs and their applicability to medical conditions, nor does it provide any discussion as to which drug may be preferred in certain situations. Rather, it presents a hodgepodge of information about individual drugs, and arranges them alphabetically by the name of the pharmaceutical company. It does not necessarily report recent information as the information may or may not have been revised from when that particular drug was first released for sale. In short, it is basically a paid advertisement by the pharmacological company and approved by the FDA.

The PDR provides a thorough list of adverse effects of all drugs, but does not furnish a percentage of occurrences of any of the possible consequences. The list is so unmanageable and cumbersome that it offers little assistance to physicians, and certainly gives little solace to patients' concern for safety. This preposterous list of adverse effects appears to be for reduction of legal liability of the pharmaceutical industry and/or for the patients and lawyers wishing to play the lotto litigation game.

The drugs in the PDR are indexed by product name, category, and generic and chemical name. Several shortcomings are inherent in such an index method. To locate the drug information quickly, one must know the proper spelling of the drug or know the pharmaceutical company who distributes it. Looking up a drug via the category index can be frustrating. For example, if one is seeking a drug to treat pinworms, one must know not to look under the letter "p," but rather search under "anthelmintics."

Of note, many drugs may be listed in the PDR index, but no information concerning the drug is provided, save for the company which makes the drug. In dermatology, examples would include spironolactone and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine). An overwhelming number of prescription products are not even listed in the PDR as most of the smaller dermatologic pharmaceutical companies are not even listed in the book. Even the larger dermatology pharmaceutical companies often do not list their entire fleet of products. In short, these companies do not find financial benefit from having their name and/or products listed in this publication given the cost for inclusion in the PDR.

The PDR and package inserts are supposed to be a physician's guide for the judicious use of pharmaceutical agents. It is not functional in this capacity. For example, if physicians do not have ready access to the information contained within the package insert, how can they be expected to know the contents therein? The PDR and package inserts are not a reliable means to gauge any physician's standard of usage of pharmaceutical drugs, nor should it be considered the sole legal standard of medical care.

References

1. Burkhart CG, Burkhart KM, Burkhart AK. The Physicians' Desk Reference should not be held as a legal standard of medical care. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:609-10.

Craig G. Burkhart, MD, MPH

Clinical Professor, Medical University of Ohio at Toledo; Clinical Assistant Professor, Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Sylvania, Ohio

We welcome submissions to the "Letters to the Editor" section in every issue of the journal. We encourage every skin care professional to consider submitting articles, comments, critiques or suggestions on any subject impacting the JDD or the field of dermatology. Letters to the editor should be no more than 700 words with no accompanying figures or references.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Return to Sulfasalazine
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay