Azulfidine

Drug Name

Azulfidine (Sulfasalazine)

Drug Uses

Azulfidine is used for the treatment of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis; as adjunctive therapy (i.e. with other medications) in the treatment of severe ulcerative colitis; for the treatment of Crohn's disease; for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.

How Taken

Doses range from 500mg to 2000mg, and dosing intervals range from every 6 hours to every 12 hours, depending on the clinical condition of the patient.

Azulfidine should be taken with a full glass of water after meals or with food to minimize stomach upset. Patients with kidney diseases may need to use lower doses of azulfidine.

Drug Class and Mechanism

Azulfidine is a sulfonamide that decrease inflammation and help regulate the immune system in various areas of the body.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Storage

Store Azulfidine at 77 degrees F (25 degrees C). Brief storage at temperatures between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C) is permitted. Keep Azulfidine out of the reach of children and away from pets.

Warnings/Precautions

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to sulfonamides (sulfa drugs) before taking this medicine.

Do not take this medicine if you have had a severe allergic reaction to aspirin or any medicine containing aspirin. A severe reaction includes a severe rash, hives, breathing difficulties, or dizziness. If you have a question about whether you are allergic to this medicine, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep all doctor and laboratory appointments while you are using this medicine. Drinking extra fluids while you are taking this medicine is recommended. Check with your doctor or nurse for instructions.

This medicine may cause increased sensitivity to the sun. Avoid exposure to the sun or sunlamps until you know how you react to this medicine. Use a sunscreen or protective clothing if you must be outside for a prolonged period.

This medicine may cause a harmless, yellow-orange discoloration of the urine or skin.

If you experience difficulty breathing or tightness of chest; swelling of eyelids, face, or lips; or develop a rash or hives, tell your doctor immediately and before taking any more of this medicine.

For women: this medicine is excreted in breast milk.

Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine.

Possible Side Effects

Do not use Azulfidine if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Azulfidine or to a salicylate (eg, aspirin) or a sulfonamide (eg, sulfisoxazole);
• you have the blood disease porphyria or a blockage of the intestine or urinary tract.

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Some medical conditions may interact with Azulfidine. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding;
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement;
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances;
• if you have kidney or liver problems, a blood disorder, a gastrointestinal infection, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, or asthma.

Some medicines may interact with Azulfidine. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Anticoagulants (eg, warfarin) or methotrexate because the actions and side effects of these medicines may be increased;
• Anticoagulants (eg, warfarin) or beta-blockers (eg, propranolol) because their effectiveness may be decreased by Azulfidine;
• Methenamine because the risk of crystals in the urine is increased.

More Information

Do not share this medicine with others for whom it was not prescribed.

Do not use this medicine for other health conditions.

If using this medicine for an extended period of time, obtain refills before your supply runs out.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is added to bones by cells called osteoblasts and is removed from bones by cells called osteoclasts. Calcium is essential for healthy bones. It is also important for muscle contraction, heart action, nervous system maintenance, and normal blood clotting. Food sources of calcium include dairy foods, some leafy green vegetables such as broccoli and collards, canned salmon, clams, oysters, calcium-fortified foods, and tofu. According to the National Academy of Sciences, adequate intake of calcium is 1,200 milligrams a day (four glasses of milk) for men and women 51 and older, 1,000 milligrams a day for adults 19 through 50, and 1,300 milligrams a day for children 9 through 18. The upper limit for calcium intake is 2.5 grams daily.

Cavities: Holes in the two outer layers of a tooth called the enamel and the dentin. The enamel is the outermost white hard surface and the dentin is the yellow layer just beneath enamel. Both layers serve to protect the inner living tooth tissue called the pulp, where blood vessels and nerves reside. Small cavities may not cause pain, and may be unnoticed by the patient. Larger cavities can collect food, and the inner pulp of the affected tooth can become irritated by bacterial toxins, foods that are cold, hot, sour, or sweet - causing toothache.

Naturopathy: A system of therapy based on preventative care, and on the use of heat, water, light, air, and massage as primary therapies for disease. Some naturopaths use no medications, either pharmaceutical or herbal. Some recommend herbal remedies only. A few who are licensed to prescribe may recommend pharmaceuticals in those cases where they feel their use is warranted.

Naturopathy is an American healthcare profession. It was founded in the US as a formal healthcare system at the turn of the 20th century by medical practitioners from various natural therapeutic disciplines. By the early 1900s, more than 20 naturopathic medical schools existed, and naturopathic physicians were licensed in most States. Today there are more than 1,000 licensed naturopathic doctors in the US.

As practiced today, naturopathic medicine integrates traditional natural therapeutics -- including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, traditional oriental medicine, hydrotherapy, and naturopathic manipulative therapy -- with modern scientific medical diagnostic science and standards of care. The medical research base of naturopathic practice consists of empirical documentation of treatments using case history observations, medical records, and summaries of practitioners' clinical experiences.

At present, the two accredited naturopathic medical schools in the US have active research departments. Naturopathic researchers have investigated the pharmacology and physiological effects of nutritional and natural therapeutic agents, and naturopathic physicians have been active in the investigation of new homeopathic remedies and in the natural treatment of women's health problems. The most recently completed naturopathic study in women's health tested the clinical and endocrine effects of a botanical formula as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy.

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Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the contraction of the heart muscle. It's measurement is recorded by two numbers. The first (systolic pressure) is measured after the heart contracts and is highest. The second (diastolic pressure) is measured before the heart contracts and lowest. A blood pressure cuff is used to measure the pressure. Elevation of blood pressure is called "hypertension".

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Doctor: In a medical context, any medical professional with an MD, a PhD, or any other doctoral degree. The term doctor is quite nonspecific. A doctor may, for example, be a physician, psychologist, biomedical scientist, dentist, or veterinarian. In a nonmedical context, a professor of history might be addressed as doctor, an eminent theologian might be named a doctor of a church, and a person awarded an honorary doctorate by a college or university might also be called a doctor.

The word "doctor" comes from the Latin "docere" meaning to teach. A doctor was a teacher, especially a learned or authoritative one.