Salazopyrin Suspension
250mg/5ml Sulfasalazine
What you should know about Salazopyrin Suspension
Please read this carefully before you start to take your medicine. It provides some useful information on your medicine. The information in this leaflet only applies to Salazopyrin Suspension. If you have any questions or are not sure about anything please ask your doctor or pharmacist (chemist).
REMEMBER:
This medicine is for you. Only a doctor can prescribe it for you. Never give it to others. It may harm them even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
What Is Your Medicine?
The name of your medicine is Salazopyrin Suspension, sometimes called sulfasalazine suspension. This bottle contains 500ml of the suspension. The suspension contains:
- active ingredient sulfasalazine (250mg/5ml)
- other ingredients xanthan gum, microcrystalline cellulose, sucrose, orange/lemon flavouring, polysorbate 80, sodium benzoate (E211), water.
The suspension is orange/yellow in colour, with an orange-lemon flavour. The medicine comes in a polythene bottle with a tamper evident or child proof cap. The suspension is the colour of the medicine itself. It contains no artificial colouring.
What Kind Of Medicine Is It?
Each 5ml measure contains 1.65g of sugar (sucrose). If you suffer from the very rare enzyme deficiencies Inherited Fructose Intolerance, Glucose-Galactose Malabsorption Syndrome, or Sucrase -Maltase Deficiency consult your doctor. The suspension is one of a group of medicines, called amino-salicylates, which is used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Who Produces Your Medicine?
The company licenced to supply Salazopyrin Suspension is
This suspension is made by:
What Is Salazopyrin Suspension Used To Treat?
It is used to treat two kinds of Inflammatory Bowel Disease called
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn's disease
Ulcerative Colitis can affect the whole large bowel. Salazopyrin Suspension is used to control the flare-ups. It is also used at lower doses to prevent more flare-ups.
Crohn's disease may affect both small and large bowel. Salazopyrin Suspension is used to control flare-ups. Doctors may occasionally use Salazopyrin Suspension to treat other conditions. Consult your doctor for information.
Before Starting Your Medicine, What Should You Have Told Your Doctor?
- Are you allergic to salicylates (eg aspirin) or sulfonamides (eg "sulfa" antibiotics) or sodium benzoate ?
- Are you taking any medicine for high blood sugar/diabetes, methenamine, an antibiotic for treating urinary tract infections, digoxin, used in the treatment of heart failure, folate, sometimes taken during the first few weeks of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects e.g. Spina Bifida, or azathioprine (mercaptopurine), an immunosuppressive used to help to suppress your bodies immune response in organ transplantation and certain chronic inflammations.
- Have you ever had any problems with your liver or kidneys?
- Do you have porphyria? (Your doctor will have told you).
- Have you been told you have a lack of glucose-6-dehydrogenase in your body? (Your doctor will have told you).
- Are you pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant or breast-feeding?
If the answer is YES to any of these questions, tell your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.
Note: This medicine should not be given to children under 2 years.
How Should You Take The Medicine?
The suspension should be taken with food. The doses should be evenly divided during the day.
What Dose Should You Take?
Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, the usual doses are:
Adults
Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease
Severe flare ups 20 - 40 ml four times a day, with other medicines such as steroids. Do not leave more than 8 hours between the evening and the following morning dose.
Mild/Moderate flare-up 20 - 40 ml four times a day, but not always with other medicines.
Ulcerative Colitis
Maintenance Once the flare-up is controlled the dose is slowly reduced to 40 mls each day. Your doctor will tell you how to reduce your dose. This lower dose may be continued for some time to help stop other flare-ups.
Children The adult dose is reduced according to the child's weight. Your doctor will tell you what dose to use.
How Long Should You Take The Medicine?
This depends on how well the suspension suits you. The suspension should start to work in a few days. If it works well, you may be using it for some time. Don't stop using the suspension just because you feel better without talking to your doctor.
What Should You Do If You Have Overdosed?
If you take too much medicine (overdose) or if a child has taken your medicine contact your nearest hospital casualty department or tell your doctor immediately. Please take the suspension and this leaflet with you.
What Should You Do If You Forget To Take Your Medicine?
If you forget a dose, just take the next one as usual. Do not double the next dose.
Salazopyrin Suspension Side Effects
This medicine may cause side effects in some people. The most common side effects are nausea, headache, rash, loss of appetite and raised temperature. These usually settle down during treatment as the body adjusts to the medicine.
Salazopyrin may cause temporary infertility in men. Fertility returns when treatment is stopped. Normal contraception should still be used.
Hair loss or thinning may occur.
Occasionally the drug causes a reduction in the number of cells in the blood. In about 1 in 700 patients there is a serious fall in the number of white cells. This is why blood tests are made during the first three months of treatment. If you do not have these tests there is a possibility of a very serious reaction being missed. A fall in your white cell count may be noticed as tiredness, sore throat or difficulty in getting over an infection. If you have these or feel generally unwell or if you find that you are bruising easily, tell your doctor straight away.
Other rare side effects which have been noted are:
- allergic reactions (rash, itching)
- nervous reactions (vertigo (dizziness), tinnitus (ringing in the ears), tingling in hands and feet, loss of control over movement, fitting, depression, hallucinations, difficulty in sleeping)
- breathlessness
- stomach pains
- kidney pain
- swollen face or neck
- hepatitis or jaundice
- anaemia
- cough
- heart muscle inflammation
- mouth ulcers
- blood in urine
- bloodshot eyes
- joint pain
- sore or swollen glands
If you notice any of these or anything else you are concerned about, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Your doctor will be taking regular blood tests to check your blood and also to measure substances produced by your liver known as enzymes (liver functions tests, LFTs).
Your doctor may also test your urine for protein and blood.
Your urine or motions may become a yellow/orange colour which is normal and harmless. This can stain fabric (Any Salazopyrin soiled fabric should be put in to soak. Difficult stains may be removed with a solution of washing soda. Always test the effect of soda on a small piece of the fabric first. Then apply a mild acid such as white vinegar).
Very rarely sulfasalazine has caused permanent staining of extended wear soft contact lenses. Daily-wear soft contact lenses and gas permeable lenses respond to standard cleaning.
Looking After Your Medicine
Check the expiry date, which is printed on the bottle. If it is out of date do not use it and contact your pharmacist.
Keep your medicines in a safe place where children cannot reach them. Your medicine could harm them.
Do not store above 25°C.
If your doctor decides to stop the treatment return any left over medicine to the pharmacist. Only keep it if your doctor tells you.
Leaflet revised in OCTOBER 2005
For UK The National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC) has local groups, which offer meetings, events and information for patients. They may be contacted at
SZ_021
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