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can I just take Sulfasalazine

Hi I have just been diagnosed with Rhuemertoid Arthritis and was presbribed with Sulfasalazine, Naproxen and Omeprazole DR. My ccp lgg count is 41 unit which is a moderate positive level. I wonder whether I can just take Sulfasalazine and avoid Naproxen (pain killer) and Omeprazole (acid reducer) if pain is within my endurance level.
I really dont want to upset my stomach by flooding with drugs. By the way, can the disease damage any joints in the later years even though drugs are being taken to control it. What are the percentage of recovery or is there any case of having full recovery. Please advise
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547368 tn?1440541785
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Thanks,
~Tuck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i to am like you and just hate these drugs. I have been feeling so rotten in recent months and at times just wonder is it worth it. I recently had a holiday away for 8days and forgot to take my omeprazole and after felt so much better. When I came home I read up the side effects and I seem to have all of them. My Doc said to try them again and within a week all the nastiness came back. Have now stopped again and feel so much better. I was blaming the methotrexate for feeling ill but I now know it wasn't, don't know what the long term effect will be re the naproxen.
Is their an alternative to omeprazole ?
Good luck
Mitch
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745152 tn?1233144003
at early stage of RA it is better to go for aggressive treatment with combination of methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine before degenerative changes occur. sulfasalzine is no doubt good but has slow and  takes longer time to act even upto 2 to 3 months. methotrexate and HCQS in my opinion more beneficial if your liver function and kidney functions tests are normal
Helpful - 0
469901 tn?1276563623
I have RA, too.  I highly recommend you take the Naproxen.  It is a NSAID which is an anti-inflammatory.  This does provide pain relief for some but many of us have to take pain killers and/or muscle relaxers on top of this medicine.  The Omeprazole will protect your stomach.  If you take it 30 minutes before food and take your Naproxen with food, your stomach should not get upset.  
RA affects all of us differently.  The aggression of the disease, where it attacks how soon it is diagnosed and treated and how it responds to treatment affect the outcome.  RA never goes away though it may go through periods of disease inactivity.  During these periods, you may feel like you are recovered (I am told anyway) but it is always there.  My experience has been that while I feel better, I do not feel like I did before I had RA.  I have learned to live with it and accepted that, until there is a cure, this is as good as it gets - a much better place to be than it sounds.
Your best bet to minimize/prevent further joint damage is to stick to your medication therapy.  
Helpful - 0
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