Has anyone been prescribed Sulfasalazine for PMR

Welcome @robbiemyrtle, I think @danboldman, @dadcue, @dermnurse68, @bens1 and a few others have mentioned Sulfasalazine for PMR in other discussions and may have some information to share with you. You mentioned it has been partially successful in your treatment. Does that mean you still have a lot of pain with your PMR?

I didn't ever take sulfasalazine for PMR but I give your doctor credit for trying it. It might work for you and other people but it isn't tried very often for PMR. It is used more often for inflammatory arthritis.

I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis with uveitis about 20 years before PMR was diagnosed. That was way back in the early 1990's when I was only about 35 years old so I was too young for PMR back then. There was a study about that time that suggested sulfasalazine was an effective treatment for reactive arthritis and uveitis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8961907/.
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It was funny because my rheumatologist treating PMR about 20 years later was reviewing some of my very old medical records from the 1990's. She said the notes said I had a "good response" to sulfasalazine and wanted to know what I remembered about it. She was excited about wanting me to try sulfasalazine again. I had to burst her bubble because my recollection wasn't that good. I took sulfasalazine for more than a year when I gave up on it. My experience mirrored the results of a followup study that wasn't so positive.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1752243/

It is not commonly recommended in Polymyalgia.
Prednisone is first choice followed by biological
and several other disease modifying drugs.
Do you have a disease contraindicating prednisone?

@johnbishop
I was on it for a few months, no real positive changes and some adverse effects so I discontinued. I am on biosimilar injections twice a month and yet again no positive effects and have actually felt worse. I am still on 7.5 prednisone daily. This disease has done its very best to destroy my life but I am a tough old crudgemund so still fighting and seeking some relief. I feel for us all.

@dadcue
I didn't know there was such a thing as being too young for PMR. There's outliers to the norm for all disease and disorders.

@kjoed53

I'm not a fan of "labeling" autoimmune conditions with one diagnosis or another. The symptoms of various autoimmune disorders overlap so much that they are hard to differentiate. Unfortunately, the label you get determines your treatment to a great extent.

In my case, it was all one big problem with "systemic inflammation." My rheumatolgist once admitted that I had a "full range" of rheumatology conditions. I had a genetic test that said I was HLA-B27 positive. That put me at risk for HLA-B27 syndromes.
https://mdsearchlight.com/arthritis/hla-b27-syndromes/
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While PMR was one diagnosis that I have acquired over the years ... PMR dictated my treatment with long term Prednisone. Who knew that Actemra would completely stop the "systemic inflammation." It was a transformative experience for me. Actemra (tocilizumab) directly targeted the underlying immune mechanism of all of my problems rather than just masking the symptoms like steroids do.

This was a very helpful comment. I bring this conversation to my doctor. She has never suggested this medication.
Thank you,
Robbie

@seniormed
As far as I know, I do not have any contraindication for prednisone. However I had numerous back injections over the last 6 years and I have stopped them because they were not doing me any good.
I appreciate your comments.

@johnbishop

This medication did reduce the number of multiple joint flare ups. I continue to suffer pain in my back, shoulders, hips and knees.
Thank you for your reply.
Robbie

I took Sulfa... and it did not work for me. I am now on Kevara.