Sulfasalazine. It's an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat a variety of diseases, from arthritis to ulcerative colitis. After watching this video, you're going to master all the key information about this drug, what it's used for, side effects to watch out for, and other important nursing considerations.
So let's jump in, shall we? It's lunchtime here at the local restaurant, but it seems like something's gone wrong in the kitchen. We've been waiting for our food forever.
But wait. They're bringing out a rotten egg salad? Ew, that's not what I ordered.
Just look at those sulfurous fumes coming up from the rotten eggs. By the way, a rotten egg is our symbol for the sulfa drugs, since rotten eggs have a deep sulfuric stench, right? So this rotten egg salad, or sulfa salad, if you will, is our symbol for the drug sulfasalazine. Got that? Great, let's move on to sulfasalazine's clinical uses.
So why would the waiter serve you this nasty dish? Well, take a look at the mess in the kitchen. Something caught on fire and the chef is using a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Wait, a fire extinguisher?
Isn't that our recurring symbol for anti-inflammatory drugs? Yep, at Pixerize, we use a fire extinguisher as our symbol for anti-inflammatory action. You know, since fire extinguishers are used to put out flames, just like anti-inflammatory drugs put out inflammation.
Sulfasalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication used to treat a variety of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. like rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcerative colitis. Now that we know when sulfasalazine is used, let's move on to some of its side effects. My friend actually has an egg allergy, and being too close to these smelly rotten eggs has caused her to have an allergic reaction. If only they would have brought the correct order!
Just like my friend is allergic to the rotten egg salad, some people may be severely allergic to sulfasalazine. You've probably figured this out already, but sulfasalazine, as its name suggests, is a sulfa medication. If a patient has a sulfa allergy, do not give sulfasalazine.
Otherwise, they will get a severe allergic reaction. And if a patient has never taken a sulfa drug before, be extremely cautious in the first few times they receive the drug. Look out for allergy symptoms like difficulty breathing, rashes, hives, and swelling. In the panic of her allergic reaction, my friend knocked over a yellow crystal bowl. causing some kidney beans to fall off the table.
This yellow crystal is our symbol for crystaluria. Get it? Crystaluria is just what it sounds like. Crystals forming inside the urine.
And the falling kidney beans here can help you remember that crystaluria can cause kidney failure, or falling kidney function. Because kidney beans are shaped just like kidneys, and they're falling just like kidney function falls or decreases with crystaluria. Encourage the patient taking sulfasalazine to stay well hydrated.
as this can help minimize the risk of developing crystal urea. I mentioned before that due to the kitchen's chaos, we've been sitting on the restaurant's patio for a really long time, waiting for our food. So long, in fact, that my friend even got a sunburn.
This sunburn should help you remember that sulfasalazine can cause photosensitivity, or an increased susceptibility to sunburns. Patients should be taught to wear sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight whenever possible, since sulfasalazine will make them more sensitive to burning under the sun. The waiter is trying to make the rotten egg salad look more appetizing by dousing it in an orange-colored dressing.
Unfortunately, it's not helping at all, especially because he's getting most of the dressing on his hand anyway. You know, the way the dressing is turning his hand orange is reminding me of how sulfasalazine can cause orange discoloration of the skin, as well as the urine. I want to point out that this side effect is benign and normal.
It is an expected side effect of the drug and is not a reason to stop taking the medication. So, why is the food so bad this time? Well, in the kitchen fire, the folder of recipes got ruined. Yep, just take a look at that ruined folder in the back. Here at Pixerize, we as a folder is our recurring symbol for folate, also known as folic acid.
Get it? A folder for folate. And since this folder is ruined, that will help you remember that when taking sulfasalazine, you should be worried about a folate deficiency. Because sulfasalazine can lower folate or folic acid levels, Patients may be instructed to take supplements and eat food high in folate. They'll want to follow their doctor's specific instructions, though, because too much folic acid can actually reduce the effectiveness of the medication.
Just remember this ruined folder to help you remember that sulfasalazine causes folate deficiency. Okay? Alright, that's all for this mnemonic.
Let's recap. Sulfasalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication used to treat autoimmune, inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative colitis. Since sulfasalazine is a sulfa drug, patients should be monitored for signs of allergic reaction. Other side effects of sulfasalazine include photosensitivity, crystalluria causing a decline in kidney function, and an orange discoloration of the skin and urine.
Sulfasalazine can also cause folic acid deficiency, so patients may be instructed by their doctor to take folic acid supplements. And now we're all done with lunch and with sulfasalazine. I think I've lost my appetite.
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I'll see you next time.