Why Am I Having Dry Itching, Anorexia And Bad Taste After Taking Indocap, Saaz And Medrol For Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Posted on Sun, 5 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 5 Jan 2014 Answered on

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi! I have Ankylosing Spondilities ( HLA B27 positive). It was diagnosed in year 2004. I had my first severe attack then. My knees went bust and it took 11-months to get back on my feet. The doctor gave me Rofibax Tablet. then. I had my second severe attack in August 2013. Left ankle and left wrist. Now it is also right ankle. After a lot of repeat tests and experimentation, I have been prescribed Indocap 75 mg SR, Saaz-DS 1000 & Medrol 8 mg. I am having a lot of problems with this course. Primarily dry retching, anorexia and bad taste. I underwent bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) in April 2013. Is the problem because of the surgery? How long can I take the medication?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Alokkalyani (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: difficult to predict the duration of treatment Detailed Answer: Hi and thanks for the query. I am Dr. Alok and very pleased to be assisting you with your health questions today. I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering from these problems. So you have Spondyloarthritis (axial and peripheral)- this is new terminology of your disease. 1. Firstly Spondyloarthritis is not related to your surgery. 2. As this disease is linked to your genes, it is not curable but can be well managed. If you are under treatment of a rheumatologist, probably he/she would like to prescribe you other medicine as per your conditions. Also you can discuss about 'Biologics' with your doctor. 3. Mostly medication has to take for a long time, at least till the age of 45, after that disease usually does not progress. But all depends on disease activity. Sometime, although rarely we see patient having symptoms at the age of 70 years also. Hope this helps and provides answers to your question. Wish you good health. Dr. Alok

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Alokkalyani (52 minutes later)

Dear Dr XXXXXXX thanx for your reply. It is a relief to know that it should be more manageable after the age of 45....two more years to go! But I have only had two severe episodes and the medication has been different in both the cases! earlier it was Rofibax and now it is combination of indocap, Saaz and Medrol...I have also taken DepoMedrol injections in the joints. I am being treated by a rheumatologist and the medication was prescribed by him only. I just 'fine tuned' the dosage of Saaz because of the affect it had on me. I was prescribed 3-tablets daily of SaazDS 1gm....I think it was over dosage so I consulted the doc again and he reduced it to 1-tablet daily of 500mg...I am reacting quiet ok to it. My more specific question was that did the surgery trigger this attack? and should I be taking these strong medications post surgery? and what lasting effects will it have on me?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Alokkalyani (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer: answered Detailed Answer: Hi Earlier when the severity of disease was less, than it was treated by Rofibax and now because of flare of disease, it is treated by combination of drugs. We also give DepoMedrol injections in the joints if they are inflamed in spite of treatment, to prevent joint damage. I don’t give SAAZ more than 2gm daily. Your specific question - Did the surgery trigger this attack? -- Answer is no Should I be taking these strong medications post surgery? - Well, it is not related to surgery, it is related to your disease activity What lasting effects will it have on me? - If you are talking about disease- if treated well- no lasting effect, if not, it may leads to joint destruction. Finally my advice, which I give to all of my patients of AS-- 1. Avoid active or passive smoking. Smoking can precipitate or flare the disease 2. Keep yourself active, remember, your lifestyle and your exercise can help you upto 50%. 3. There is no specific dietary advice, just you need to control your weight Hope this will help Happy to answer your further queries

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj