Drug
Salsalate
Pronounced
"SAL-suh-late"
Drug Interactions
Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval.
Some products that may interact with this drug include: aliskiren, ACE inhibitors (such as captopril, lisinopril), angiotensin II receptor blockers (such as losartan, valsartan), certain drugs for seizures (phenytoin, valproic acid), cidofovir, corticosteroids (such as prednisone), dichlorphenamide, drugs for gout (such as probenecid), drugs that affect the acidity of urine (such as ammonium chloride, acetazolamide), lithium, methotrexate, pemetrexed, tenofovir.
This medication may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with other drugs that also may cause bleeding. Examples include anti-platelet drugs such as clopidogrel, "blood thinners" such as dabigatran/enoxaparin/warfarin, among others.
Check all prescription and nonprescription medicine labels carefully since many contain pain relievers/fever reducers (NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, ketorolac, or naproxen) that are similar to this drug and, if taken together, may increase your risk for side effects. However, if your doctor has told you to take low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke (usually 81-162 milligrams a day), you should keep taking the aspirin unless your doctor tells you not to. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details.
This medication may interfere with certain lab tests (such as certain urine glucose tests, thyroid hormone levels), possibly causing false test results. Make sure lab personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.
Negative Interactions
1- Potential Negative Interaction
Salsalate
White Willow
Willow bark contains salicin, which is related to aspirin. Salsalate, salicin, and aspirin produce anti-inflammatory effects after they have been converted to salicylic acid in the body. Taking aspirin at the same time as other salicylate drugs can result in adverse effects, such as ringing in the ears, dizziness, headache, confusion, and diarrhea. Though there are no studies specifically investigating an interaction between willow bark and salsalate, people taking salsalate should probably avoid using the herb until more information is available.
White WillowSalsalate- Sifton DW, ed. Physicians Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 2000, 1661-2.
Supportive Interactions
3- Replenish Depleted Nutrients
Salsalate
Folic Acid
Salsalate and aspirin produce anti-inflammatory effects after they are converted in the body to salicylic acid. Studies have shown that aspirin can reduce the amount of folic acid in the blood, though it is not known whether this change is significant. Controlled studies are needed to determine whether people taking salsalate are at risk for folic acid deficiency.
Folic AcidSalsalate- Alter HJ, Zvaifler MJ, Rath CE. Interrelationship of rheumatoid arthritis, folic acid and aspirin. Blood 1971;38:405-16.
- Replenish Depleted Nutrients
Salsalate
Potassium
Salsalate and aspirin are rapidly converted in the body to salicylic acid. Taking large amounts of aspirin can result in lower than normal blood levels of potassium, though it is not known whether this change is significant. Controlled studies are needed to determine whether people taking salsalate are at risk for potassium deficiency.
PotassiumSalsalate- Smith MJH, Smith PK, eds. The Salicylates: A Critical Bibliographic Review. New York: Interscience, 1966.
- Replenish Depleted Nutrients
Salsalate
Vitamin C
Salsalate and aspirin are rapidly converted in the body to salicylic acid. Controlled studies show that taking aspirin increases the elimination of vitamin C from the body and lowers blood levels. Further controlled research is needed to determine whether salsalate specifically reduces vitamin C levels and whether people taking the drug are at risk for vitamin C deficiency.
Vitamin CSalsalate- Loh HS, Watters K, Wilson CWM. The effects of aspirin on the metabolic availability of ascorbic acid in human beings. J Clin Pharmacol 1974;13:480.