Examples: Balsalazide, Mesalazine, Sulfasalazine

Side effects:

• Blood dycrasias: Bruising, sore throat, fever, bleeding (patients should be counselled to report these effects
• Salicylate hypersensitivity: itching, hives

Patient counselling: Signs and symptoms of blood dycrasias
Sulfasalazine: Yellow/ orange colour of bodily fluids and may also stain contact lenses 

Interactions: Lactulose has makes stool more acidic in the intestines which as a result effects the release of the active ingredients in enteric coated preparations

Examples: Beclomethasone, budesonide, hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone or steroid:

Side effects: 

• Increased appetite and weight gain
• Insomnia and sleep disturbances
• Mood changes, including irritability and anxiety
• Increased chance of infections
• Fluid retention (hands and feet swelling)
• Increased blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Weakening of bones, increasing the risk of fractures
• Skin thinning, easy bruising and slower wound healing

Interactions: 

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding when taken with corticosteroids.
• Anticoagulants: increase the risk of bleeding .
• Anti-diabetics: Corticosteroids can increase blood sugar levels (antidiabetics may need dose adjusting)
• Immunosuppressants: Corticosteroids can interact with other immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine or tacrolimus, increasing the risk of infections or other adverse reactions.

• Azathiorprine
• Ciclosporin
• Mercaptorpurine
• Methrotrexate

Infliximab: A type of monoclonal antibody that targets and blocks the activity of a protein called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which is involved in inflammation.