Before taking salsalate,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to salsalate, aspirin or other NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), any other medications, or any of the ingredients in salsalate tablets. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention the medications listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section and any of the following: acetazolamide (Diamox); angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril, (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik); antacids; diuretics (''water pills'') such as furosemide (Lasix); lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);medications for gout such as probenecid (Probalan) and sulfinpyrazone (Anturane); methazolamide; certain oral medications for diabetes such as chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glimepiride (Amaryl, in Avandaryl), glipizide (Glucotrol, in Metaglip),glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase, Micronase), tolazamide (Tolinase), and tolbutamide;certain medications for seizures such as phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) and valproic acid (Depakene, Depakote); methotrexate (Trexall); penicillin (Veetids); salicylates such as bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol), choline magnesium trisalicylatecholine salicylate (Arthropan), diflunisal (Dolobid), and magnesium salicylate (Doan's, others); and thyroid medications. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
tell your doctor if you have or have ever had any of the conditions in the IMPORTANT WARNING section or asthma, especially if you also have frequent stuffed or runny nose or nasal polyps (swelling of the lining of the nose); gout; kidney or liver disease; or swelling of the hands, feet, ankles or lower legs.
you should know that salsalate should not be taken by children and teenagers who have chicken pox, flu, flu symptoms, or who have received the varicella virus (chicken pox) vaccine in the past six weeks because of the risk of Reye's Syndrome (a serious condition in which fat builds up on the brain, liver, and other body organs).
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, especially if you are in the last few months of pregnancy; plan to become pregnant; or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking salsalate, call your doctor.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking salsalate.