Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Imuran Crohns

Question:
I'm interested in hearing if anyone who has CD is having success using the Imuran. I am trying to get off prednisone and take tons of Pentasa. I am concerned about the side effects of Imuran. Good luck to everyone who is affected by this. Keep a positive attitude! Please email me at IMQue...@verizon.net.

Answer:
I am taking 6mp which is related or similar to imuran...I have been on it for just over a year now...I recently had a flare and had to be on pred(still coming off) but this time with the 6mp the pred worked right away, as opposed to previously when I was on pred for months and months, no results and got a kidney infection on top of it...due to the pred my doctor said..6mp u have to have your blood tested every couple of weeks for a while...I am down to 6 weeks now...u have to watch out for kidney and liver issues...but the blood work does that for you...u need to drink a lot of liquids...the only major symptom I had but it seems to have stopped at least for now...is nausea...bad bad nausea...felt like when I was pregnant...taking the 6mp at night helped a little...but I would still get hit in the late afternoon...so I have compazine to take when the nausea gets bad...I also seem to have less energy than I had previously...and less resistance to infections of other sorts...skin problems etc...but all in all I think I am better on the 6mp than before it…good luck...but get something for the nausea so u have it in the house…one thing the 6mp seems to have 'cured' is the heartburn which was simply awful for years and worse the last couple of years...now its rare.. I started Imuran at 75 mg once a day on April 23. I've never had to be on a steroid for my CD so I opted for 500 mg Cipro 2 x daily in its place. No side effects from the Imuran at all. My blood work has improved w/each blood draw (baseline draw the day before starting the Imuran) at 2 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 month. I have the 2nd one month blood draw done next Wednesday. I took it and got severe major muscle group stiffness, to the point I could not get out of bed. It was Christmas morning on top of it!! Then when we tried it again, I got chest pains like I was having a heart attack. I've been on it for a bit over 6 months and other than the know side effect of lowering my immune system I haven’t had any problems. I am on azathioprine which is pretty much the same drug in different clothing.  Have been on six weeks and don't like the side effects much, which are major nausea, slow healing (I scathed my face with my sunglasses and five days later it still hasn't scabbed!) and extreme tiredness.  It is too early to say whether it is helping the CD but I have to say the way I am feeling today I am wondering if it is worth it. Very hard to stay positive at times. I am so glad I am in a minority and so many are able to take it with no side effects to get remission. I've been on Imuran since January 2002.  I've been in remission since that time, something that could not be accomplished with steroids (either Prednisone or Budesonide).  I get my blood drawn every two months now, initially it was weekly.  I experienced excessive tiredness when I started on Imuran, which was taken with Prednisone, Cipro and Flagyll when I first started.  I've been on Imuran only since April 2002.  No blood work problems, no excessive tiredness now and I seem to get less colds, etc than ever before.  I was 195 lbs before I got CD, lost weight to 140 lbs and now am holding steady at 185 and working regularly (shift work, I'm a Policeman). Remember that only a minority of users have side effects with either Imuran (Azathioprine) or 6MP.  I think that the percentage of users who have problems is 3 to 5%.  I'd give it a go, keep up with the regular blood tests and good luck.  I think taking a few pills a day beats the hell out of possibly having a large section of ones intestines removed. On 75g of Imuran a day since early 2002. I usually have a mild-moderate flare 1-2 times a year. I went 1.5 years without a problem. Steroids got me back on track in 2 weeks. So it looks to me as if Imuran increases the time period between flares in my case. Works for me. I took 6-MP for a while and switched to Imuran. I have noticed the side effects are less for me...(Joint pain, weakness, tiredness, etc...)