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6MP---Mercaptopurine

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 12/27/2008 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
i'm on 75mg of 6mp...when i was upped from 50mg to 75mg i got soooo sick to my stomach that i could barely eat...now im on nexium and it totally has helped...i really don't know how i would feel if i stopped taking it..my twin sister is on the same amount of it for her ulcerative colitis and when she doesnt take it she notices she doesn't feel as well and has more blood in her stool...i was told that it's most likely going to be something i have to take for the rest of my life.
Posted 12/27/2008 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on 6-mp for about 2 years. It has not worked that well for me, as my liver enzymes are always out of whack, and it has not reduced the amount of flare ups. I am getting ready to start on Cimzia next week. Has anyone tried this medication?
Posted 12/27/2008 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on 6MP since Feb 08 50MG a day. I have had a few flares but they are definitely not as bad as they used to be. Usually only last about 2-3 days and I basically stop eating or go very bland for those few days. Strange thing though that instead of having stomach pain and diarhea, I now experience stomach gas pain (like large gas bubbles in my upper stomach) and eventually nausea and vomiting. Then I feel better. Sometimes I wonder if it is just a stomach flu bug rather than my Crohn's. THat is what is so frustrating about this disease. You think you know your trigger foods and you stay away from them but then you have a flare and can not pin point WHAT caused it. UGGH.
Posted 12/28/2008 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
Right now I am having a Crohn's flare up in my mouth. I have nickel sized ulcers inside my mouth and along my gumline. Very painful and not very pretty. Missed out on Christmas dinner. This is a frustrating and challenging disease.
Posted 12/28/2008 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
I forgot to mention that I am on 100mg 6-mp, 9mg Budesonide, 80mg Nexium daily.

Posted 12/28/2008 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
lika37... sorry you were not able to enjoy your Christmas dinner... I too ate minimally Christmas eve though due to stomach pain and vomiting the night before Christmas eve. And it's my Birthday too! I am better now. I hope your new meds give you some relief. Keep trying until you find what works for you. I get cold sores on my lips usually during or just before a flare... I know the Ulcers inside are more painful. Take Care!
Posted 12/28/2008 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Eating has become sort of a non issue around here. If I don't eat what I am serving my family for dinner, they know I am not having a good day. When I have an appetite, my family knows that I am doing better!
I have a type of crohn's disease called gastroduodenal crohn's disease. It is not a very common type of crohn's, but it means that I get ulcers in my stomach and duodenum area. A few months ago, I had a huge duodenal ulcer which resulted in a gastric bleed. By the time the ambulance gor me to the ER I had lost half of my blood. Very scary, especially for my poor daughter who called 911. I am supposed to start on Cimzia in the next few weeks. This is sort of the last resort, as the meds I have been on, and currently taking just can't keep the crohn's in check.
I hope you are feeling better, too! I am hoping for a healthier 09!
Posted 12/28/2008 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
UGGH. That sounds terrible and scary. If you had surgery would it remove the affected area? I sometimes think about just having the portion affected removed to see if it would be better than dealing with flares several times a year. But then the reality of surgery and recovery hits and I just continue taking meds and deal with Flares. You are obviously in a different and seemingly more difficult situation. Feel Better and I too hope for a better year for all us Crohnies! :)
Posted 12/28/2008 11:50 PM (GMT 0)

Tara13 said...
I have had to come off Azathioprine as it affected my liver so my Consultant is suggesting this will be the next medication we trial. On reading various things online I am quite anxious about it, however this thread has been very helpful too.

Tara13, Azathioprine breaks down to mercaptopurine (6-MP). The two medicines are just about interchangeable. That being the case, if you had liver problems on azathioprine, you are just about guaranteed to have the same liver problems on 6-mp. It's rather strange that your Consultant (Doctor?) would recommend such a course of action.
Posted 12/29/2008 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
A stomach re-section is another option. I , too, have thought this might be a better solution, except, I have had lots of ulcers in other places throughout my stomach. The GI docs think that removing the affected area might cause the Crohn's to "set up shop" somewhere else, but I was told that if I have another bleed like I did, that the re-section is what they would do. I was on Remicade, but experienced a stroke, and was pulled off of it. Something about my body reacting to the "mouse protein" in the Remicade caused a demylenating process, and then the stroke occured. It has been a long and trying year, so I am crossing my fingers for the Cimzia and success!!!!!
Posted 12/29/2008 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on 6-mp for about 8 years now and have been in remission the entire time.  No side effects for me.  It's kept me feeling great.  I get my bloodwork done every three months and it always comes back fine.  Another satisfied customer here!

Posted 12/30/2008 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
hello and welcome blossom! i have been on 6mp for just over a year now and after my scope at the beginning of december i am in complete remission. i went through the same drugs you did, pentasa, entocort prednisone then 6mp and noticed i was getting better in about 6 months so definitely give it time. i was real discouraged at first but i guess i was just impatient.

best luck to you :)
Posted 12/31/2008 3:56 AM (GMT 0)

My son went on 6 MP about 2 years ago. What a miracle!!!  He has no side effects that we know of, and it let him be symptom free for 8 months!!

I wish you the best.

Melissa

Posted 12/31/2008 5:38 AM (GMT 0)
What wonderful news! It is very encouraging to read about people with Crohn's that have had great results with their meds!

Lisa
Posted 12/31/2008 9:27 AM (GMT 0)
6MP isn't a bad medicine, at all. I was on it for a majority of the time I had Crohn's. My doctor used it in conjunction with Remicade to keep me in remission. It worked for 4-5 years. Then I switched to another doctor who supposedly was the best in the state, and he said researched showed that remicade should be fine alone, without 6MP. He took me off it, and I have been flared ever since. I am still kind of mad about that situation. Because of that flare that has been consistant for over 2 years, I had to have surgery. I still think that 6mp helped... even though when they put me back on it after I argued with him, it didn't work.....

Side effects? Really never had any....

The things to watch out with it is to wash your hands often/put on sanitizer, keep clear of germs. It made me get sick more. Another is not to drink too much alcohol (taxes the liver more). I think watching those couple things, that medicine really can help, especially in conjunction with other meds.
Posted 12/31/2008 9:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, My 15 year old son was recently diagnosed with Crohn's, but then we went for a second opinion and this doctor thinks it's Colitis. Still have to go for another colonoscopy to let the new doc see for himself.  Anyway my husband and I are so scared and nervous and of course have read about all the drugs that are used.  6mp was od course one of the drugs that scared the _ _ _ _ out of us!! After reading some of these posts here, I have to say, that if this drug is brought up by the doctor, at least I might have some comfort....."some" ........I am so afraid.  The disease is bad enough, but the drugs to treat it are ever more nerve racking. Our sons only symptom so far is some blood in his stool, which is almost gone after adding a nightly enema, and sometimes he gets stomach aches, but nothing ever too bad.

His meds are.....Previcid 1 every morning, Pentasa 2 3x a day, Probiotic 2x a day, and the nightly enema (Rowasa)

Blessings to you all.....FEEL BETTER turn   I'm a newbie to this site, but am glad to see that 6mp has worked well for many of you.  And for those who it didn't work, I hope you have found something that has.

Posted 1/2/2009 5:26 AM (GMT 0)
i was on 6MP for 3 or 4 years.  i felt totally great, no reactions, did very well on it.  i was pregnant while on it too.  i did have to quit taking it in order to breastfeed though. 

Posted 1/2/2009 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi to all of you,

I haven't been on the forum for awhile, so I was very surprised the other day when I saw that my original posting I started back in March 2008 was still going strong! 

Just to update, I did try the 6mp (Mercaptopurine), but unfortunately I had a hypersensitivity reaction to it (Erythema Nodosum) and had to stop it.  This is a very rare reaction to 6mp, but didn't really surprise me since I had been allergic to everything else I tried.

The only thing left was the biologics, so now I'm on Humira (started it in early December).  So far I haven't had any bad side effects, but only time will tell.

I want to wish all of you the best of luck, and hope that each of you find a medication(s) that helps you.

Posted 1/3/2009 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
And has the Humira helped?
Posted 1/3/2009 2:22 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Rider Fan,

It may sound strange to say, but I don't really know!  confused

The reason for that is I'm one of those people with Crohn's that seldom has diarrhea, and seldom has cramping anymore since I avoid troublesome high fiber foods.  So, I'm thinking I may not know if it's helping until I've been on it longterm and after I've had a colonoscopy!?  I do, however, have problems with constipation and fatigue---so if that changes over time that may also be a sign that Humira is helping.

Thanks for asking.

Posted 6/12/2009 8:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I started taking 6-MP on Sunday. Have been on Asacol for about 2 years, but G.I says he would like to start me on 6-MP.  I have had some nausea and extremely fatigued. Has anyone else had these symptoms? I expected some, but I guess, not this soon. Feeling pretty rotten. I was wondering if the symptoms get any better. I have to have my lab drawn every week at first.

linmes

Posted 6/12/2009 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
linmes some people do report those side effects early. I have seen many posts saying that it helps to take the dose at night. In most cases the side effects tend to diminish and go away in a few weeks.

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