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Side Effects with Aziothioprine (Imuran)

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Posted 3/30/2011 11:39 PM (GMT 0)
I am now taking 250mg of imuran and was wondering not only how many other people are on such a high dose, but what, if any, side effects people have noticed with taking it.

Since the increase from 200 to 250mg I have been extremely tired, and my face is always feeling hot, tight and dry. My eyes are also feeling hot and dry. I am not sure if this is the imuran or something else. Imuran is the only thing that has changed recently.

Do any of you also have quite a lot of nausea with your Crohn's?

I, again, don't know if it is related or not, but everytime I eat, I am nauseaous (?) and just about anytime I get up from sleeping. Face it, there is not many times in a day I do not feel nausea, stomach pain.

Also.....does anyone know how imuran changes the tests in your blood tests? Strange way to ask it, but I am able to get online and see my blood test results and some of the tests are way under or way over what is considered normal, and was wondering if anyone else knew if it was because of the imuran.

WBC = high
RBC = normal
Hemoglobin = low
MCH = low
MCHC = low
RDW = high
Platelet count = high
Alkaline Phosphatase = high
C Reactive Protein = extremely high

Strangely enough my GP noticed I had signs of inflammation somewhere, but decided not to give me any antibiotics for it as I was being put on imuran and that would lower my white cell count. Now to me, that sounds kinda dumb. So imuran lowers the white cell count (which you will see it actually has not) but that doesn't get rid of the underlying inflammation. Right?

Anyway......any help would be appreciated.

Thanks all.
Posted 3/30/2011 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
If the inflammation is from CD then that is the job of azathioprine, it reduces the body inflammatory response and so hopefully will put CD into remission. If you have inflammation elsewhere not related to the CD then antibiotics will only be appropriate if it is an infection and not just inflammation.

I take 150mg of azathioprine daily and have done for 16 years, I believe standard dosing instructions are 2mg for 1kg approx in weight I think. When my CD is flared then nausea is one of my main symptoms, that and loss of appetite. I also have very dry eyes but that can be linked to CD anyway and if you are in flare this could be causing it. Never had those sort of side effects with azathioprine though, if worried then I rec you call your GI or have a look at the information sheet with your drugs as it will say if these are known side effects.

As per your blood tests, no idea I'm afraid.
Posted 3/31/2011 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
I can not take Imuran. That med. gave me such joint pains that I had to be admitted to the hospital for three days on morphine for the pain. I could hardly walk and you could not touch any part of my body with out it hurting. I also got a lot of facial flushing when on it. To see if it was really the Imuran, I tried the med again and after one dose I was in so much joint pain @ 1/2 hour after one pill, the pain started all over again. Never again will I try Imuran again. Just the thought of it scares me. Good Luck!
Posted 3/31/2011 2:39 AM (GMT 0)

I'm like mable, immuran was horrible for me,kidney pains within a month, and it would make my hands and fingers, arms and face and scalp, the skin would be so thin, and bleed so easy if I just bumped a hand or hit my scalp, just gently and it would bleed and hard to stop. I'm and artist, so when I work if i cut my hand the blood would drip all over my work, plus it didn't help in any way. so far rem is the only thing that has kept my cd in check, plus naturally i take pain med's for arthritis and other short bowel syndrome issues. have you checked out rem, has your gi asked you about it?

AG

Posted 3/31/2011 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
GI hasn't even mentioned rem. I went from prednisone straight to imuran.
As to the dosage, I am overweight so maybe that is the high dosage.......which, from what I have read, is strange. Most people with CD lose weight......I just lost weight when in the hospital, and then as soon as I was able to eat again...up went the weight. My biggest problem with trying to lose the weight is that I am so very very tired. I also have trouble breathing when I do any sort of exercise.....had that problem even when I wasn't overweight....makes me wonder if maybe my lungs don't absorbe oxygen quickly enough.

Sounds really bad....but I wish my flares would make me lose weight....nothing else seems to work, especially when I am nauseous all the time no matter what I eat.

sigh........

I suppose eventually it will all work itself out.
Posted 4/3/2011 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, have been on 150mg Imuran for a year now and I did take it in the past, too. It works great for me, have no side effects so far and my blood tests are as they would be of a healthy person.
Unfortunately don´t know enough about the blood tests etc. to help you with your questions, but I would definitely contact my GI if I were you. Anything out of ordinary=immediate check up, sais my GI.
Good luck!
Posted 4/3/2011 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
I was on 200mg for a while, I had to stop taking it. I am back at 100mg a day now.

I started to get cold, everywhere I went, I was freezing. I found something about it called hypersensitivity to cold.
I was also having muscle cramps in my legs. I exercise alot, and this was beyond a sore muscle, it really hurt.

This all went away when I stopped taking Imuran.

I have been on 100mg a day for a couple months now, and no trouble at all.

As far as the nausea...

If I am nauseated already, and I take Imuran, it will make my nausea much worse.
If I am not nauseated, and I take Imuran, I don't have any trouble at all.

Take Care
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