Mercaptopurine, i have a few questions

I've been on mercaptopurine for a few months now and other that giving me some anemia its been great! My doctor told me that the thing most people worry about is that it increases that chances of contracting a fatal cancer but that it is very minimum. Can anyone give me some info on that?

Also alcohol hits me pretty hard and usually want to stop after a couple drinks if that. Anyone have any experiences with that? I understand alcohol should be kept to a minimum if not eliminated completely from you life when taking this medication.

I've been on mercaptopurine since 2004, and it's kept me in remission since then. The reason that they want you to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum is that, like other immunomodulating drugs, mercaptopurine is a little tough on your liver--and they don't want you to increase the load on your liver by consuming a lot of alcohol. I haven't had any alcohol since my diagnosis in 1999 (and I do miss it)--but my doctor's told me that I can have the occasional alcoholic drink if I want to (but only because he knows that I'd drink in moderation).

So you may not have to totally abstain. Just minimize your consumption. I'm assuming that you're having your liver function tested periodically; as long as the test results are OK, you can probably have the occasional glass of wine.

The increased risk of cancer is real, but very minimal. Make sure to get an annual screening for skin cancers, which may occur slightly more frequently while you're on mercaptopurine.

Maybe you can persuade him to wait for a few weeks/months to see how you're doing before he increases the dose. If you continue to do well, maybe he won't have to increase it. Talk to him, if you think that's a risk worth taking.