Anyone taken prednisone, azathioprine and remicade at same time?

I've had 4 remicade infusions and was on 10 mg of prednisone when I started. After the second infusion I noticed pain, swelling and stiffness in my hands. Last infusion was May 10th about a week after the last infusion the joint problems became severe in my hands/fingers and started to spread to elbows shoulders neck back hips knees and ankles. I saw my PCP and she increased my prednisone to 20mg and did some blood work. I previously tested positive for ANA speckled pattern 1:40, in 2007, but that rheumatologist said it meant nothing. I also tested positive for HLA-b27 she dx me with fibromyalgia. Now my PCP says my ANA is negative? I'm wondering how it could've been positive now negative? Also PCP said I tested positive for RA factor so she spoke with my GI who's in another state and they all want me to see a rheumatologist ASAP. While I wait they want me to start taking 200mg a day of azathioprine. I'm feeling horrible already and I've raked azathioprine and prednisone before and it made me pretty sick. I'm wondering if I'm on remicade also if I'll feel even worse or better? At the point I can't sleep bc of pain for last 3 weeks and now I just want to go to sleep and not wake up. I have a 20 mo old son who I can't even pick up and it hurts to just hug. I miss being able to take care if my son in all ways. My husband isn't very supportive and my "friends" have disappeared since I got sick. No family besides my husband, my daughter who has a vet rare disease called microscopic Polyangiitis vasculitis (11years old when diagnosed, 18years old now) and my 20 month old son. I'm feeling scared and alone. Please help, any information you think might help please share.

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34 year old female dx Crohns in 2005
Since then dx w peripheral neuropathy, pulmonary fibrosis, arthritis in left hip, fibromyalgia, and waiting to see a rheumatologist for possibly another dx.
20mg a day prednisone
Remicade infusions
Monthly B12 shots
Klonipin 1mg morn 1mg noon 3mg at bed
Gabbapentin 300mg morning 600mg at bed
Zofran 8mg dissolvable tablet every 6 hrs as needed
Promethazine 25mg every 6 hrs as needed
Vicodin 5/500 1-2 three times a day since starting remicade (Ive had 4 infusions) all my joints swelled up they're stiff and very painful.
They want me to start 200mg of azathioprine also while I'm waiting to see a rheumatologist.

Unfortunately I can't take methotrexate because of pulmonary fibrosis. My 1st pulmunologist told me to never take it. Unfortunately I've taken azathioprine w prednisone in the past and it did nothing but make me feel very sick and didn't help the Crohns. Then I tried humira w the pred. Failed again. Tried cimzia w pred that's when they found out about my PF bc my inflammatory markers were skyrocketing. We stopped cimzia and I had 3 bronchoscopies and finally a lung biopsy. I was told I have non specific pulmunary fibrosis, which meant they didnt know what it was from. I see the top GI and pulmunologist (my pulmunologist is one of the top in the nation in interstitial lung diseases). They are both at The university of Washington medical center. After lung biopsy I took cytoxan aka cyclophosphamide and prednisone. I got so sick after 6 months the cytoxan seemed to help my lungs, but not my Crohns. Stopped cytoxan and weaned off prednisone. I was told "imagine you like a train and your life like the tracks, I see your tracks ending. If we dont do something but idk what." by my GI. I decided to keep everything stopped. Lucky for me I was almost 300lbs from all the prednisone, so I wasted away to 115lbs in a year (average weight b4 dx'd w crohns was 150). I felt miserable I couldn't eat even liquids all I could do was sip water. Then I started to be able to eat and got an appetite. Missed a cycle and found out I was pregnant. Total surprise at the time I had 1 child and she was already 16 she turned 17 years old the month before my son was born. I did pretty good in the pregnancy except he tried to come at 24 weeks the 1st time then again at 29 weeks. Medications to stop labor worked until my 36th week. He was born healthy just a few days in NICU. After I started to wean him everything came back w a vengeance. I have more extra intestinal then intestinal problems they say the worst part is my terminal ileum, which in the past my GI doc said we might have to do surgery on if treatments don't work. I probably could handle the nausea not eating and pain, but I don't have much weight to spare to lose like I did before anyways. I think about stopping everything, but I have a 20 month old son. I can't give up on my life. I want to be able to hold him and pick him up(hes only 20lbs he's my lil guy) I was able to pick him up before I started remicade. I found out that my great grandma had severe disabling rheumatoid arthritis. So my PCP and GI want me to start the azathioprine stay on the prednisone. Have my next infusion of remicade July 8th and fly down to see my GI and pulmunologist for appts. I have on the 25th of July. My PCP thinks I should be seen by rheumatology before then. So Monday I have to call and see when I can see a rheumatologist. I just wish they would manage my pain better. During my pregnancy my PCP died so after I had my son I had to find a new PCP. She has helped some but has left me in crohnic pain. Before the remicade I told her my average daily number between 1-10 was a 7 even w 2 Vicodin a day. After months I asked her if I could take one during the day bc the one in am helped me to move and PM was to sleep but felt like I was nothing and wasn't worth living during the day so she said I could take 1 in the afternoon. When I found out I was pregnant I was on 6 double strength Vicodin and three 5mg oxycodone a day. Which was just enough so I could function and my pain number was below 4 on average. I asked my current PCP about the worse pain I'm having and what do I do bc I have no quality if life. She told me I could take 6 of the regular Vicodin in a 24 hr period instead of 3. It has helped so I can get out of bed at least, but my pain is still at a 5 on average. Just playing waiting game. Thank you for your help.

Its ok I'm on the west coast and not on the Internet a lot. Thank you :)

Thank you PV, my doctor tested me and said I don't have the antibodies, but my RF factor was positive. My PCP doesn't know what's going on. PCP and GI recommend adding 200mg of azathioprine a day and continue infusions of remicade with premedication of solumedrol.
The increase of prednisone they just did has done very little. My PCP wants me seen before July by a rheumatologist, but rheumatology is currently booked out through September at the University of WA med center where my GI and pulmunologist are. I already have to travel to another state to see them. I might have to go out of UW for a rheumatologist if I want to be seen sooner.
It makes it really frustrating that I can't drive to any specialist yet I can't just move. Feeling very frustrated after calling UW and finding out they are full until September and they haven't recieved a referral for me yet. After they get a referral it goes to the Director of rheumatology who decides if its life threatening or what dr I would see and when. Of course my PCP is not in today so I can't ask her why she told me on the phone she sent a referral, but UW hasn't recieved one.
Idk what to do, I want to sleep. No sleeping meds have ever worked for me. I remember about 5 years ago a different doctor prescribed me 2 ambien and told me to benydryl with it when 2 did nothing. At the same time I was taking Vicodin, oxycodone,klonipin and nuerontin. I should've went to sleep but nope. Idk if my stomach doesn't absorb the meds or what, but after I heard about a celebrity who died from taking a very similar cocktail of meds, I am concerned. I don't have any family or friends to reach out to for help, I just found this site a little while ago first support at all that I've ever gotten. My husband is the only person and he's stressed out to the max. Our daughter has a very rare disease called vasculitis she was diagnosed 9 months after my diagnosis of Crohns. Then in 2010 my husband who was in his late 30's had a heart attack and he's had two cardiac catheterization's which gave no answer for why he had a heart attack. So he's on blood thinners bc the doctors think he might have formed a clot and that's what caused it but they don't know. My husband said its from all the stress. He blames me for his heart attack says I'm going to make him have another.
I have the worst luck it seems w medical stuff. Sorry for all the info/long post. Maybe that's why ppl have "disappeared" its just too much.
To say how many people have helped us would be zero. Sorry wish I was exaggerating. For instance our 20 month old has never been left w a babysitter.
Seemed like once we were sick we found out who would be there and sadly no one is the answer. My husbands parents have passed away. my mom ran away basically after my daughter was diagnosed. i can call her but shes always drunk and is really negative. asks me things like when are you going to just stop the treatment do you realize what could hapoen to you blah blah. Not helpful when I do want to give up. My dad remarried and has a new family he diesnt even care about his grandkids. I have a half sister in another city, but she doesnt really get it. Hard when you look ok on the outside but your inside and body are not ok not many people understand.

We live in a town of about 30,000 you can only get to by boat or plane so the medical care isn't the best. There aren't even enough MD's in the town for the amount of ppl.

Thank you NCOT,
By responding to me I dont feel all alone and that has helped me more then I can say. I have strength to keep going knowing I'm not all alone.
My PCP did run the antibody tests and they came back negative. I don't really trust the lab here though because my daughters ANCA test came back a false negative leaving Childrens hospital in Seattle thinking she had vasculitis, but the test was negative. They redid the lab test at childrens and it was positive.
So not sure what is wrong. I'm wondering if I might have RA or Sjoregns, but remicade I would think would help. I'm at a loss as to what or why. I will have to wait to see a rheumatologist to find out more. I will discuss posible surgery options w my GI. I will be bugging the doctors.
Do you know if they do surgery to remove my terminal ileum if I would need a temp ostomy or colostomy? None? or maybe permanent?
I'm curious because my mom had a temp colostomy when she lived in this town and just getting medical supplies was a pain. Not to mention no health care providers knew how to properly care for it. So if I do need one I want to look into all things available where I live regarding ostomy/colostomy.
Thanks again.

Used to take 40mg of pred, 50 of aza, and starting Remi infusions. Hope you get better!

Madcat25 were you on a higher dose of azathioprine and they're lowering it because your going to start remicade? They want me to take 200mg of azathioprine a day, 20mg of prednisone a day and solumedrol with my next remicade infusion. I just feel so yucky and hurting so much can't sleep, I've taken azathioprine in the past with prednisone at 200mg a day, but I felt very sick from it.
I've kind of felt like a guinea pig at times so its good to know the same combo is prescribed. I wish you the best with remicade. My extra intestinal issues have gotten worse, but I have new symptoms that I never had before. Might be another underlying medical condition. Playing the waiting game.

yeah, I've had to take these, too. I was on 40 mg prednisone, 50 mg 6mp, remicade, as well as others like cipro, flagyl, canasa, Prilosec, and Zofran. I felt like a garbage dump at the time since I was having side effects from everything. I think my doctor bombarded me too much at once and it was my first flare. I totally regret taking all of that, especially the cipro and flagyl since I had no infection. he just said it would help the other meds work better.

my doctor's plan was for me to stay on 6mp and remicade because I guess it helps it work better. didn't end up happening though because 6mp hurt my liver too much. once I stopped the 6mp, the remicade didn't work AT ALL. not really sure if it worked or if all the other things I was taking started working. that's the problem when you take so many things at once.

Hi bananagirl, I'm a little concerned I've heard from two ppl you being one of them that took prednisone, remicade infusions and azathioprine/6mp/imuran. Both of you said 50mg of azathioprine. They want me to take 200mg a day. When I took it the first time they had me start at 50mg and work up to 200mg. The prescription bottle says to take 200mg a day. To start with? I wonder why they are having me take such a high dose and if I do all this I think they should put me on a prophylactic antibiotic to prevent infection. I'm feeling a little frustrated with not being able to see a specialist because of logistical reasons. I see my PCP tomorrow and I'm waiting till I see her to start the azathioprine because it seems a big dose and to start off on a big dose makes me question, do I need so much suppression.

Hello NCOT, I might fall in the multiple health issues. I don't know though, I'm not 65 or older. I do however have multiple health issues. My PCP isn't sure whats going on and I have been dx'd w Crohns, pulmonary fibrosis, fibromyalgia. I wondered for years about the dx's. an orthopedic surgeon told me when I was in my late 20's that I needed a hip replacement, but I was/am to young bc you can only get so many in a lifetime. So a PT had me start using a cane.
I also recently found out my great grandma on my moms side had severe dibilitating rheumatoid arthritis.
My doctor said my RF factor was high, but remicade is used to treat RA. So she doesn't know why my joints are red, swollen painful and stiff. I saw her yesterday and she asked if I felt any difference or improvement since increasing prednisone from 10-20 mg. I told her no bc it hasn't. So she said we could lower it back to 10 mg. also if I wanted she said I could start with 100mg of azathioprine for a week then to 200mg. I'm really debating, I remember last time I took azathioprine I had really bad side effects. I'm thinking if I take 100mg and I feel like crap (sorry for the language) I'm not going to want to increase it. So I might start at 200mg idk.
While I wait to see my pulmunologist and gastroenterologist, I have an infusion scheduled for July 8th and my appts. are July 25th and waiting to hear about rheumatology appointment.
I think I need a good rheumatologist to rule out other things like scleraderma, sjogrens or things I haven't heard of. I hope I see an attending. My specialists are at a teaching hospital. I see the heads of GI and pulmunology, but in 2007 was seen by a rheumatologist who was a resident quack as far as I'm concerned. She diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Even though I have lung, GI, joint, eye problems. Same place took labs in 2007 said my ANA was positive w a speckled patter 1:40 my doctor ran the test and its negative now?
I know I need to see a good rheumatologist and possibly a colorectal surgeon. Thanks for reading my long comments and for your help.

Thank you NCOT,
For now I play that fun (NOT) waiting game until I can get in with a rheumatologist. If I lived in any other state if probably already at least have an appointment scheduled, but bc of logistics I'm stuck in a town you can't drive out of waiting. I lowered the prednisone to 15mg and took the 200mg of azathioprine and planning for remicade infusion on July 8th. I'm stuck my PCP has no answers other then something's going on, the idea to take 200mg of azathioprine was to help lessen side effects of the remicade. Doesn't make sense to me, but that's what she said. She didn't sound very confident, like she's just following my GI's orders and doesn't know a thing until I see a rheumatologist.
I remember back in November I had an abdominal CT scan and it showed a lesion in my liver. They did an ultrasound of my liver and could not see it. They thought it was possibly a cyst, but after it didn't show up on the ultrasound they said its probably a fatty deposit from all the prednisone. They did a follow up CT and there was no change in the lesion. So I'm thinking it is a fatty deposit, but it concerns me with the rare HSTCL (lymphoma) associated with use of remicade and azathioprine. Any thoughts on this?