To those on 6mp

AHHH! i start on 6mp tomorrow! these are things i don't want to know :'(

and yes, i have seen hair loss listed in the side effects on some pages. i research like a mad person!

but kudos for feeling better :) that part is inspiring!

I had some very mild hair loss about 2 months after I started Imuran, but nothing major. It stopped about a month later. Good luck!

I started 6MP in 6/05 and haven't really had any side effects. I feel great...hope you have the same experience!

I was on 6-mp from august to November of last year.  I had to get off because of a really bad reaction.  My hair started falling out in January for about a month.  I lost about a third of it.  It really freaked me out.  But I decided to use it as an opportunity to not color it anymore.  I've been coloring it for 30 years and so I decided since new hair was growing in I would just start pulling in back in clips or a pony tail.  It was rough but I had my first hair cut a couple of weeks ago and my hair is now naturally curly and white.  Never was before. I'm a grandma so I guess I can be white-headed. At least it's not gray. For the first time in my life I'm happy with my hair. 

Imuran and 6mp can cause some hairloss as a side effect. If you take 1mg Folic Acid or even some Biotin it will help with the hairloss.

i was on 6-mp since april of 1995. i just quit this past october 31. i thought my hair falling out was due to prednisone (a documented side effect) and/or from genetics. i started 6-mp about a year and a half after being diagnosed and started on prednisone, so i cant say for certain that 6-mp caused my hair loss, but from what i gather from you all it seems to have definitely contributed.

i started the drug to get me off prednisone. that didnt work as i was on both for like 4 more years or so until remicade came out. that got me off prednisone. i never noticed any benefit from taking 6-mp but did cos my docs told me to and i didnt know any better - i was like most people: you are sick you need drugs to get better and stay better. i now dont believe that. diet allowed me get off 6-mp and all my meds and i am feeling great. but take this with a grain of salt cos this is one person's experience - my experience. some people say 6-mp works for them. great, take it then if it works for you, just beware of long term side effects. it is a powerful chemo drug for cancer patients. should you really be taking it for years on end? you have to get your blood monitored monthly or so. think about that for a moment. what is it doing to you or could possibly be doing to you that you need to have your blood monitored? i believe it was causing me to have anemia - basically bone marrow suppression which is a side effect of the drug. that is one reason why i stopped it 2 weeks ago and so far my anemia is improving. coincidence? who knows. to some i may sound cynical, but to others i may sound like the voice of reason. research it and talk to your doc about it.

It is important to remember the doses of 6mp prescribed for Crohn's are MUCH lower than those for transplant patients. Most of the effects you read about happen to people on a higher dose. Of course watch for side effects, but don't stress yourself out.

I have been taking 6mp for 7 years now I believe and my hair falls out like crazy, but I've always shed alot, so not sure if it's related.  I always wonder if I went off of it what would happen but of course my doctor thinks I'm crazy and I'm too chicken to try.

I have a Crohnie friend who preaches to me a diet that works for him and that I'm crazy for taking drugs.  He also is single, no kids and has all the time in the world to take care of himself and shop/manage this intense diet.

I don't have any other side effects from 6mp and I was doing great until I had my 3rd baby in 2003 (while still on 6mp, got preg trying to decide if I wanted to stay on 6mp, oops) all was good until 29 weeks got an abscess, TPN, baby was born healthy/perfect, had ilectecomy 6 weeks after she was born.  6 months later had an fistual/surgery/seton, 4 months later a 2nd fitual/surgery/seton and then 3 years later another fistual/surgery/seton and am currently on the mend.

Currently on 75mg on weekdays and 100 mgs on Sat/Sun, no other meds.

I have to get my blood tested every 3 months and every 6 months they send a special test out to Promethus labs in CA to test my white cell count to make sure I don't need to adjust my mgs.  You must be tested regularly to make sure everything is processing correctly.