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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/16/2016 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Now what?  A week ago Tues I started azathioprine half dose of 50 mg.  Did okay for 3 days, but since Fri,  have developed tender belly radiating into back pain.  Have real bad chills but my temp is in the range of normal, but I get stabbing bone pain like everywhere.    I don't know if it is the medicine or if it is the weather?   I didn't think a low dose could hurt.  In the morning it feels better, I was telling my DH this morning  that I no longer had back pain and my tummy was feeling norm.  I usually take my med anytime 10am  to noon?.  The pain usually shows up and returns in the afternoon into the evening, and lasts several hours.  I don't go for my blood work for another week?  If it is the med, how long do these side effects last?  Maybe I need to tough it out more?
Posted 3/16/2016 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
I was completely fine on 6mp for the first 2 weeks. Then the side effects hit me like a ton of bricks! I had exhaustion, anxiety, extreme upper abdominal pain, back pain, increased thirst, a fever of 102. I went to the ER and the labs they ran came back normal, but I know it was the 6mp..
I stopped it for a few days and symptoms went away. Started again symptoms came back... I did that a couple times. Then I got off of it. It was a really bad med for me.
You could stop it for a couple days and see if you feel better. Then start again. If symptoms come right back you know it's the med.
Posted 3/16/2016 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
It took a few weeks and two trips to the hospital to figure out it was the medication. The first trip didn't show anything in my blood work, but the second trip everything was off the charts. I was on a low dose too.

Keep an eye on it, things can go down hill really fast if it's a reaction to that medication. Hopefully things even out for you and you'll be okay on it.
Posted 3/16/2016 4:22 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Rose, I was thiking, maybe if I took it for the night, hopefully I will be able to sleep through this pain, but if that tummy back pain doesn't leave I will be calling the Dr. Last time I was on it, I could hardly walk, had fevers, lost lots of weight. I was going in for every blood test, think it was weekly and they must have came back normal to him because he didn't even look concerned. He needs to tell me, there is something with my labs gone wrong or he won't take me off, then hopefully he won't add more of the same? I am a small person, extra sensitive to the big guy meds and react badly. I did take almost every single one that he prescribed to me before I was younger than and I don't think the meds or treatments were as chemically strong? I didn't even have to tell him, he would take me off if he seen they weren't helping after a year. I didn't have hardly any side effects from the older meds, even prednisone didn't cause me trouble, it always made me feel better. He will not give me prednisone anymore. He doesn't even prescribe it for a few days during a bad flare.
Posted 3/16/2016 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
Jen77, when did you take it, in the morning, or bedtime? I've decided I will not take it in the morning anymore, because it wrecks my day and seems to come around the same time of the afternoon and goes into the evening. It puts me to bed under a heat tent to warm myself up or that is what I call it, to stop the chills and the shakes. Usually 2 water bottles, and 2 bean bags, under the covers, even with that, it takes me close to 1-2 hours before I lose those darn chills. Maybe that's because I don't have hardly any flesh on me o keep me warm Right now , the pain has left and I will be okay in the morning as well, it's been hitting me every afternoon since Friday. The Doctor, will probably think I've lost it to react so quickly to a small dose? That's why I don't want to say anything just yet? But it's real coincidental that it happens around the same time of the day. There is still a chance this is weather related or crohn's related arthrits from my stomach?
Posted 3/16/2016 12:21 PM (GMT 0)
I don't understand how you think weather would give you chills and terrible stomach pains????
Posted 3/16/2016 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
No weather most likely wouldn't affect my stomach, but my bones are like barometers when it comes to weather changes, they hurt really bad. Putting the bone and joint aches aside, you are right, chills are not normally a part of it? The last time I was on azathioprine, I had chills and fevers, but the doctor wasn't concerned because the blood work was coming back okay. It might be the medication even at this low dose? I can't keep going on like this, so if it doesn't get better soon I need to call the doctor even if he says "but I gave you such a low dose"?
Posted 3/16/2016 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
I am right where you are, almost at the end of my 3rd week on imuran 50mg, but I started it at the same time I started prednisone, and I am trying to sort out symptoms which is from which, and prednisone makes me super paranoide so I react to every little change like its life threatening! I am also getting the chills and shakes, my joints hurt off and on, and my temp has been high for me lately but not quite fever (99.5 is the highest it's gotten but I usually stay pretty close to 97.8). And I have been having such a hard time with the prednisone I've been driving my doctors nurse crazy So I don't want to bother her anymore and she can't do much for me anyways because my doctors called in the meds for me to take and left town for a few weeks! I'm still waiting to hear the results of the blood work I did on Friday, but I'm not sure if my symptoms are something I need to call about or not. This whole medication thing has been nothing but a headache for me. I'm also getting a stabbing like pain in my lower left back area.
Posted 3/16/2016 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
I use to be a long term prednisone user and I never had chills from prednisone or bone aches that I remember, but everyone is different, so it doesn't mean what was good for me, is good for everyone else? Some of your symptoms sound like what I have with azathioprine, which is a form of imuran. The paranoia could be from the prednisone. The only way to find out for sure is cutting out one or the other with your doctor's consent, and then wait a week or so, to get it out of your system and see if the symptoms continue. Prednisone needs to be weaned down gradually.
Hope you can find your answers.
Posted 3/16/2016 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
I always took it at night for the same reason, hoping I'd get through whatever side effects at night. Or hopefully slept through them, but that didn't really happen. I'd let your doctor know though, even at that low of a dose we can still have a reaction. They were getting ready to up my dose in a few weeks when it all came tumbling down on me. I can't imagine how I would have felt at the higher dose! Scary!
Posted 3/17/2016 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jennifer, I didn't take it this morning, I did not have chills or stabbing bone pain all day, I still got some back pain but later on in the day, but milder and was able to eat more because I didn't have nausea, so I am pretty sure that is from the med. I will be taking my pill before bedtime (soon), so if my back pain worsens and all the symptoms return then I will be able to know what to tell the doctor when I call him. Did you get stomach and back pain from it too? Yes, the doctor put me on this low dose but told me that I can't stay there, that I will have to come up. Hope I will be able to sleep through the worst of the side effects, that is if I can get to sleep.
Posted 3/17/2016 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
What a horrible, horrible night I had, somewhere around 4am I got leg cramps. I got up to get a heating pad to put on them and had the worst back ache with a sore gut. The pain from this back ache makes me doubled over.

I called the Dr.s office this morning, and his nurse told me to stop the azathioprine right now! The Doctor is away till next Wed so they made an appt then. I have to go in for blood work tomorrow. She said specifically tomorrow, probably by tomorrow my blood work will be fine because I won't be taking the medication.
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