Lupus

Welcome to HW.
Sorry you have to be here but we're glad you found us.
First off, lupus is not a death sentence. If you have good doctors standing with you and good support you'll do well.
You need to change a few things in your life to adjust to your new life but it's do able.
You can read a lot about lupus at lupus.org and here on the first thread. We're not doctors here but we tell you about our experiences.
Lupus affects each of differently. Some people have it mild, some moderate, some extreme, and some vary at times.

What medications did your doctor start you off on? Most people are started off on plaquenil. It's a disease slower. If you have active inflammation you may get predisone. The plaquenil will take about six months to fully kick in.

What kind of questions do you have?

Azathioprine (commonly known as Imuran), is one of 3 meds generally used for Lupus after the Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine, to decrease disease progression) and Prednisone (prednisolone, to control inflammation). The others are Cellcept and MTX.

Most people do not find that the side effects bother them - for me Imuran did nothing at all! We don't know why these 3 meds help, and Lupus is such mystery that we don't know which of these 3 might help which person!! Like I said, Imuran did nothing for me, byt Cellept became my miracle drug and put me into a quite phase (Drs don't use the word remission with Lupus).

I find the best way to eliminate/avoid side effects with most medications is to make sure I drink my 8 glasses of water daily, take the meds with (or without) food as directed, try to avoid sugar, and get enough rest.

Keep us posted!