Imuran - Anyone on this?

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 1999.  I went 4 years with out any issue and had a flare which only lasted a short time and was easily taken care of by increasing my Asacol and adding Rowasa. 

Over the last three years I have had a flare each year with each one getting progressively worse.  Last year's flare took Prednisone to get under control.  Fortunately, the Prednisone acted quickly and I was able to wean off of it with in about 3 months.  My doctor increased my Asacol to the max and added Hydrocortisone enimas for four months and then switched me to Canasa suppositories for the next year.

Earlier this year I started to get sick again.  At Easter the blood started and I got into my GI as soon as I could.  He switched me to Lialda, which didn't help me.  I went in for my third colonoscopy in 10 years in May. I was put on Prednisone again.  This time it didn't work.  For the remainder of May I was running to the bathroom nearly 30-40 times a day and 10-15 times a night.  I missed alot of work and was in constant contact with Mr. Doctor.  He added the Hydrocotisone enemas back and that seemed to help some...until he tried to start weaning me off the Prednisone.  As soon as I got to 20mg I was begining to go backwards again.  By 17.5 mg I was bleeding daily and the frequency was back up to about 8-10 times a day.  He took me back up to 30mg which is where I have been now since mid-July.  Also, he referred me to a specialist at the University of Michigan. 

My appointment was yesterday.  They want me off the Prednisone, but in order to do this want to put me on Imuran which is a anti-rejection medication for transplant patients.  Apparently it supresses the immune system.  I understand there could be some serious side effects from the medication.  I have to get blood tests done every two weeks for one month and once a month thereafter until they can determine I can handle the medication.  I will have to get a flu shot this year.  If I get a cold or sore throat or a fever over 100, I need to call the doctor and report it.

Does anyone have any experience with this medication?  If so, what if any side effects did you encounter and how did you handle the medication?

If all goes well, I should be able to be off the Prednisone completely by the end of the year and the doctor did mention the possibility of being able to stop taking the Asocol in a year or so.

DDR11

Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of folks on here that are on imuran or its generic form azathiroprine There have been a lot of previous threads regarding the in/outs of this drug. I've been on it for over a year. Was on it previously and got over-confident...thought I was 'better'. I've learned my lesson. It's really important to have regular blood work and also to know that results are not immediate, most times up to 3- 4 months before you will see results. It made a enormous difference for me. I do get unnerved from time to time when I read the package insert with all the side effects, etc. Those are all factors to consider.

Thank you for the posts. I haven't had a chance yet to go through all the older threads and read through prior discussions on this particular drug. I am just so frustrated this time around. I can't see to kick it. And, as you all know it just affects so many areas of your life. I am a very active social person and during a flare, I just feel like crawling in a whole and being a hermit.

I feel like I have been doing everything right. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't drink caffine, I try to eat as clean as absolutely possible. I eat small meals though out the day. I try to walk at least 30 minutes a day (when I'm not so drained of energy, that I can actually do it!). I get 8 hours a sleep at night. I take all my meds. I take probiotics. So what gives! It has been 7 months this time. I am tired of feeling like poop. Pardon the pun! I am only 36 years old and I really want to enjoy my children, my husband and my life! Hopefully, Imuran is worth it.

Thanks for letting me vent.

DDR11