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Just starting Azathioprine - questions

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Posted 12/30/2009 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi y'all. I just started 150mg Azathionprine on Monday. I'm really nervous about it. I understand I have an increased risk of infection if I get sick and an increased risk of limphatic cancer and I'll probably lose some hair. All very scary. Can anyone who's been on that tell me what they experienced?

So far I think I've noticed a bit more shedding than usual and my heart rate has gone up about 10 extra beats per minutes. Anyone else experience the increased heart rate?
Posted 12/30/2009 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
I used azathioprine for around one year. Apart from fatigue I didn't experience any other adverse effects.

An elevated risk of infection is a consequence of using azathioprine, however the relationship is dose-dependent. Your dose is moderate, and so long as you undergo routine white blood cell counts and exercise caution (avoiding people with colds, cooking meat thoroughly, etc.) you should be fine.

The risk of developing cancer does increase, however it takes many years before this risk becomes pronounced. Here's an approximation derived from a meta-analysis of MS patients receiving azathioprine at doses comparable to yours.

1.3 higher when treated less than 5 years, 2.0 higher when treated 5 to 10 years, and 4.4 higher when treated more than 10 years.

Not terribly significant, at least in the short-term.

Post Edited (Delarge) : 12/30/2009 3:23:54 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/30/2009 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking 150mg for almost 5 years and haven't been affected by the side effects very much.  The risk of infection has not been an issue for me at all.  I suffer illnesses like everyone else and they run their course at a reasonable time.  I did suffer a little bit of hair loss and thankfully have a thick head of hair so it isn't noticeable. 

Predisone is the only medication that I have taken for UC where the side effects really hit me.

Posted 12/30/2009 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
I have been taking it for about a month. I am extremely tired and have a headache. That is it so far. Very, very tired.
Posted 12/30/2009 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi hansolo,

I've taken Azathioprine 100mg per day for 18 months now and have had no noticeable side effects...as fargman says, the prednisone is the medication with the nasty side effects! Originally I started those two meds for autoimmune hepatitis, but they seem to help most of my AI diseases.

I have a colleague at work who has been on Azathioprine (dosage unknown) for 16+ years for Crohn's and he's had no problems with it either.

Good luck!
JoAnn
Posted 12/30/2009 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
same here, no side effects so to speak. I was tired when I first started it, but began to take my dose at bedtime- solved that problem! No more infections than anyone else, no more colds, etc. I'm a little neurotic about hand-washing, but... I haven't noticed any hair loss, not from any of the UC meds.
Posted 12/31/2009 3:11 AM (GMT 0)
I'vr been on 75mg Azathioprine for about a month now and haven't noticed any adverse affects. I'm also tapering off 40mg pred at a rate of 5mg p/wk. Last time I tried to taper my symptoms worsened. This time so far, so good. I think the Azathioprine has helped in this regard. Getting off the pred is my goal, it's long term side affects scare me more than the Azathioprine.
Posted 4/12/2016 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
My resting heart rate with UC has been 100 BPM. I have been dealing with this UC thing, for years, pre diagnosis. (Took years for my blood to show up and the colonoscopy to be done -- but I still had various obscure symptoms, such as the Tachycardia.)

I am noticing that Imuran is actually -=slowing DOWN=- my resting heart rate.

Today it was 82 BPM vs the usual 100 BPM.

Scared of the LT side effects, but so far it seems to be helping.

*fingers crossed*

Maybe I will be able to start being more physically active again, etc.

Post Edited (emmalouwho) : 4/12/2016 9:21:16 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/12/2016 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
When I was on it I noticed nothing. No improvement. No adverse effects. Just...nothing.
Posted 4/12/2016 11:12 AM (GMT 0)
Evalouwho, 82bpm is actually healthier than 100bpm for an adult. Uc tends to raise your heart rate when inflammation and symptoms are bad, dehydration can raise your heart rate as well.

What's LT?
Posted 4/13/2016 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
Yup. It's now 82 or so, instead of 100. Happy about that.

I was finally put on oral Pentasa and Prednisone on Feb 11 and now Imuran this month (April).


LT = long term
Posted 4/13/2016 9:06 AM (GMT 0)
Other than headaches for the first 6 weeks or so when I started taking aza I've had no symptoms whatsoever from taking it and have been on it nearly 9 years now. I have not had any increased number of illnesses/infections/etc. My GI said the risk of increased infections on aza data is from organ transplants, for which dosages are much much higher. The goal for IBD treatment is to get an overactive immune system back into the low end of normal range.

All of that said, you will have careful monitoring from now on in case you do have any adverse side effects, so the biggest risks should be well monitored.
Posted 6/2/2016 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
Does Aza reduce RBCs as well as WBCs? If it does, that may explain why one's heart rate can increase. RBCs carry oxygen. Less oxygen means the heart has to work harder to move blood around the body in an attempt to compensate.
Posted 6/2/2016 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
Does Aza reduce RBCs as well as WBCs?

Not supposed to. In rare cases it does cause myelosuppression. A condition in which bone marrow activity is decreased, resulting in fewer red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
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