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Posted 1/29/2011 8:30 AM (GMT 0)
I have been put on Azathioprine and started yestoday weening myself onto them by 25mg a week untill up to 125mg, has any one experienced any side effects? if so how quick before they started? ive heared alot of people have lost some hair! has anyone exerienced hair loss?
Posted 1/29/2011 10:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hi! I have been on azathioprine for 11 years now and yes I lose my hair. I am not bauld or going bauld. I lose more than the average person but not heaps. The only otherr thing i have noticed is after about 2 - 3 years i started to get little skin tags and raised bumps over sifferent parts of my body. If you take this drug make sure you put sunscreen on when you go outside because you can be at a higher risk than others of skin cancer while on this drug. You also should stay away from tanning lamps. I have been on this drug for so long now that i have forgotten if i had any side effects when i started it. I do know that it takes about 6-8 weeks to fully get into our system so if you haven't seen a change yet give it time..

Hope this helps. take care
Posted 1/29/2011 12:49 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on anathioprine for over two years now.  It has helped tremendously and I have no side effects.  The only thing I noticed is that I tan a little more easily during the summer time.  I am brown to begin with so it's no biggie.  My GI doc who works at one of the biggest teaching hospitals in the country says they have about 2,000 patients taking azathioprine or 6MP and he is unaware of them having any real negative side effects.  He recommends sunscreen for his patients who do take it and even for those that don't take it. 

MyUC

Posted 1/29/2011 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
sheree, 11 years?? It's still working? That makes me feel a lil better!

poppytia, I've been on it five years, no side-effects for me and it works great. I second the sunscreen though, just to be safe. Also make sure to get your bloodwork done.
Posted 1/30/2011 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
I started taking it in Sept. 2010. I lost hair from eyebrows and head for about 5 weeks and then everything grew back in. I had 2 hypersensitivity reactions whenever I try to go over 50 mg. The first time it was uncontrollable headache and leg jerking. Second time was uncontrollable vomiting. Each time an antihistamine stopped the reaction. It has worked pretty well but I do have some loss of energy. It is a lot better than spending months in bed or dealing with pred. reactions! I hope it works for you.
Posted 1/30/2011 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking it for a couple years.

The only things I've experienced in the last 10 months is a rash on my wrists...literally wraps around like an ugly red bracelet. Those are signs of an allergic reaction, and when I called my doc about it the first time (about 10 months ago) he told me to stop taking it if it didn't go away by the next day. Well...the rash stayed for the next day and a half, but I didn't want to stop taking it. It did go away though.

I recently had another rash, on my other wrist, and that went away in two days....it's all mysterious.

I have thin hair anyway, and I haven't noticed a lot of hair loss..certainly not more than my usual. It grows back quick. (Take Biotin!)

I second the sunscreen thing, very much.
Posted 1/30/2011 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on it for about a year and the only issues I've had are fatigue, and nausea if I don't eat with it. The fatigue is helped immensely with a multivitamin.
Posted 1/30/2011 7:27 PM (GMT 0)

Just to add another tid bit.  No hair loss for me.  I have a rather thick head of hear and I would notice if there was any less.  The answer is clearly no for me.  Again no side effects with exception of tanning quicker.  Aza has worked great for me. Also I have tapered already from 200 to 150 mg.  If the canasa works well I will drop again to 100 mg.  I hope this works for you.

MyUC

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