Does anyone taken Imuran only?

Hello to all of you with similar frustrations!

I am a twenty-two year old male living in Chicago. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis right before I turned twenty-one. I have been in remission for almost two years now. I got into remission through a combination of Prednisone, Azathioprine, and Remicade. Since remission, I have been taking Remicade and Azathioprine without suffering any intermittent flares.

My dream for the next year is to live abroad. Unfortunately, the places where I would like to live do not make it easy to get Remicade. It would also be difficult to get insurance. To get both - almost impossible!

My doctor mentioned to me that I could go off the Remicade and try going on Imuran alone. He said that we would have to find the correct dose, and that it might be a process of trial-and-error, but nevertheless, he said it is possible.

I was wondering if any of you are in remission using Imuran alone. If so, please tell me about your experience. I am curious, what is your dose? How long have you been in remission? Have you had any flares during your Imuran-exclusive period of treatment? Do you use any homeopathic treatments? Do you follow any specific diet?

Thank you in advance for any feedback. It will be helpful to learn about others' experience before making the decision on my own. I am scared to lose my colon, but I also want to follow my dream. I want to enjoy my youth, because it will never come back to me. It really sucks to be worried about health when you are this young!

I wish everyone else on this forum an unending remission and general happiness. Don't take things for granted, and be kind to your neighbor!

Best,
Anonymous

well Asacol with imuran is pretty much the Imuran working and the Asacol for insurance/
Asacol works topically , not systemically.
So yes I consider myself in remission from imuran only.

I am on 6mp and I also take Asacol. I am not sure how much the Asacol does but I have noticed symptoms when I tried to decrease the dose.

Hi,  I am on Imuran only and have been since October 2010.  I don't do any diet modification or other treatments at all.  I have been in full remission for about 14 months.  Before I started Imuran I had been in some state of a flare for 4 years...I always had some inflammation...took all the meds - oral and rectal and took them religiously.  I was off an on pred several times during that four year period but nothing put me in full remission until Imuran.

I take 150mg and nothing else.  It has been a life changer for me. 

Thanks for all the feedback! This gives me some confidence in using Imuran as my own exclusive treatment. I'd still be grateful for any more responses. The more data, the better.

(Of course, a formal study would be ideal!)

Best,
A

The ramifications or issues with Remicade have nothing at all to do with Imuran.
The 2 drugs are completely different.
Imuran has been around since the 40's and it's safety profile is very good.
Also, Imuran can be tweaked in dosage where Remicade cannot.
In my experience, Imuran can be given at a minimal dose, diminishing concerns about side effects.
I could go on and on, suffice to say, the two drugs should not be used in the same sentence in terms of comparison.