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Azathioprine & TGN levels

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/2/2015 10:02 AM (GMT 0)
I started Azathioprine back in December so not really noticing it's effects yet, but I have a couple of questions regarding blood works.
The first three weeks I was going for weekly blood works, and then bi-weekly for the few weeks that followed.
I went into clinic the other day for a review with my IBD nurse, who said that I can now start having bloods taken every three months, and that my GI has no intention of checking my TGN levels in the future to see if I've metabolised it correctly. Apparently his approach is to 'go by how I'm feeling, and if I seem to be in active remission, there's no need to check'.
Does this seem right? I'm only on a 50mg dose (which I know is enough for some), but I'm pretty sure it was the Pred and Pentasa that have put me into remission. It just makes me a bit nervous that my GI doesn't seem to be monitoring me very closely when I only started Aza 7 weeks back. Would be great to hear people's opinions.
Posted 2/2/2015 12:37 PM (GMT 0)
The real test is how you feel on it. If after a few months you are not starting to feel better it would be good idea to check there is enough getting into your system as may need to adjust. Apart from that I wouldn't have thought there is any reason to check it regularly. Had mine tested for first time in 18 years recently and all was fine.
Posted 2/2/2015 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
Well, 50mg is definitely on the low side as far as dosage is concerned. Are you still currently on pred an pentasa? Some doctors give a very low dose to stay on while still being on other meds incase you start to get worse then the aza is already in your system. I have been on aza for many years, and I get blood work monthly now. I don't know if I would feel comfortable having it every three months, maybe ask him if you can do it monthly.
Posted 2/2/2015 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, my GI told me that he put me on a low dosage to begin with because he saw from my blood works that my tolerance might not have been great and he wanted to minimise the risk of side effects... which seems to have worked so far! I'm still on Pentasa and am currently tapering slowly off Pred. I will definitely ask him about more frequent blood tests. Thanks :-)
Posted 2/2/2015 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I still do 3 month monitoring of my blood.
Posted 2/2/2015 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
50mg is really low for aza. I would definitely request the test to see if you're in the therapeutic range. it gives you a better idea of how your responding and what dose you need. If you're on 50mg and you're not in the range, you're not getting the most out of the medication but you will never know if you don't have it checked.
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