Imuran -> Shortness of Breath

Hi all,

I'm 33 and have been been on 125mg of Imuran to control UC since the start of 2014.

In September 2014 I had my first shortness of breath episode the day after a late night drinking with friends.

Since then it has become more and more regular to the point where it is now happening on a very regular occurrence (and it isn't because I'm actually thinking about it and bringing it on, I physically have a tight chest to begin with)

At first I could link it to when I was consuming coffee or the day after consuming alcohol or when I was extremely tired, however now it just occurs whenever it wants!

I have pretty much eliminated all alcohol and caffeine intake and improved my diet significantly, I thought it was a magnesium deficiency at first, however supplementation and eating LOTS of pumpkin seeds / dark chocolate have had little positive impact.

Shortness of breath is listed as a very rare side effect of Imuran intake - I was hoping to hear from anybody else that had similar symptoms, specifically - how long after you started taking the drug did you begin to suffer from these symptoms?

Cheers

Thanks for the reply :)

I should add:
> My iron studies are back within the normal range (just), previously when my iron was very low (& needed an iron infusion), I did not have this problem
> I've been to the GP to investigate other causes (eg. asthma), and that has not come up with any leads so far

I recently had some pretty scary shortness of breath and fainting. I kept blaming it on the imuran and remicade too. I went to my primary and he immediately called an ambulance for an emergency blood transfusion. I had a very low red blood cell count (+ anemia....they usually go hand in hand.)

When was the last time you had some blood work done? Have you been bleeding? brain fog? coldness? headaches? weird leg cramps? Even small amounts of blood loss over a long period of time can cause anemia. What is your resting heart rate? Mine went from 40-43 to 90-95. Your body has to work really hard when you have no blood. Trust me....anemia can make you feel like absolute crap. I still can't exercise and sleep all day.

Another thought - the shortness of breath could be due to dehydration. If you regularly get D then you could be a bit dehydrated. I know you said you stopped but alcohol and caffeine would be like throwing gasoline on that flame. You should also have your potassium levels checked.

What is your b12
Pernicious anemia can also cause shortness of breath