Azathioprine side effects

I have been taking 150mg/day of azathioprine for around two months now, whilst also remaining on 8mg/day of methylprednisolone, which I am due to start tapering shortly. I have been in remission since beginning this medication, and have not had any major effects other than fatigue.

However, this week I have started feeling quite nauseous a lot of the time. My question is, is it possible for azathioprine side effects to be this delayed (2 months since I began taking them), or could this problem be unrelated?

Thanks!

My nausea was horrific with azathioprine at first. Also taking 150mg.

I had to go back down to 50mg and gradually build up to 150mg. I also asked for anti sickness medication which really helped.

Also splitting the dose throughout the day was really helpful as well as so 75mg morning 75mg at night. I think I may have also done 50mg 3x a day. Try asking your GI for ways in which they're ok with you taking it so you're not taking 150 at once. Which by the way is the max dose you are able to take for UC so it is a lot for your body to cope with when you're new to it.

After a few months it totally stopped and I have been fine ever since.

I am not sure if it's normal for it to start after a few months however I would imagine so as it does take a few months for it to build up in your body and reach therapeutic levels. So I would imagine that's happened for you and now you're feeling the effects. But I'm not a Dr so that's just my guess!

Oh yes it totally went and I was fine on it. I've been taking it for 6+ years now. It doesn't actually work for my UC anymore unfortunately but i got a good few years of remission out of it. I now take it to prevent antibodies to humira from forming. But I was absolutely fine on it for a long while. I think I did feel sick straight off although it was a long while ago j can't remember but I think I did.
But drugs are weird. Some weeks I take humira I feel absolutely fine no side effects, some I'm sick as anything ! So i wouldn't be surprised if it took a few months for you to feel sick as as k said it does have a cumulative effect. Again no medical knowledge here so I'd ask your GI.
Ummmm anti sickness stuff I do not know what I took. Although I'm allergic to some so what I took may not have been the first line choice for someone who wasn't. However I had great success with that to help. I'd definitely recommend asking for some for sure it made a massive difference to me .

Thanks a lot for your thoughts/ experiences- I really appreciate it as I often feel a bit worn out with all the trial and error of sorting out UC.

I've just been vomiting quite badly after a day of feeling ill. This may just be a sickness bug- I had gone for two months on the Azathioprine without any noticeable effects other than tiredness. Everything I've heard suggests people who have a bad response get it very quickly so I'm just hoping it's not that which is causing me trouble!

What sort of symptoms did you get to indicate liver issues?

As above. There are no symptoms and I didn't get any liver issues with azathioprine - other drugs prior to that I did.
But you wouldn't know there are no symptoms and it will be found in blood tests for definite before any damage is done. Dont worry. As I said , I have liver issues anyway aside from UC. It was just an example of the sort of thing that would take a while to show potentially, rather than nausea etc which in my experience is more immediate.

I have been on 150 of aza for over a year now and I still get nauseous sometimes. It'll usually be like an hour after I take my meds and last for another hour or so. Especially if I am hungover or take my meds on an empty stomach. What I've been doing for the past 6 months or so is taking my meds right before bed. This took care of my issue and works like a charm! Best of luck.

Azathioprine has helped me regain my life, it has worked extremely well for me. But I did have a nausea problem a few months in like you did. What I did was take it in the morning with oatmeal or toast. It seems best to surround the pills with food in your stomach. Take a few bites, then the pills and then a few more bites. I found this method to completely get rid of any nausea that I was having. Also remember to get your blood work on a regular basis, especially in the first 6 month or so. Best of luck & I hope you feel better!

Thanks everyone, fingers crossed I have not been sick again since a few nights ago, and have continued taking azathioprine. I'm hoping this means I don't have a major issue with it.

I've also just been to have a blood test to check my liver function so hopefully all will be well!