6MP concerns

I was one who fought off 6-MP for some time - but that's because when it was first offered to me it was a "brand new thing which seems to be working well..." just like a new model car, I wanted the bugs worked out before I bought into it! lol

The dosing, watching blood levels, all that - it's relatively safe, now, I feel (though some will always react to any medication!) and I would take it without blinking if my GI recommended it at this point.

I think it works well for the majority - so well, those folks aren't sitting around posting about UC.... (my thought, anyway.)

6mp, Imuran, Humira, and Remicade are considered the last line maintenance medications when controlling Uc - the heavy guns so to speak. After that, it's either an IV dose of Cyclosporine/pred or colon removal. Many people are afraid of the literature they read on the internet about these medications. Which is understandable, especially if these people are fairly new to the Uc world. I was afraid to start it too because I knew it would mess around with my immune system. But like Songlady said, maybe the ones that have had great success with this med are out there enjoying themselves. You have to remember that we are here on the Uc forum because our Uc is not behaving. We represent the small minority in which we do not respond well to medications and/or diet - or even the newly diagnosed trying to get a handle on their illness.

The thing about imuran is, in my understanding, if you're going to have a problem, it will show up quickly for most people and the docs will be monitoring it closely, and any negatives effects will resolve once you go off it. As with any drug there are rare side effects that can be serious, in the case of imuran it can affect your bone marrow I think.

I remember going through study after study that looked at cancer and other risks of longterm use of imuran and it became clear to me that it is pretty safe overall, ESPECIALLY compared to long term prednisone use which is the alternative for many. Long term prednisone use pretty well guarantees serious and permanent side effects.

Pepper your doc with questions if you are worried about the effects. Unfortunately for me I can not tolerate it,although I swear it was working wonders for the short time I was able to take it.