azathioprine vs. remicade

I don't think there is any true answer to you questions. It is more which direction you chose to go based on what you want. I started 6mp/AZA a few months ago, I figured it would be a good option for me because I've heard a lot of stories of people achieving longterm remission from these drugs but unfortnuately it hasn't been so useful for me. 6mp/AZA can take a long time to get into your system, a few months or more and you have to have frequent bloodwork which is inconvenient for most of us. I haven't had any bad side effects from 6mp but I have heard that it is not a great drug to be on if you're planning on getting pregnant. I am not planning on it now so it doesn't concern me too much.

With Remicade, some people see results right away, some it takes a few infusions. Some don't have very good results or the results are short lived. Remicade requires going for an infusion every few weeks which takes a few hours. Not too convenient either.

As for safety, I think both are probably safe enough. Of course they each have their own potential risks that you will have to speak to your doctor about. As far as I know, they have only been using Remicade for about 20 years, I think immunosuprressants have been around a lot longer and on the low doses we take, they shouldn't have as much risks as they would if we were on a higher dose that is used for cancer patients or people who receive transplants.

I would say neither is healthy but I would try both before surgery. Just my opinion, some people prefer to have surgery and get off the drugs and I can completely respect that, in fact, I've considered it myself.

Aza worked/works great for me. If it stops my next stop is Remicade or Humira. That's my logic anyways. Might ask about tryin' other things, but generally, that's how it'll prolly go.