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Azathioprine for Crohn's Disease User Reviews

Brand names: Imuran, Azasan

Azathioprine has an average rating of 5.5 out of 10 from a total of 12 reviews for the treatment of Crohn's Disease. 50% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 42% reported a negative experience.

Azathioprine rating summary

5.5/10 average rating

12 ratings from 13 user reviews.

Compare all 125 medications used in the treatment of Crohn's Disease.

10
25%
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8%
8
17%
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8%
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42%

Reviews for Azathioprine

  • SueQ
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 16, 2019

Imuran (azathioprine) "Was prescribed Imuran as part of combination therapy with Inflectra after a bad flare of Crohn's that landed me in hospital for 2 weeks. I started taking 1 tablet a day, increased to 2 after a week then 2 1/2 after another week. Once I got to the full dose I started to notice some stomach upset and after a week I started vomiting profusely and was bed ridden for 3 days. Also experienced hair loss. My GI told me to stop taking it for now. Sure hope he has another idea as clearly I can’t tolerate Imuran. I felt immediately better after stopping the drug. Good luck to anyone battling this horrible disease!"

1 / 10
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28 Report
  • joey
  • February 20, 2012

Azasan (azathioprine) "This pill works for me but I'm sure everyone is different. You just have to go get blood work every 3 months while on it. I been taking it for 5 years and I'm doing great, just make sure you eat a small meal before you take Azasan it can make you sick for a hour if you dont. I do recommend this pill if you have Crohn's. Ask your Doctor about it and see if it is right for you."

10 / 10
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31 Report
  • Filter...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • November 29, 2019

"I have been taking azathioprine for about 9 years and 5 years ago began experiencing joint pain, intense itching and hair loss. My doctor dismisses all these problems as not being related to medication. I'm starting to think that it's time to seek another opinion. Just wondering if anyone else had the same symptoms?"

6 / 10
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14 Report
  • Kano
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • September 21, 2018

"Azathioprine was given to me for my Crohns Colitis after Pentasa failed to do the job at all. At first it was horrible. Lack of energy and severe nausea after taking it. This led me to become pretty depressed and the DR was going to take me off of it because my blood work wasn't showing up good. However after 2-3 months the side effects went away and I haven't had a problem with Crohn's at all for about 4 years! Please give this medicine a shot even if you feel awful. It will hopefully pass and you will get relief like I did. I'd give it a 10 if it wasn't for the side effects and blood tests you'll need to take for the rest of your time on it. Oh heres a tip that helped me too: If you get bad nausea then try taking it with a mouthful of food. Mix it in with the food in your mouth. That helped me not get as sick."

9 / 10
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13 Report
  • scotto
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • March 28, 2015

Imuran (azathioprine) "I've been on Imuran for about 9 years now. After trying the medicine Pentasa where I was taking 4000mg day and it still didn't control my flare ups. This medicine has it side effects too but I haven't experienced many other than pain in my joints recently, which is good since I've been taking Imuran for 9 years!"

8 / 10
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18 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • Imuran...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 24, 2016

Imuran (azathioprine) "Imuran seemed fine for the first couple weeks, until I got a fever of 103 degrees. My doctor instructed me to stop taking the Imuran if my temperature reached 103 degrees, so I stopped for a week or so. My temperature returned to normal, so my doctor instructed me to start Imuran again. After one day's dosage I experienced the worst imaginable pain in my whole torso. It turns out the Imuran gave me Pancriatitis. I had to spend 3 days on an IV drip in the hospital and an all liquid diet for a week after."

1 / 10
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17 Report
  • Jody
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 20, 2021

Imuran (azathioprine) "I took Imuran many years ago, after 2 weeks on it, it gave me pancreatitis. Five days in the hospital, 4 days with NOTHING BY MOUTH! It was awful! Because I was only on Imuran for two weeks (and it really was so long ago), I don't honestly remember if the medication itself helped my Crohn's. All I know is that my doctor shared with me that the Imuran could cause Pancreatitis, although rare, he wanted me to be aware of the possibility. I even joked with him, I said if its rare it'll probably happen to me, lol, and 2 weeks to the day, it did!"

1 / 10
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5 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • January 8, 2023

"I was experiencing a persistent bleeding issue and tried a range of medications, including high doses of prednisone. I was prescribed Azathioprine, 1-50 mg twice a day, and Sulfasalazine, 2-500 mg twice a day, which was in the form of easy-to-consume oral medications. Within a month, I noticed that the bleeding stopped, and my diarrhea gradually improved. However, my energy level took almost a year to fully recover. The side effects of the medication included insomnia, mild depression, and a weakened immune system due to Azathioprine. Skipping doses of Azathioprine is not recommended, but occasional forgetfulness shouldn't be a problem. I was advised to get recommended vaccines. Taking Azathioprine with food is recommended to avoid stomach discomfort. Most of my symptoms were a result of my disease rather than the medication. I have been in control of my condition for 11 years now and attribute my recovery to dietary changes and taking a good liquid multivitamin. About five years later, after a colonoscopy, a new gastroenterologist told me that I no longer had Crohn's, but he did not have access to my previous diagnostic images."

10 / 10
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2 Report
  • Nic
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 27, 2020

"I was prescribed azathioprine for my Crohns disease. During the first month of taking this drug, I felt mildly nauseated on taking the tablet and generally unwell. In hindsight, I think this feeling was subtly getting worse over the period to the extent that it became extreme nausea to the point where I had no appetite and after eating a few mouthfuls, I would be sick. I read the side effects of the drug and reported this to my consultant. One evening I became very ill however, vomiting and ultimately collapsing and having a seizure. In hospital they determined that my liver function was severely affected with some residual kidney issues also evident. After a 4 day stay in hospital and 6 weeks at home, the liver function returned. Diagnosis was toxic hepatitis caused as a side effect of this drug. I have never had any allergic reaction to anything, this drug did not suit me."

1 / 10
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3 Report
  • Mrs...
  • June 8, 2015

Imuran (azathioprine) "I have been on this medicine for over a year and it worked really well at first now my hair is thinning and I'm having joint pain."

8 / 10
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18 Report
  • ambur
  • January 29, 2016

Imuran (azathioprine) "Took imuran for several months. Not only did it NOT help my Crohn's disease, I developed pancreatitis and was hospitalized for three days."

1 / 10
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16 Report
  • MrGomez
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • February 13, 2017

"This medicine kept my Crohn's Disease in remission for almost 15 years."

10 / 10
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7 Report
  • Monico
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • September 14, 2018

"High liver count! On so much medication, now I have extremely high blood pressure"

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3 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.

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