Azathioprine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

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

Azathioprine for Crohn's Disease "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 pancreatitis. I had to spend 3 days on an IV drip in the hospital and an all-liquid diet for a week after."

• Bra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 28, 2023

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I've been taking Azathioprine for at least two years, and it has made a world of difference. I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and severe joint pain. This medicine started working within two weeks and if I miss more than 3 days, the pain comes back full force. I've had absolutely no side effects. Highly recommend."

• Anonymous
• November 23, 2009

Azathioprine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "My doctor has put me on Imuran for about three weeks now, and I am starting to feel some side effects, such as weakness, body aches, and breakouts all over my body. So far, not so good with the treatment. I will be calling my doctor for sure."

• Kan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2018

For Crohn's Disease "Azathioprine was given to me for my Crohn's 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 doctor 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, here's 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."

• Ed2...
• December 20, 2015

For Ulcerative Colitis "My colitis had been in remission for about 10 years without any drugs. 2 years ago it flared, and we could not control it with Colazal as we had done last time. I was using prednisone with other meds that did not work. I was bleeding constantly and losing weight. Finally, he prescribed azathioprine. It took several months to build up in my system, but I am in full remission. I also take Azacol HD with it. My daily pill intake is 9. All my blood tests have been normal, and we are now slowly reducing usage. As far as side effects go, it's difficult to identify them versus aging (57). I do have strange joint pain at times, but I had multiple sports injuries when I was younger. Cancer runs in my family, so I want to get off this asap. I would use it again."

• BKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I started taking this medicine to help with my breathing issues caused by RA. The first thing I noticed was a mild headache, joint pain had increased, and both hands and feet were swollen, but I was told to give it a couple of weeks to adjust to the medicine. During weeks 2 and 3, my breathing got worse, and I had a hard time lying on my back without chest pain. I had a stronger headache than in the beginning, and it got increasingly worse over the weeks, along with nausea and stomach cramps. This medicine did nothing for me and made me feel worse, so I had to stop. Good luck."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2023

For Myasthenia Gravis "Still unsure if it's helping. Inverse titration relationship between azathioprine and high dose prednisone. Now at 20 mg prednisone, 159 mg azathioprine a day. Struggling to breathe, gained weight due to prednisone."

• TPa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 2, 2019

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "Have been using AZA (azathioprine) for almost 10 years. Going great. No flares, healed me up. Last 2 colonoscopies over 4 years results were if I wasn't diagnosed with Crohn's years ago, they wouldn't believe it. At first, I was taking 200 mg once a day (1 mg per lb), felt like rubbish, no energy,...weak. Doctor told me to stick with it, suggested splitting in half 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg in the evening. Worked great after about a month or so."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2022

Azathioprine for Lupus "I took it for a month. The first week it made me nauseous, which I just took promethazine to help with, but it didn't take the feeling completely away. I wasn't really eating, and the diarrhea started at 2 weeks. By the 4th week, I felt horrible! Headache, weakness, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea from Sunday to Friday. It was then I knew, although effective for some, and I'd really hoped it would help after seeing so many great reviews, but I requested something else."

• Jun...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 10, 2022

Azathioprine for Ulcerative Colitis "I have been taking this drug for 11 years. I was 82 lbs and almost dead from collagenous colitis. I was going to the bathroom 17 times a day. This gave me my life back! I didn’t have any side effects at all. Now, I have lupus. This doesn’t seem to be helping with that. I’m worried what will happen if I have to switch immune suppressants."

• daw...
• August 18, 2015

For Lupus "I've been on Imuran for a year now, and before this, nothing worked for my SLE and rheumatoid arthritis. I also take another drug. But before Imuran, I couldn't get shoes on because my legs and ankles were so swollen and my feet. I couldn't dress myself. It was so depressing. I haven't been able to go back to work due to seizure disorder, but this medication has given me back a big part of my life, it feels wonderful to be able to be semi self-dependent."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 27, 2020

For Myasthenia Gravis "I've been taking this for eight months and just got out of the hospital, where I was diagnosed with pancreatitis, probably caused by this drug. I have had stomach issues and diarrhea the entire time I have been on this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2012

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Doctor put me on azathioprine because I got sick from taking methotrexate for my rheumatoid arthritis. Good news is it didn't make me sick, and I had no noticeable side effects. Bad news is it didn't make pain or stiffness any better than taking nothing at all. Now going to try injectable methotrexate to see if that will work without the nausea or stomach side effects?"

• Wab...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 3, 2023

For Myasthenia Gravis "When I could no longer take prednisone with mestinon, I was switched to azathioprine by a doctor specializing in MG and MS in Detroit, Michigan. I was warned from the beginning that it could cause lymphoma. It was difficult to take as it gave me an ill feeling in my stomach. Once I got past that feeling, it did a great job, until 17 years later when I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I'm lucky to be alive today. I have experienced many after effects. I believe there are better medicines available today."

• Jod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2021

Azathioprine for Crohn's Disease "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 it's rare, it'll probably happen to me, lol, and 2 weeks to the day, it did!"

• B...
• March 31, 2017

For Ulcerative Colitis "Azathioprine was prescribed for my daughter as maintenance treatment for her UC. I can't tell anything about if it was working for her symptoms because her flare symptoms were controlled by other temporary meds such as Uceris and Cortifoam before she started taking it. After 2 weeks, she started having very rapid hair loss, developed pancytopenia, and stopped taking it. This is the long story. I don't want to scare anyone, it's great that this drug helps some people."

• BBa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2021

For Lupus "I've been taking azathioprine for over two months now (May 2021) for my lupus. First on a low dose, then it was raised after a few weeks of taking it. There has been no improvement for me, but there have been problems that were caused by azathioprine. There has been blood in my urine, stomach irritation, occasional nausea, fatigue (even though I'm often fatigued because of lupus & other medications), as well as hair loss. When I was first diagnosed with lupus in April 2020, my symptoms were getting worse & hair loss happened majorly. By mid-October 2020, I was hospitalized for over a month. I started to improve but still not my full self. Still aches & pains, but my hair was starting to grow back. However, taking azathioprine has caused me to lose my hair again but in noticeable areas. Azathioprine isn't working for me & causing me problems."

• Dav...
• October 2, 2016

For Ulcerative Colitis "I was given azathioprine for about 3 weeks for my ulcerative colitis. The first two weeks were great, but at the start of the 3rd week, I had excruciating pains in my stomach that they initially thought could be Crohn's disease. Caused severe pancreatitis that meant I was hospitalized for two weeks. Needless to say, never again."

• bor...
• August 3, 2011

For Ulcerative Colitis "This medicine seemed to work at first, the negatives ultimately were worse than the positives. It did put me down to about 4 bowel motions a day, but it was at the cost of horrendous acne, terrible headaches, joint pain, and fatigue. Doctor still has me on it for another autoimmune disease, but keeps me at a minimum."

• Don...
• February 25, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Took methotrexate for 7 weeks and had to stop because of extreme fatigue and stomach issues. Doctor started me on azathioprine, and I took my first 50 mg dose about an hour before I went to bed. I refused to take it again! My sinus passages started burning after about an hour of taking it, and I developed a headache that lasted for about 18 hours. I was extremely nauseous when I woke up and felt really lightheaded. Then there were the brutal stomach issues. I'll spare you the details :) Never again!"

• Col...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 31, 2017

For Ulcerative Colitis "Have had UC since 1991 and been on Prednisolone and Asacol, which became ineffective. Severe attack in October 2016 - spent 10 days in the hospital. IV steroids and then sent home on reducing steroids - symptoms began to return. Azathioprine prescribed. Certainly helped reduce and eventually stop UC bleeding. Trips to the toilet reduced to around 3 or 4 occasions. Initially caused liver function problems, which improved. However, the drug has shattered my immune system - have taken any cold, cough, or flu that crops up. Makes me fatigued after around 40 minutes of exertion. Cannot now play golf, take hill walks, or do heavy garden work, etc. I guess it is good for some patients and not so good for others. Seeing the consultant soon and will discuss options."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 8, 2023

For Crohn's Disease "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."

• Ran...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 25, 2022

"I was diagnosed with anti-Jo 1 positive polymyositis. After a complete workup at the Mayo Clinic, it was discovered I actually have the classic triad of the syndrome - a very subset of antisynthetase syndrome including ILD, RA, and myositis. I’m also on hydroxychloroquine and prednisone. But after trying both methotrexate and leflunomide over the course of a year, I began at the starting dose of 50 mg of azathioprine. I’m now on 150 mg daily, and it has been a lifesaver for me, literally. The only real side effect is diarrhea about an hour after taking it in the morning, but it’s completely tolerable considering the myriad of other issues I experienced before this miracle drug. My labs are holding steady, and I’m maintaining. I’m hoping to be able to taper off prednisone completely now that I’ve finally found a long-term medicine that helps because I’ve put on 40 lbs since this whole journey began as a result of the steroids."

• elp...
• March 31, 2016

For Ulcerative Colitis "Have been on azathioprine for about 4 years after asacol quit working. Started with 4 pills per day for the first month, then cut back to 2 pills, which have worked fine, but I now have been experiencing bruising on my hands mostly. Will cut back to 1 pill per day until my next blood work."

• bin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 22, 2018

For Behcet's Disease "After trying the first couple of medications that are indicated as treatment for this condition without results, my physician decided to try azathioprine. Again, increasing the dosage until I was experiencing relief, we topped out. At the maximum recommended dosage, I still only get some of the intended relief. I wish it worked better for me, but I don't have any side effects. Until we can figure out something that is more effective, I'm pleased with the results of azathioprine."