From Azathioprine to 6mp....any info would be great :)

[YJ120]

Hi all,

As you'll see on my signature I'm going form med to med to med lol!

My IBD nurse called me today and told me to stop my azathioprine due to me informing them of lots of side effects and they are now starting me on 6mp, dose etc is unknown until I collect prescription from hospital tomorrow.

If anyone has any info/experience etc on 6mp I'd be grateful to hear it.

Thanks, Yvette. xx

 

[David]

Hi Yvette,

Azathioprine is actually converted to 6-MP in the body. Point being, they're quite similar but some who don't do well with Azathioprine do ok with 6-MP.

In case you're not familiar with it, we have an azathioprine/6-MP forum where you can read up on them further. Or if you have any specific questions we can help there as well

 

[David]

Hi Yvette,

I've been reading up on Azathioprine and 6-MP a lot lately. Since you requested more support, I thought I'd comment some more. I can't come from personal experience which I know you want, so my apologies if this data isn't helpful to you. But at least I'll be bumping the thread so others might see it. Points of potential interest:

1. About 60% of those who are unable to tolerate Azathioprine due to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or headaches may do better with 6-MP. But those who experience hepatoxicity or pancreatitis on Azathioprine will likely not. 48% who experience arthritis or muscle pain may do better on 6-MP.

2. Ask to have your 6-TGN and 6-MMP levels monitored. This will allow the doctor to tell if you're getting in the therapeutic range or the toxic range and adjust your dosage accordingly without blind guessing.

3. Split dosing -- taking half in the morning and half in the evening can reduce 6-MMP levels and increase 6-TGN levels leading to less side effects and improved efficacy.

4. If you're still on mesalamine, it DOES interact with both Azathioprine and 6-MP. It raises levels of 6-TGN. This can be good as it is the therapeutic metabolite, but too much of it is bad. So again it comes down to monitoring those metabolites.

Much of this data can be sourced from here.

If any of this doesn't make sense or you want me to elaborate, I'd be happy to

 

[YJ120]

Hi David,

Thank you very much for the info. I really appreciate it.

I am having bloods checked weekly for 5 weeks, so we'll see how it goes. I'm still on the mesalazine too, so I hope that helps.

I have had a look at the suggested forum the past couple of days and it's really helped. I honestly would be pulling my hair out if it wasn't for this site! I was also reading your posts about vitamin D (following byoru comments on my questions re. night shifts) and am going to get some supplements.

Thanks very much for your help, fingers crossed this med works it's frustrating going from med to med to med, lol.

Yvette.

 

[shazz]

Hi Yvette
I went from med to med to med to surgery but I have got UC.
Well that's what they told'me anyway. They now think it could be Crohns.
I was on 6-mp after aza for a while but for me they both gave me bad migraines and stomach cramps.
I think it could have been for me that my UC/Crohns/Whatever was so aggressive that it didn't respond to anything. Also I think my body was overwhelmed with the amount of meds they were pumping into me with no break in between.
I really hope you get some peace with the 6-mp. I know many on here have.
Wish you aall the luck in the world hun.
Shazz Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[JohnnyRottenAppleseed]

They both worked to help put me in remission but gave me so many infections as a result of weakened immune system that i stopped them both. I think they just mask the symptoms and cause a whole slew of other problems we won't find out about for 40 years. You have to weight the pros and cons of taking the meds.

 

[David]

I think they just mask the symptoms and cause a whole slew of other problems we won't find out about for 40 years. You have to weight the pros and cons of taking the meds.

Azathioprine and 6-MP are shown to be very good at inducing mucosal healing of the intestinal tract. Yes, they aren't curing the disease, but it's more than just masking symptoms as well. There may be side effects down the line but the effects in the short to medium term of poorly controlled Crohn's Disease make these medications a good choice for many. As you say, weigh the pros versus cons.