Goin off 6mp

[jammer]

I have had crohns for 35 yrs. been on 6mp for @ least 15 yrs or more. have had good results till recently. the 6mp has now given me squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer & i have warts all over my feet, legs hands-everywhere. i am having surgery soon for the skin cancer-when i am done w-these surgeries i will have had 13 in a year-not counting the hundreds i have had removed in last 10 yrs,plus the thousands i have had froze off. my gastro wants me to stop the 6mp-just stop it. my concern is - can u just stop it w-out weaning off of it especially since i have been on it so long. he wants me to switch to methetrexate (sp?) which makes no sense goin from 1 chemo drug to the next. i dont want to go on any more drugs. the last 2 yrs i have been takin sulfameth & tmp tabs once daily which have really helped. Anyway has anyone been on 6mp that long & just stopped?

 

[DJW]

Hi and welcome.
Sorry to hear you've developed complications. I don't know the answer to your question.
I would talk to the pharmacist.

Sending you my support.

 

[Clash]

6MP isn't like steroids so there is no need to taper. But before stopping any medication I would speak to your GI. If you were off all meds or just some you would still to have regular testing to determine the state of your disease.

 

[Sea_Star]

Jammer, I took myself off after being on it (inconsistently) for roughly 1.5 years maybe? Initially you might feel a rebound, but that goes away and the suppressed effect lasted 2 years after stopping where I felt my BEST...seriously, forgot I had anything wrong lol. Depending on your disease's personality, you might have the benefit-affect for several several years still, since you were on it that long.

 

[valleysangel92]

Hello there, welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear you are having these problems, as far as I am aware there isn't a risk to stopping 6mp without tapering off. If your GI is the one suggesting you come off it then they must think that the risk of carrying on taking it is worse than the risk of stopping it.

Although both 6mp are both immunosuppresants they work in slightly different ways and it is actually pretty common to switch from one to the other. For example, I was taking azathioprine briefly but didn't get on with it so I started 6mp instead which is so far working much better for me. Have a chat to your GI and explain your concerns and have them explain the reasons for using methotrexate. I know these drugs are daunting but the risks of untreated crohns are much worse than those of the medications.

You might find it useful to check out our [url = http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16]treatment section[/url] where you can find posts from other members on similar medications and ask more specific questions about your treatment options.

 

[Lady Organic]

yes its common practice to switch from one immuno-suppressor to another, as another poster mentionned, its not like costisone. I switched from 6-mp to methotrexate without any issues. and now, im doing the exact same way backwards. your doctor seems to do the right thing in your case. Im really hoping you will recover from the cancer and be able to treat that asap. Best wishes.

 

[baistuff]

I have read some 6mp pharmacologically induced cancers can naturally retract when the immuno-supressor is stopped. Best wishes.

Please cite a source for this statement.

 

[Lady Organic]

ok I have just retracted this comment now. after a quick search i coulnt find the article again where I read that. If I find it again in the near future, I'll pot my source. sorry for this inconvenience