Med question

[Lam123]

Are Imuran and methotrexate the same class of drugs? What's the difference?

 

[hawkeye]

I believe they are both immunosuppressants, there may be a wiki in the treatment forum

 

[Lam123]

Ok, I will look. Just wondering if anyone has tried both and what was their experience?

 

[theOcean]

Imuran/6mp are essentially the same, and methotrexate (while also being an immunosuppressant) was originally meant to be a cancer drug. It also needs to be taken in conjunction with folic acid except the days you take it.

They're a bit different, and personally I'm more wary of methotrexate than Imuran/6mp.

 

[Lam123]

How come? Imuran safer?

 

[theOcean]

Just because of the different properties -- I wouldn't say one is necessarily safer than the other. I'm also more familiar with Imuran and 6mp and have taken them both without problems, plus they're good for fistulas where Methotrexate isn't.

 

[hawkeye]

Don't know what to tell you, I had pretty good luck with Imuran for over 20 years, but ended up with a stricture in the large intestine that needed surgery in February. I am currently off meds until I go for a scope in November and what happens then depends on the results of the scope.

 

[Lam123]

Surgery in small bowel? How was surgery? What's the rec

 

[LindaS]

I have just started weekly humira and have been taking Imuran for years. My dr mentioned maybe trying humira with methotrexate, if Imuran and weekly humira doesn't work. Any thoughts?

I did that for a while. I had such bad side effects from the methotrexate that I had to stop it, even though it worked great for the Crohn's. Humira did absolutely nothing for me.

I've been taking 6mp for quite some time now, and it used to work great, but I developed liver issues due to it. No matter which drug you're on, you need to comply with all blood tests, because I got lazy about it and didn't do it and ended up with issues.

 

[hawkeye]

Surgery in small bowel? How was surgery? What's the rec

Nope, large intestine - the stricture was in the descending colon so they took about 20 cm of the large intestine (top bit of sigmoid, all of descending and 1/4 to 1/3 of transverse). Surgery wasn't bad at all, pain management was better than I expected, and less pain then dealing with the stricture. Had to go back in the second day after getting out of the hospital for a small bowel obstruction - that was the worst pain of all.

Over four months out from surgery now and I feel great. Glad I did it

 

[Lam123]

You had a obstruction right after surgery?

 

[hawkeye]

You had a obstruction right after surgery?

Yep, it is one of the "risks" with any type of abdominal surgery, the surgeon's explanation was "things get sticky" when they open you up and have their hands in there. Kind of like this guy's explanation -
http://ohiosurgery.blogspot.ca/2008/07/bowel-obstruction.html

 

[Lam123]

Wow! Never heard of that. Thx for info