Mercaptopurine vs Asacol

[phillips90m]

I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's and my doctor wanted to start me on mercaptopurine immediately. I am nervous about this because it is a chemotherapy drug and can cause nausea and hair loss. I asked my doctor if I could start on something simpler, like Asacol. She reluctantly agreed, but I wan t know if this is a good move.

Has anyone tried Asacol? Did it work?

What about 6MP (mercaptopurine)? does it work well? do you have any side effects?

I am the first person in my family to go through this and I need some help. Please share your experiences. Thank you!

 

[InkyStinky]

Hi there! So sorry you have Crohn's - but glad you found this forum!

I only have a minute, but I wanted to point you to a few resources that have been really helpful to me:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=56
http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Crohns-Disease
http://www.ccfa.org/
http://www.ccfa.org/resources/webcasts.html

There are so many different forms of IBD, so meds that work for one person might not for another. 6MP has been my "wonder drug" for years. Keeps my inflammation at bay, and hasn't caused me hair loss or nausea. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's been great for me.

When we read about med/treatment side effects, it's scary. But untreated or undertreated inflammation does a lot of damage. So the goal is to get your inflammation under control as quickly as possible.

Do you know how severe your diseases is? Mild, moderate, severe?

Do you know where your disease is located?

 

[phillips90m]

my disease is within both large and small intestine... where I am not sure. My doctor also did not tell me the severity of the condition.... So I am not sure. I know my blood levels were EXTREMELY high though.

Thanks for you help!