My doctor visit: start 6MP

[Chap]

Hello folks,

Back again after being briefly canceled as a spam account :ybatty:

Went to my gastro guy a few days ago, after a flare that put me in the ER a week ago. He explained that the CT scans showed scarring and inflammation in an approx. 9" length of small intestine leading to the ileum (or maybe it IS the ileum, I'm not sure), and enlargement of the small intestine upstream due to pressure.

As I understand it, the scarring is (by now) a permanent condition causing narrowing of the intestine, and can cause a bowel blockage by itself, whether or not there's a flare actively going on.

Of course, a flare causes inflammation, and imflammation squeezes the intestine, increasing the possibility of a blockage even more.

He wanted to start me on 6MP, so that's what I'm doing. 2x50mg per day, with blood tests in two and four weeks. I'm a little scared - until now Crohn's has not been a very central part of my life, but this 6MP looks a little frightening.

I'd be interested in knowing if I described my condition accurately, and what other people's experience with 6MP has been.

Thanks,
Chap

 

[CrohnsHobo]

I had a good experience with 6-MP. Kept me flare free for about 7-8 years. I took it for close to a decade. But unfortunately it just stopped working. I never had any side effects or problems when I was taking it. Just keep up with the regular blood work.

 

[InkyStinky]

Hi Chap! Like CrohnsHobo, 6mp has really helped me keep my Crohn's in check. I was on it for years in my teens/early twenties - my main problems at that time was severe fatigue, but I don't know if that was from the med or just the disease itself. I started it again last Sept following my most recent flare - again, I have fatigue/"brain fog" but it might just be my Crohn's and not the 6mp causing this. It's import to keep up with the blood work (CBCs and liver tests) to make sure it isn't causing trouble in your system.

Because 6mp is used for cancer patients there is a lot of info about it that sounds really frightening. But according to my GI, because the doses used to treat IBD are a lot lower than the doses for cancer patients, the risks are lower, too. Good luck - I hope this works for you!

 

[Chap]

Thanks, Hobo and Inky, for sharing your hopeful experiences. Yes, I forgot about the fact that the Crohn's treatment calls for lower dosages than does cancer treatment.

I really appreciate the support.

Chap

 

[alexandros8]

Hey Chap. I had a very similar experience to those above. Was on it for 9 years or so, and had basically no side effects. Later on, a flare bumped me up to needing biologics, then surgery last month. I am likely to go back on 6MP in a few months, but we'll see. Overall my experience was good with it.

 

[Psilant]

I'm on 6 mp right now. It does cause extreme fatigue and 'brain fog' for me. I just make sure to take it at night a few hours before bed. Only been on it for about a week, so I can't speak to it's effectiveness yet. Good Luck to you!!!

 

[Sue-2009]

I'm on it right now...4 weeks...Hoping that it puts it in remission....Right now, I'll take brain fog and fatigue over a sore a**. LOL Trying to be funny....Sue