New to the drug 6-MP
- Thread starter Jolynn B.
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It works great for us. No side effects. I pray it works for a long time.
It is scary at first but untreated crohn's is way scarier.
Hope all goes well. (((((Hugs))))))
It is scary at first but untreated crohn's is way scarier.
Hope all goes well. (((((Hugs))))))
I am doing very well on 6mp and it is much better than being on prednisone. It is important to get blood work done regularly to monitor your liver function level and your white blood count level. If your blood work levels are abnormal, your doctor will reduce your dosage. It generally takes about three to six months before the 6mp will build up in your system and you will feel the difference.(Some people here have felt better sooner.) During the beginning months when I took this medication, I needed to be on Entocort and I slowly weaned off of the Entocort. There are people in this group who have had side effects on 6mp but I have done very well and so have others in this groups. Good luck and I hope it works for you.
CrohnsChicago
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Im in the same boat as you. Ive been fighting for the last few months starting this but the reality is that I Just can't fight it anymore. I am currently in my 3rd flare in less than a year and what I have already been on in the past just isn't keeping things under control for long enough at all.
I just started taking 6-MP 7 days ago. So far I don't notice any side effects. But I get my first blood test done next week and that will show if the medication is really affecting me or not. I am on prednisone as well until the 6-MP starts to kick in.
It sucks, but again, if what you are on isn't working you have to ask yourself what is more desirable for you...finding a medication that will get things under control for a long time (possible remission) or spend your days worried about when your next flare will come and how painful/severe it will be. Hopefully this will be the medication that will get things under control for both me and you.
Definitely not a fan right now of the potential lifestyle adjustments I need to make, but then again flexibility is a new requirement for my life as a crohnie.
And from what I have read it seems like any potential side effects from 6-MP including liver/kidney issues can be reversible once you stop treatment.
Just wanted to let you know you are not alone.
I just started taking 6-MP 7 days ago. So far I don't notice any side effects. But I get my first blood test done next week and that will show if the medication is really affecting me or not. I am on prednisone as well until the 6-MP starts to kick in.
It sucks, but again, if what you are on isn't working you have to ask yourself what is more desirable for you...finding a medication that will get things under control for a long time (possible remission) or spend your days worried about when your next flare will come and how painful/severe it will be. Hopefully this will be the medication that will get things under control for both me and you.
Definitely not a fan right now of the potential lifestyle adjustments I need to make, but then again flexibility is a new requirement for my life as a crohnie.
And from what I have read it seems like any potential side effects from 6-MP including liver/kidney issues can be reversible once you stop treatment.
Just wanted to let you know you are not alone.
Jim (POPS)
Jim (Pops)
I just started 6MP (Imuran) about 7 weeks ago and so far so good. I sure hope that this does the trick. I does stress me out taking this med but the longer I take it the less stress I have. Good luck to you.
CrohnsChicago
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Have you discussed this with your GI?
I understand your concern it is all very overwhelming and stressful to deal with for all of us and choosing to use stronger meds can be very scary. I know it was for me and for MANY others on here. You are definitely not alone. It is good you are considering your options however I ask that you take the following into consideration:
Diet unfortunately does not cure IBD. It only helps to calm symptoms. While you may feel better, on the inside the disease can still be visibly present and damage quietly being done.
If your doctor has suggested 6-MP then I would imagine your disease is active and at a level of inflammation and damage that requires the use of a stronger med to manage your IBD activity over the long term. And prednisone is only meant to be a temporary solution to get things under control which means that once you get off of it the likelihood of a flare coming back does exist and may be high depending on the amount of damage seen in your digestive tract.
It is the hope of many of us to be able to control this disease med free but unfortunately this is a very challenging desire and the risks of going med free far outweigh the benefits of a hollistic lifestyle for many of us.
Now using the prescription meds, diet and lifestyle changes COMBINED can eventually be helpful in not only maintaining remission but also reducing the amount of meds you need in general to control things.
Just something to think about.....please discuss with your GI if you have not already. Make sure you understand exactly what is going on in your insides and what they look like to help you make the best decision possible for you.
Wishing you the best....
I understand your concern it is all very overwhelming and stressful to deal with for all of us and choosing to use stronger meds can be very scary. I know it was for me and for MANY others on here. You are definitely not alone. It is good you are considering your options however I ask that you take the following into consideration:
Diet unfortunately does not cure IBD. It only helps to calm symptoms. While you may feel better, on the inside the disease can still be visibly present and damage quietly being done.
If your doctor has suggested 6-MP then I would imagine your disease is active and at a level of inflammation and damage that requires the use of a stronger med to manage your IBD activity over the long term. And prednisone is only meant to be a temporary solution to get things under control which means that once you get off of it the likelihood of a flare coming back does exist and may be high depending on the amount of damage seen in your digestive tract.
It is the hope of many of us to be able to control this disease med free but unfortunately this is a very challenging desire and the risks of going med free far outweigh the benefits of a hollistic lifestyle for many of us.
Now using the prescription meds, diet and lifestyle changes COMBINED can eventually be helpful in not only maintaining remission but also reducing the amount of meds you need in general to control things.
Just something to think about.....please discuss with your GI if you have not already. Make sure you understand exactly what is going on in your insides and what they look like to help you make the best decision possible for you.
Wishing you the best....
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I'm staying on the asacol, would like to try an go in remission and stay there( for awhile atleast). My UC will always be there, I know there's no cure. Just want to try everything else before committing to the 6-MP. Thanks for everyone's concern and good wishes.
rygon
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Im assuming that you are still suffering quite a bit if you are needing to go onto 6-mp (ie you are not in remission). The problem here is that your UC can (and most probably will) get worse, and then it might become so bad that 6-mp will not be strong enough to help. I dont believe in this "drugs will work for only a certain amount of time" way of thinking. I would rather get my body into remission now and work from that, at least that way my colon will be in as good a shape as possible
I decided to go onto azathioprine at the same time as looking at my diet. This allowed the drug to help until I found a diet that suited me. Unfortunately it didnt work out like that as im still on aza, and now on remicade, but I would have got a lot worse a lot quicker if it wasnt for the aza.
I decided to go onto azathioprine at the same time as looking at my diet. This allowed the drug to help until I found a diet that suited me. Unfortunately it didnt work out like that as im still on aza, and now on remicade, but I would have got a lot worse a lot quicker if it wasnt for the aza.
