Also in my signature, but here's a bit on my experiences…
Prednisone: I had a very, very bad time with Pred. It did its job, but I had severe insomnia. I slept maybe two hours every two or three nights. They wouldn't give me anything to help me sleep because I was underage, so I just had to deal with it. Eventually, I started hallucinating from the lack of sleep and they tried to taper me off more quickly. It didn't work, as I couldn't even stand up after we cut down the dose, so I had to go back up and continue with a taper that was in between the original and the modified one. I also ate like crazy. Every morning, I had six eggs, four pieces of toast, and a half a pack of bacon. This is incredible, considering I ranged from 90 to 103 lbs while on Pred. I was physically exhausted all the time, but my mind was going crazy - I'd talk so fast I got out of breath and would have to lay down. However, an experience like this is
not typical.
6-MP: I only took this for about a month, so I'm really no good with advice or information on it. I didn't feel any side effects, but then again, I was also on Prednisone at the time, so anything it could have done would probably have gone unnoticed. I'm thinking of asking to get back on this one.
Methotrexate: I had good luck with this. I switched from 6-MP to methotrexate because I couldn't swallow pills, so the injection worked better for me. I took it for maybe a year to two years… I can't remember well because the Prednisone has messed up my memory of that time period. It worked well for me - I definitely felt better while taking it.
Pentasa: Like 6-MP, I had trouble with this one. Pentasa comes in massive capsules, which I just couldn't get down with any level of success. I was prescribed 8 of them a day… I'd get maybe two down. The next day, I might get all eight, but the day after I wouldn't get any of them. If I can't take it regularly, there's really not much point, so I notified my GI's office and I'm waiting for my next appointment so I can see about getting something else.
Just keep in mind, that everyone reacts very differently to the different medications. Please don't make decisions based solely off of others' experiences, because yours will very likely be different. With that said, you might want to check out the
Treatment section of the forum. There are subsections for the commonly used medications, and most of them have stickies giving you an overview of that medication.