Azathioprine Side Effects

Posted by grrranny @grrranny, Feb 6 6:08am

Have any of you experienced any side effects from Azathioprine? Hubby is taking 50mg dose once a day, and is having stomach pain, loss of appetite (lost 17 lbs. down to 177), weakness, tiredness, and more trouble breathing than usual (has Pulmonary Fibrosis).
How can we tell if it's the azathioprine, the Prolia he took 3 months ago, or ongoing effects of the 20 years of Methotrexate for his RA that he was on before the Azathioprine which he's been taking since last year?
Have any of you cut back on amount of dose, or successfully spaced it out?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.

@cblue

There are similar medications that work, think it is generally well tolerated and used to treat many "inflammatory" symptoms / diseases. Again, talk to your rheum about this - there should be another medication that has the same purpose, but that you can tolerate.
I am up to two pills a day to my knowledge no side effects.

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The rheumatologists have exhausted all medications for Fibromyalgia, the only relief I get is from Ibuprofen but it does not always work. The inflammation in my body is terrible, Prednisone did not work either. My doctor already told me if we can't get the inflammation under control I won't make it past 5 yrs. I had Lupus in 1999 and I am in remission now, I've had breast cancer 2 times. Now when I get any tests done it seems I have allergic reactions and get sick. I had a liver biopsy last yr and was ill for 2months.

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@becsbuddy

@mydiamondsx8 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I’m glad you found this site. I’m sure the members will chime in with help and support for you. Your experience with Azathioprine sounds terrible. Was this the first medication that the doctors had you try? Have they given you other suggestions of medications to try?
Can you sit and come up with possible questions that you would be able to ask the doctors that would make them evaluate all of your diseases and medications and maybe find a better solution for you?

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Thank you for the warm welcome. I am glad I found this site too, as I am going to Mayo Az in July for surgery, I need all the help I can get.I had tried Prednisone but all it did was make me gain more weight than I needed. I am on hold at the moment so the Hepatologist, the doctor will try to get me on some of the newer medications if the insurance will cover it.

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