azathioprine

[chrissie_lou]

hello all me again ....iv been on azathioprine 50mg for 3 wks now for the last 3 days iv been having a servere stomach pain and feel bloated ....i told my nurse at the bd clinic an she said its side affects ..an theyv told me to up my medication to 100mg ...im not sure what to do now xxcan any one help or point me in right direction x

[CrystalAngel1]

Hi chrissie-Lou. Sorry to hear you are getting side effects from the Azathioprine. These are quite common and they do often go away. I started my Aza in January and got really bad stomach pain and was quite sick sometimes too but after a few weeks it went away. On a positive note, they told me it would take about 3 months to start working and I have just started to feel better so, it is worth sticking with it if you can. I know this can be really hard, especially when you are already feeling so poorly because of the Behcet's. A couple of useful tips I got from other people on this forum was to take the Aza in the evening rather than the morning and with a snack like bread and butter rather than a big meal. If the side effects are really troublesome, you could get your GP to prescribe medication for them (I must admit I did take an anti sickness medicine for a few weeks until the side effect wore off) but try the other things first. Peppermint tea / ginger can help with stomach cramps. I know it probably seems a daunting thing to increase the dose when you are already getting side effects but I didn't notice the side effects got worse when I went up on my dose and it is usual to go up on the dose gradually so as you have discussed the side effects with the clinic and they have still advised that you need to go up on your dose - you should follow their advice. Hope this helps? How are you doing otherwise? X

[chrissie_lou]

Hi thanku for reply ..im feeling quite low and have my ups n downs .have afew mouth n genital ulcers ...I think im just worrying about all the side affect ...xx

[suzannenmike]

Hi Chrissie-Lou.

You poor thing. Ginger tea is very good for the bloating and sometimes helps with the nausea too.

Sorry to hear you are feeling so low. Ulcers are a bl...y nuisance. You could ask your GP for a topical local anaesthetic spray or gel. I think they are the worst thing about BD.

I hope you feel better soon.

Hugs, Suzanne

[chrissie_lou]

Thanku I think im gunna try the ginger tea .xx