Starting on azathioprine

[Tracy_H]

My daughter started on azathioprine on Tuesday as well as taking Octasa for a year. Since then she's felt really rough with nausea but no vomiting. She's also had a very low mood. Just wanted to know if this is normal xx

[Angep]

Hi, I was on the Azathropine but was allergic to it. Vomiting and extreme stomach pain but it does work for others. I think you will find low mood goes hand in hand with IBD. It's such a frightening disease which can leave you feeling very vulnerable and feeling really poorly. Your daughter is going through such a lot and needs lots of reassurance and get her to join a forum for support from others suffering in the same way. I hope she starts to feel better soon 💜

[willow24 Administrator]

Hi

I was on Aza for a while then out of the blue could not tolerate it. I was switched to mercaptopurine (6MP). it is a metabolite of Aza but better tolerated by the body. I was on the 6mp for years. It is about 5-6 times more expensive than aza hence why not prescribed as readily.

if nausea has not settled now, get in touch with consultant. Both Aza and 6mp take 8-12 weeks to get to therapeutic levels in the body, so side effects may get worse if not improved 2 weeks after starting

[Hidden]

I took taken Octasa for 1 year and then started to have a reaction to it in which I lost weight and kept being sick which led to kidney damage, after that I was given azathioprine which I started to feel sick on and not myself and was told to stop the tablets.