Does anyone know how long immunosuppressants take to leave the body...?

[Wellington175]

If anyone has any ideas about this, I’d be really grateful. I (very recently) started taking immunosuppressants (mercaptopurine) for my Crohns. Only 3 weeks ago.

I wasn’t concerned at all about the Coronavirus at all until yesterday, but now I am slightly. Much to my horror.

My hospital IBD dept had a general message to all patients saying don’t stop your meds, and the Thiopurines can take months to leave the body anyway, so stopping might not be of use. However, I know they take months to accumulate properly, so possibly 2-3 weeks of dosage isn’t quite the same....

I was in two minds whether to start them when I did - my Crohns was doing ok on low fibre diet & food drinks - and I waited while for the meds anyway. I think I can continue on for few more months, my inflammation is minimal at best.

The question is, however - does anyone know how long they do take to leave the body? And is accumulation a factor in the the time it takes to exit & normal immune function restored?

Thanks so much x

[willow24 Administrator]

Hi, as you have not reached therapeutic level I would imagine it would take a couple of weeks . It usually takes 12 weeks to get to right levels in body, and can take this long to totally get out.