Reply To: Second Nerve Conduction Study, What to do?

JGL,

GH is right, immunosuppressants and steroids are not mutually exclusive. As he pointed out, a usual treatment course would use steroids while waiting the for immunosuppressant to take effect (3 to 6 months for mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) or 6 months to 1 year for azathioprine (Imuran), with the steroid taper starting sometime during the window.

As for side effects, I took both CellCept and Imuran and did not suffer noticeable side effects from either. CellCept did not seem to work for me, but it does work for many. Imuran worked for me. It might have made me somewhat anemic, but not the point where it seemed to have an effect on my daily living. If your doctor wants you to take Imuran, it would be a good idea to be very closely monitored for the first month or to have a TPMT (Thiopurine methyltransferase) test done to make sure that you can metabolize Imuran properly.

Best regards,
MarkEns