Imuran as an Immunosuppresent

    • Bob B
      December 18, 2013 at 7:52 pm

      Hi All,
      Does anyone have any experience with the drug Imuran as a replacement for Prednisone. My Dr. is concerned with Prednisone’s side effects and would like me to switch. Quite frankly after reading up on the precautions you have to take and the side effects, Imuran scares me a whole lot more than the side effects and precautions associated with Prednisone. Any comments or thoughts would be welcome.

    • Jim-LA
      December 19, 2013 at 1:25 am

      Imuran (azathioprine) is currently being discussed here: http://www.gbs-cidp.org/topic/inmuran and there are other threads that talk about it too. You can view all the threads if you do a search from the main forums page.

      Here are two publications that address Imuran/Azathioprine, the 1st one also reviews Prednisone:
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105635
      http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682167.html

      Prednisone has been discussed here (and elsewhere if you do a search): http://www.gbs-cidp.org/topic/prednisone-2

      Here is a publication that addresses Prednisone: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601102.html

    • GH
      December 19, 2013 at 2:10 am

      I don’t know about Imuran, but it is normal to switch over from prednisone to another drug. In my case it was Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil). They were taken concurrently, because the Cellcept takes awhile to get established. The prednisone was reduced in dosage slowly, reaching zero in about a year. Cellcept also has a long list of pissible side effects, but I have never had any problem with it.

    • JohnQ
      January 3, 2014 at 5:52 pm

      I have been on Imuran/Azothriprine @ 200mg/Day since Mid May of last year. Seem to be tolerately it weLL. I did have a relapse around the first of November and have gone back on 100mg/day of predisone. I expect to start weening off of predisone later this month. My youngest son has Crohns disease, also an autoimmune disease of the intestines. He has been on Immuran/Azo at 250 mg/day for the last 13 years. It has held his Crohn’s in check

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