• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Azathioprine when does immunity starts reducing?

I've been on azathioprine for Crohns disease for nearly 2 weeks at 100mg (going up to 150mg tomorrow) and two days ago I started coming down with a cold, it is developing and today I feel pretty rotten. Until now I have been cold/infection free for about a year and a half and I am wondering if the cold is related to my immune system reducing from the drug. What I would like to know is how long it takes for azathioprine to start lowering the immune system and could after 2 weeks my immune system be lowered enough to start being more susceptible? Hope someone can help.
 
I would go to your GP. I started With it in September 2012 then I was put on Humira and in February 2013 I developed pnuemonia so I was told to stop.

:eek:
 
I remember having a cold just as I started with aza. My immune system was already low because I was in a flare and was quite ill anyway.

Saying that, I have been on aza for 14 months now and not had a cold! Strange.
 
Wow, 14 months! That's amazing. Kinda weird when they tell you this drug is meant to make you more susceptible to bugs, I would so love for that side effect to not affect me too much either, might be asking for a miracle though me being a dad to 3 young children of which the youngest seems to have a runny nose every other week! My wife thinks it's a coincidence that I've come down with this cold after starting aza but I'm a bit of a worrier so I just assume the worst, maybe I just need to ride it out and see what happens. Thanks for your comment.
 
It is a possibility! You may have got it anyway with this rubbish weather!

I tend to have more of an upset stomach but I just have to be careful of too many germs. I must admit I do give someone the evils if they start coughing and sputtering near me! ;)
 
Hey Benny,
I have been on aza for a few months now and have my first cold. It doesn't feel any worse than normal, I guess it may take longer to get rid of!
Have little kids so am exposed to illness a lot and haven't really noticed a difference. I am on 100 mg a day.
Keep up on the multi vits I reckon!
 
Hi Benny, I am on 150mg of Aza for 5 months. For a few days it made me squeamish but that passed. I'm guessing you are doing fortnightly bloods? This should show any problems. The reaction will be different for various people which is why those bloods are so important. Colds and sore throats take me longer to get over thats for sure.
 
I've also just started with this med and have come down with a sore throat and just generally feel lethargic and rubbish. Did anyone else notice a reduced appetite? I'm now not sure if it's the Aza or the cold but I feel tired a lot and don't want to eat so much whereas I normally love food.
 
I've also just started with this med and have come down with a sore throat and just generally feel lethargic and rubbish. Did anyone else notice a reduced appetite? I'm now not sure if it's the Aza or the cold but I feel tired a lot and don't want to eat so much whereas I normally love food.
I didn't notice any reduction in appetite but I did feel tired and a bit nauseas and generally yucky. At first I wasn't sure if it was the cold or the drug making me feel like that but once the cold had passed I could tell I still didn't feel right so knew it was the drug. Thankfully though that seems to have passed. The cold didn't last long either.
 
I didn't notice any reduction in appetite but I did feel tired and a bit nauseas and generally yucky. At first I wasn't sure if it was the cold or the drug making me feel like that but once the cold had passed I could tell I still didn't feel right so knew it was the drug. Thankfully though that seems to have passed. The cold didn't last long either.
I had this exact same thing and it did pass within days, hopefully it passes for SarahLou too.
 
Thanks Benny and Jim, hopefully the cold will pass quickly and I'll start to feel better. I have to go for a blood test today and then if the results come back ok, my GI will increase the dosage of the Aza. I'm not a fan of taking loads of medicine, especially on a long-term basis so the side-effects really worry me.
 
Hi SarahLou, I know what you mean about taking meds long term. However us Crohnies really do need to take doctors orders! The benefits for us far outweigh the downsides and for me, after having had re-sections I really want to hang on to as much intestine as possible! Hopefully your body tolerates the Aza and you can live normally. You mentioned on uour profile screen about feeling lethargy when you do running - this is entirely consistent with myself and probably loads of other crohn's sufferers. The temptation would be to stop taking meds when you feel ok but immuno-suppressants need to bd taken over the long term to feel the gains. I hope this blood test comes up good for you.
 
Thanks Jim,

I've probably been my own worst enemy over the past few years. I was diagnosed in the UK several years ago and initially took Pentasa with great success. When I moved to the US 3 1/2 years ago I stopped taking Meds and have gotten worse as a result. I'm going to be a good girl from now on though, haha, and hope to feel better :)
 
I've also just started with this med and have come down with a sore throat and just generally feel lethargic and rubbish. Did anyone else notice a reduced appetite? I'm now not sure if it's the Aza or the cold but I feel tired a lot and don't want to eat so much whereas I normally love food.
I'm on my 4th day (First 3 i was told to take half dose though) and i had a pretty sore throat yesterday and what seemed like the beginning of a cold sore - both went away over night though fortunately.

i feel pretty damn tired today but to be fair i've just started a new job and the training is pretty mentally draining so its hard to say if im more tired than i 'should' be.
 
What dosage are you taking? I started on 50mg and just yesterday started to feel ok so like an idiot over-indulged on crisps and chocolate (the good British stuff kindly sent over by a friend) and today, I've had a really rough day. My blood test came back fine yesterday so I increased my dosage to 100mg today but I've spent the day in bed. I was in pain because if my stupid food choices, felt nauseous this morning with the increased meds and have just felt lousy with the cold. All-in-all, not a great day :( and feeling pretty stupid :(
 
Thanks Jim,

I've probably been my own worst enemy over the past few years. I was diagnosed in the UK several years ago and initially took Pentasa with great success. When I moved to the US 3 1/2 years ago I stopped taking Meds and have gotten worse as a result. I'm going to be a good girl from now on though, haha, and hope to feel better :)
Hey SarahLou, how come you stopped taking your meds when you went to the US? Was it the costs? I feel very fortunate being in Scotland - all my health needs are free including prescriptions. I feel bad for the North Americans who have to pay for every pill, scope and x-ray, not too mention surgery. How does UK-US compare for you? Did you move to the US as a kid or grown up? Congratulations on having clear bloods. I just find it amazing we all seem to share these same symptoms in the first few days. It is great to have this forum to compare notes, it really is.
 
Hi Jim,
Honestly in hindsight it was a stupid decision to stop taking the Meds. I initially stopped while waiting for my medical records to come through and then because I seemed to be just fine, I never went back on them. The medical system here is great in that you get a fantastic level of service but you're right, you pay a lot for it. I'm lucky in that I have good insurance but still my recent colonoscopy cost me $75 and every time I see someone I pay a co-pay. The medical costs scare me because it's not something I grew up (grew up in England, moved here 3 1/2 years ago). I don't know how people with our illnesses cope without medical insurance :(
 
What dosage are you taking? I started on 50mg and just yesterday started to feel ok so like an idiot over-indulged on crisps and chocolate (the good British stuff kindly sent over by a friend) and today, I've had a really rough day. My blood test came back fine yesterday so I increased my dosage to 100mg today but I've spent the day in bed. I was in pain because if my stupid food choices, felt nauseous this morning with the increased meds and have just felt lousy with the cold. All-in-all, not a great day :( and feeling pretty stupid :(
my full dose is 100mg, took half of that for the first 3 days.

I've been taking them with lunch because apparently eating a good amount of food with them reduces the chance of getting nausea.

Sorry to hear you;re having a rough day, i'm also not doing too well. Had a mcdonalds cheesburger yesterday as a 'fuck you crohns, and fuck you too gluten free' and immediately felt worse. Sometimes you have to do that though, to keep you sane.
 
So I started taking my 6-mp on Thursday when I flared being weaned from Entocort. I am sure it was just bad luck but woke up today with what seems like an early cold symptoms (this is day 5!) surely the 6-mp did not mess with my immune system that early. I do have young kids and my sone had a runny nose (I usually do not get it). That mixed with this crazy cold then warm weather is probably not helping! I go in for my first blood test this coming Thursday. Just makes me wonder because I have not had a cold in over a year!
 
Top