| Key to ratings for purinethol: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
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| 5 | Crohn's | Not sure. Fatigue could be from the 6MP, but could just as easily be from my not drinking enough water every day. Other than that, nothing. | Had pretty bad Crohn's in my early-20s which Asacol and Pentasa failed to control. In January 2000 was completely obstructed and had laparoscopic ileocolic resection to fix. Was put on a mix of 6MP and Pentasa afterward, but had bad acne flareups, so stopped the Pentasa after about 3 months. Since then, 5+ years going strong and no symptoms of the Crohn's to speak of. Blood tests have all been normal, as have my colonoscopies. Been taking 50mg once daily the entire time. No known side-effects so far, and I do like to have a glass of wine or two with dinner a few nights a week. | M | 28 | 5 years | 8/31/2005 | 5 | ulceritis colitis | stop all symptoms of bleeding, i havent had a flare up in over two years. | M | 37 | 2 years | 3/19/2007 | 5 | crohns | none | diagnosed at at 13.was taking prednisone did not help.had colectomy when i was 16.went in remission for 1 year before it came back.went back on prednisone again with no affect.started taking purinethol when i was 19 within a year i was feeling better,that was 11 years ago and been healthy since.i truly think purinethol saved my life. | M | 30 | 1 years | 1/28/2006 | 5 | Crohns disease | I have had Crohns for 25 years and finally ended up having surgery. I'm now on 75 mg/day of purenithol. I have noticed some hair loss (but I'm 40 years old), and recently have been having lots of ringing in my ears. But, my Crohn's has been in near total remission. It's the best drug I've ever used for Crohns and I've tried just about all of them (not remicade). | M | 40 | 3 years | 9/19/2005 | 5 | UC | It might be causing male infertility. | I have had UC for 13 years. I was going on Prednesone every 6-12 months for flare-ups before I started taking Purinethol. I have not come close to needing it in the 3 years I've been on Purinethol. | M | 37 | 3 years | 2/22/2006 | 5 | Crohn | Dry mouth after absorbtion and during the day. | I was diagnosed at the age of 21, I got to the hospital for a week, got Prednisone for some weeks, decresed the dose to none in about 6 months with the help of Purinethol. I take 75 mg every day, when I wake up later in the morning, I feel the need to take it, I fell like I've got squirrels in my feets or some inflamation in my fingers. I try to keep in good shape by training at the pool and I manage my stress with a meditation course once a week. This drug really stops the inflamation process before it occurs, it is great. I notice major decrese of efficency when I take alchool, but a cup of wine once in a while does no harm. I am a bit worried about some male infertility rumor, but they are no actual studies on the subject. Fell free to contact me by e-mail. | M | 24 | 3 years | 12/18/2006 | 5 | UC/Crohn's | well, ive been on it nearly all my life, so i dont really remember (sorry). | first off, ive had Crohn's since i was in 4th grade, so i guess ive had it for almost 11 years (19 yrs. old now). i argued that purinethol does nothing (for me), but ever since i was raised to 150mg its actually helped. i was up to over 80mg of prednisone (talk about side effects, and when you were in Jr. High at the time? jesus.) and the 100mg of purinethol did absolutely nothing. ever since the up in dosage, ive been off prednisone for years. prednisone destroyed the joints in my knees and hips (8 surgeries on my knees since 5th grade), and purinethol didnt help any of that but it did semi-save my soccer career. currently i play collegiate soccer and while in high school, undergoing constant terrible flair-ups before the raise in 6MP, i maintained a 3.2 GPA, defensive player of the year in soccer, and got an academic and athletic scholarship for college. anyone that says purinethol doesnt work can look at my situation. | M | 19 | 10 years | 8/17/2005 | 5 | UC | Fatigue, hair loss, nausea - all of which went away after about 3 months. | Purithenol (6MP) has been a godsend for me. Nothing else worked, and the UC was getting worse and worse. Had to control it with high doses of prednisone (60 mg), which lead to moon-face, etc. - but was able to ween entirely off the prednisone, and now I take only 6MP and one cort-enema, and it's more or less like I don't have UC anymore . . . | M | 32 | 1.5 days | 12/28/2004 | 5 | UC | Joint pain? | I was diagnosed with uc in 1992. Have been on asacol since then and suffered numerous flare-ups over the years. Doctor put me on 6mp about 20 months ago and I haven't had a flare-up since. Works great for my uc. I am concerned about the more serious reported side effects, liver problems and bone marrow problems. Have my blood tests done on time and the doctor says that everything is ok. My family doctor did a physical last year and some of my liver panels were not normal. When the tests were done a few months later, my specialist said everything was ok. Thinking about asking my doctor if I can come off the 6mp. Would rather experience flare-ups than to die from liver failure. | M | 32 | 20 months | 11/29/2004 | 5 | Crohn's Disease | None | Been on this for 6 years, first at 75mg then at 100mg daily. Has worked fine and has allowed me to get off Prednisone finally. I found that the use of Budesonide was very useful in the actual termination of the Prednisone. That's the new designer version of prednisone that concentrates its effects in your bowel area. The only problem I had recently was when I cut my dose back down to 75mg and had a flareup which caused me to be hospitalized recently. I'll stay at 100mg in the future. I do have to use a lot of Pentasa (14/day) but I find that the use of Multivitamins, folic acid, and Vitamin E capsules mitigate the fatigue side-effects of it. | M | 43 | 6 years | 10/2/2004 | 5 | uc from stem to stern as described | none @ 75mg per day | absolute complete control of uc symptoms after failure of prednisone to effect any remission unless I continued to take the prednisone. I am also down to 400 mg of asacol and soon to taper off of that one pill and have no doubt I will be off of it. | M | 59 | 1 years | 5/10/2004 | 5 | Crohn's Disease | Diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 39 years old. Was on Prednisone, Pentasa and Asacol at various times. I only got relief when I was taking over 30mg of Prednisone. The doctor finally tried me on Purinethol and it took several months to kick in. Crohn's is pretty good, but I also found that my allergies disappeared. This was an unexpected surprise and almost better than its help with the Crohn's. | M | 50 | 6.5 years | 6/1/2004 | 5 | Purenithol | Have had no real side effects and have been on 75mg a day except for the fact that I am getting to be more easily aggravated the longer I am on it. I have been on it for a little more than 10 years. Am very happy with the results. The work for me. I just have to watch what I can eat and don't eat but that is the Crohn's. | M | 43 | 10 years | 5/2/2004 | 5 | Autoimmune Liver Disease and Chrons | my 10 year old son has been on purenithol for approximatly the last two years...he has done awesome on it...helping both is liver disease and his intestines. His father was diagnosed with chron's disease at the age of 14 and only was treated with prednisone and asulphazine...at the age of 28 he had all of his intestines removed... i am hoping that the purenithol will be the miracle drug to save our son from the same road. | M | 10 | 2 years | 5/7/2004 | 5 | Crohn's | I had horrible joint pian and extreme fatigue, but the Crohn's was doing fine. | I couldn't get off prednisone without having major flare ups. Was on it for 9 years. Started with purinethol, within a week was feeling great. A couple months into it, couldn't stay awake for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. Joint pain was like ome kind of debilitating arthritis. I started taking Flinstone Complete vitamins. It's like I'm 15 yrs old again. I'm so excited because it's been a while (10yrs) since I remembered how good life can be. TAKE THE VITAMINS. | M | 29 | 1 years | 3/7/2004 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Slight weakness, thirsty and weight gain (Could possibly have some effects from the prednisone I'm tapering off currently) | Well so far I've been taking this medicine since back in Nov of 2003. I had been on a max of 60mg of prednisone at one point and I really had all kinds of energy and now that i'm tapering off it my doctor says that this Purinethol is what's going to keep my UC under control. I can't even imagine having bout after bout and the fact that people will consider the UC symptoms and effects over the side effects from this medicine. I'm currently taking 75mg (6mp:purinethol) and I'm 25 years old. 6 months ago I was in the worst pain of my life going to the bathroom at a minimum of 2 times per hour nightly and 1 time/hour daily. I did get a cold and I've noticed some weight gain but I think I can attribute that to the prednisone. I'm coming off the prednisone at 1mg/week and I'm on 14mg of that right now. Please for your own benefit give 6mp a try and stay with it....I thought I was going to have a ileostomy and luckily things seem to be working for now. Feel free if you have any questions to email me and I'll definitely respond ASAP. | M | 25 | 6 months | 3/17/2004 | 5 | Crohn's Disease | No side effects..maybe some fatigue but I think that's normal for my age and activity level. | Purinethol is a miracle drug for me. I suffered for 15 years before a wonderful doctor in Arizona prescribed MP6. It took several months of ramping the dosage to start working. I have not had any symptoms for 10+ years. I had 15 years of hell before taking purinethol. I had multiple surgeries,resections,fistulas..all of the worst symptoms before taking this drug. My present activities include weightlifting,running golf..totally normal life..and yes I even have a couple of beers on the weekend. I've even lost about 40 pounds from my peak weight.All of my bloodwork to date has been as my doctor puts it | M | 47 | 10 years | 3/31/2004 | 5 | crohn's disease | My son experienced no side effects in the last two years. He has gained thirty pounds and has grown considerably,. | our concern right now are the long term effects of this medication. We want to know how long is it safe to be on 6mp. I'd like to hear from someone else who's child has been on this medication and what they are being told. | M | 13 | 2 years | 10/24/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Have had colitis since I quit smoking 12 years ago. Tried Sulfasalizine, Prednisone (up to 60 mg), enemas, you name it. Nothing worked for more than a few days. Then the doc suggested Purinethol, 100mg. It work OVERNIGHT! I realize it isn't supposed to work that fast but it did in my case. Absolutely no symptoms at all for the last two years. I forget I even have the disease! Amazing! | M | 57 | 2 years | 12/26/2003 | 5 | chrones disease | I have taken this for 12 years and have had none except easier to bruise. My last 2 scopes have shown no sign of the disease or infections. | While anyone taking medicine for long term has to worry about unknown side effects, I have observed none. I drink alcohol in very moderate amounts ( never more than one beer or mixed drink)and have seen no problems with it. | M | 54 | 12 years | 12/29/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Chronic fatigue, loss of appetite (have lost pretty much all excess body weight) Morning nausea- gagging but has made the UC a non issue in exchange. | M | 42 | 7 months | 1/28/2004 | 5 | Crohn's | some dry skin on joints (elbows), goes away with hydrocortisone cream (1%) | Just updating my previous comment since I have now been on it for over a year... has been a lifesaver. Has replaced Remicade and prednisone (which I believe is actually from hell) for me with little side effects, none of any concern. One doctor told me I'd be on Remicade forever, my new doctor replaced it months ago and I've never felt better. Get second and third opinions!! | M | 31 | 13 months | 1/30/2004 | 5 | Crohn's | None that I know of. | I have been taking this drug for 7 years now and I don't even remember what it was like to be sick. Granted it didn't start working for about a year and half. Sometimes I wonder what the long term side-effects will be, but nothing can be as bad as the way I felt all of those years ago in my prednisone induced insanity. | M | 31 | 7 years | 11/17/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | I need to drink a normal amount of water or I will notice mild dehydration. I seem to get sick a little easier. The first two winters I caught the flu maybe four times per year and each one lasted three weeks or more (two times as long as normal) I got a flu shot every year after that and basically have been healthy. As long as I wash my hands regularly it doesn't matter much. | This drug made the UC go away. I completely forget that I am supposed to have Ulcerative Colitis except around check-up time. | M | 32 | 7 years | 5/22/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | funny metallic taste and dry mouth | I'm just getting over the worst flare I've had in 12 years of UC. I was up to 80mg pred and it didn't do a thing. I started taking Purinethol 100mg and to my surprise (I thought I was going to die I felt so lousy) it has started working after just 7 weeks. I'm down from 12+ stools to 3 and no blood. The doc said it takes up to 6 mos to work, but sometimes it starts working in as little as a 6 weeks, as was the case for me... I assume it's the 6mp and not just going away naturally. I'll post again after 6 mos to say whether or not it's completely gone. | M | 34 | 7 weeks | 7/25/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Possible dry skin. | UC has really affected my life. At 5'10 | M | 18 | 4 months | 3/7/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Possible dry skin. | UC has really affected my life. At 5'10 | M | 18 | 4 months | 3/7/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Possible dry skin. Couldnt tell with all the other drugs I'm taking. | UC has really affected my life. At 5'10 | M | 18 | 4 months | 3/7/2003 | 5 | Chron's | I have been taking 6-mp and cipro for 2 years and eight months with no side effects or flares. I also have had 3 remicade infussions which also helped. | M | 19 | 3 years | 2/11/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Remission since '96, induced by Cyclosporin (off after 3 months). I believe Purinethol and Asacol are keeping me in Remission. | M | 37 | 7 days | 3/22/2003 | 5 | uc | None | This was like a miracle drug for putting my UC into remission. WAs anemic while taking this( maybe coincidence) but a few shots of procrit and daily iron pill s took car of that. | M | 55 | 4 months | 4/9/2003 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | Tendency to get colds often. Taking Vitamin C helps. | Feel great. The only drug that was affective with my disease. Have energy, lost the weight from Prednisone, and I now live my life without ever thinking about the UC. Can get sick easily though - I had a cold that lingered on throughout winter (nothing serious though) - this may be a result of being around people constantly at college. Having to take Tylenol Cold every once in a while is a side effect that is definately minor in comparison to those of other UC drugs. | M | 19 | 2.5 years | 4/30/2003 | 5 | ulcerative colitis | hair loss (but may be due to sulfasalazine) | This medication really was the ticket for me. I was first diagnosed with UC when I was 15 and went through basically all other treatment options. Pentasa, Asacol, Flagyl and the monster Prednisone(although it made me feel so good temporarily). These treatments all worked for about a month then my symptoms would come back. I missed a lot of school and a lot of my youth as I look back now. I try to keep informed and have found two really helpful websites: www.myucguide.com and www.gihealth.com Good luck to those who are in pain, I feel for you, and just know that things WILL get better with treatment and the best thing you can do is communicate with your doctor and especially with the people around you. | M | 20 | 4 years | 1/8/2003 | 5 | ulcerative colitis | None except maybe strong hunger | Flare up after 5 yrs on Sulfasalizine. Went all the way up to 60 mg of Prednizone and still no help with colitis. Added 50mg of Purinethol and voila, colitis stopped. THis is a wonder drug for me. I am now down to 30 mg of Prednizone, tapering off 5 mg per week, up to 100 mg of Purinethol. Can't wait to get rid of Prednizone. | M | 56 | 5 weeks | 11/11/2002 | 5 | Ulcerative Colitis | I have been taking 100MG of Purinethol a day for over 7 years and have remained virtually disease free. | M | 53 | 7 years | 7/7/2002 | 5 | Due to Cancer | The Blood came out of my eyes when i had taken this medicine Please tell me which other medicine should i take with this medicine write me e-mail with subject Medicine at muhammedaliraza@hotmail.com | This medicine helps me but which medicine shoud i take with it i take it after every 7 days 14 tablets | M | 16 | 1.5 years | 7/19/2002 | 5 | crohns disease | none this was great, I think my son had a upset stomach the first time he took it but thats all | M | 7 | 1 years | 1/3/2005 | 5 | UC | none | I have had UC since I was 17 (16 years ago). I was steroid-dependant (40-50mg pred per day). Also took all the 5-ASA drugs which are like putting a bandaid on gunshot wound. It took 2-3 months for the 6-MP to kick in. I started with only 50mg, but I take 100mg now. If before I was 50% (frequent BMs with blood, mucas, and little formation), now I am 95% (1 BM a day with some softness). No out-of-the-ordinary hair loss. I should know since I am an identical twin and have a | M | 33 | 4 years | 2/28/2005 | 5 | Crohn's Disease | None | I was on Prednisone for 6 years, and could never quite shake it. I dropped down to a 5mg/day dose, and couldn't get lower. It wasn't until I was prescribed 6-MP that I was able to get off Prednisone entirely. I suffered no ill effects from 6-MP, but I did have to get regular blood tests to ensure I was not experiencing an adverse reaction, such as anemia or liver problems. I have been on a mild dosage (100mg/160lbs), and have been in complete remission the entire time. I do still get regular checkups, as anyone with this disease should, but I have been healthy and active. | M | 36 | 5 years | 7/18/2007 | 4 | colitis | I am just finishing up with the predinsone after being on it all summer. I just turned 21 this summer and I havn't drank all summer because the doctor told me not to. Now I am off the predisone and about to go back to college. The doctor just put me on 6mp because the intestines were still inflamed but better than before. I talked to my friend and he said he drinks with fine with it and my research on the internet just shows you have to experiment for youself to see how your body reacts and there shouldn't be any bad reactions like there could be with mixing alchol wiht predinzone. My question is that the doctor told me to no drink more than 2 beers a week simply because I need to take blood tests for the first couple months on 6mp. If my body reacts fine to the alchol on 6mp, will say 6 drinks a week really throw off the results in the blood test or which test do you think hes referring to that it could throw off the results. I want to obey the doctors wishes but I also want to be rea | M | 21 | 2 days | 8/30/2007 | 4 | Crohnes Disease | None for the first several years but recently after getting married when my wife couldn't get pregnant I found I had a low sperm count and soon after developed atrial fibrillation in my heart. I found other accounts of these side effects with others on the internet and soon hope to be off of the drug. If these problems go away I will definitely attribute it to the drug. Please ask your Dr. about fertility if you are on this drug. The answer may shock you. | This drug probably saved my life but I beleive it caused other problems that I hope can be resolved and not affect me for the rest of my life. | M | 29 | 8 years | 9/20/2007 | 4 | Crohns0 | I seem to get colds easier than before. Of course having a 2 year old who brings home a lot of things from preschool, I can't be 100% sure purinethol is the cause. | M | 46 | 10 months | 12/10/2007 | 4 | crohn's disease | Anxiety, Panic Attacks, heart palpitations, nausea all happened as I tapered off the drug. Nausea when I started it, but was great for my crohn's. | Was on the drug for a year, started to taper off and everything kicked in. It was hard to get off the drug, but it did great for my Crohn's in combination with a holistic diet this drug is a miracle! | M | 31 | 1 years | 4/2/2008 | 4 | Crohn's of large | been so long so not sure what is Crohn's, what is purinethol and what is just me | Been taking for so long I don't know. But recently talked to sister in law who was on it just a year, and said she felt so much better energy and mood wise after getting off of it. Got me thinking. I can't remember ever not feeling tired in my adult life, unless I drink a lot of coffee. Maybe that would be the case anyway. I have had 5 episodes of bad depression in 20 years and still is low grade. As far as the crohn's, purinethol has always helped and when I tried to get off it, I immediately had terrible pain. I have only had to have one surgery so far and on 50mg now, I feel lucky but wonder why my fatigue/ mood issues exist. | M | 38 | 20 years | 12/26/2008 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | When I get bruised or cut it takes months to heal, and I experience vertigo constantly and sweat more easily. I got used to all side effects though | It helps me way more than any other drug i've taken in the 5 years since I was diagnosed | M | 15 | 3 years | 8/11/2008 | 4 | Ulcerative colitis | I don't gain weight is very unstable, I shed hair like crazy, I haven't grown in a while, and I get kidney infections constantly | My gastroenterologist thinks I have an eating disorder all because this drug has caused me to lose 12 pounds in the last three months, but i've gained weight to, but then I lose it all | M | 15 | 3 years | 9/12/2008 | 4 | Crohn's | Nausea, faintness, dizziness and fatigue at first, which subside after about one month. Still have lack of appetite, possibly worsening of acne and tiredness. Possibly neck pain. | Taking 50mg daily for an indefinite period for maintenance of remission after bowel resection. My WBC count is now under 4000. Took this drug in the past for 3 years. | M | 28 | 4 months | 8/19/2009 | 4 | ulcerative colitis | tiredness, lack of concentration, loss of appetite, dry skin, slight loss of hair, mood swings | i was diagnosed 2 years ago with UC and 6MP definetly saved me from a lot of pain etc etc. however, i still hopw there is a way of weaning myself of it. i would hate it to effect my fertility | M | 18 | 2 years | 11/29/2009 | 4 | U.C. | Nausia especially after eating and in the morning. Lowered Immune system. | Although I fell terrible right now, I know this med works. THANK GOD for this medicine because it is the ONLY thing that works for me asside from steroids (which I refuse to take again because I gained SO MUCH WEIGHT!) I took this drug about a year ago and it got my UC under control. I had taken asacol, pentasa, and others all with NO effect. I was able to stop taking the drug, and my UC was under control without drugs, but the slightest bit of stress and darned if it didnt flare right back up again. so I started taking it again about 1 week ago, and although it takes a few weeks to start working, I am excited to get it under control again. I dont think I will stop taking it again because I do hate the immediate side effects when I begin taking the drug. The Nausia is almost unbearable and makes me not want to eat, but if I dont eat I get nausiated too. It does go away eventually but it takes a week or two. SO- overall it works if you want to wait. If anyone else has experienced nausia, fell free to let me know. I really would like to talk about others experiences. Thanks!! | M | 23 | 1 years | 4/29/2003 | 4 | Chron's | Sore throat | Also am on remicade, so not sure which is the cause , but has worked great, with only some sore throat. Does anyone know the effect of alcohol with purinethol, pharmacy told me to consult doctor, and doctor gave me no precise answers | M | 27 | 2 months | 11/21/2002 | 4 | Crohns Disease | No side effects that I can see at all. I have been on it for close to 4 years and I take it daily. It helps a great deal and keeps my symptoms in check. No symptoms experienced at all from Crohns as long as I maintain rest and eat healthy. No interactions with other medications I take. | M | 36 | 4 years | 8/2/2002 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | No obvious side effects. It's possible my immune system is slightly weakened, but nothing out of the ordinary. | Effective for me, but a VERY EXPENSIVE drug. Glaxo-Welcome is the only producer of the drug and can charge whatever they want. U.S. cost exceeds $350 per month (at 150mg a day). I have found ways to reduce costs. Feel free to contact me. | M | 30 | 8 years | 8/19/2002 | 4 | Crohns | Got sick easier. Many flus which last approx 3 weeks. | well it helped but eventually it started not to work all by itself. I now stopped it to take Methotrexate a injection used in combination with Remicade (Infleximab). Remicade is supposed to help. Ask about methotrexate, it's 1 shot every week and it replaces purinethol 6mp in my case and it works better alone then purinethol with prenisone | M | 17 | 19 years | 6/23/2003 | 4 | Crohn's | I have only suffered from fatigue as a result of taking this. Colds or viruses also last longer. | I have suffered with Crohn's since I was 16, but the doctors misdiagnosed me with IBS. I suffered for 11 years before I developed a fistula between my small intestine and bladder. They then discovered that I had Crohn's and that over a foot of my small intestine was diseased. I had surgery and they removed the bad part of my intestine along with the valve inbetween the large and small intestine. Before the surgery, life was terrible and I couldn't eat anything that wouldn't bring on rediculously bad bloating and cramps. Since the surgery, I have been great and have been able to eat almost anything. The only down side to this drug is that I always feel tired and colds last a couple weeks longer. Overall, I recommend it so far. I take 125 mg a day. | M | 27 | 6 months | 10/21/2003 | 4 | crohn's | Occasional dizzy medicated feeling. Tired at times, with some ringing of the ears. | I was introduced to this drug after Asacol and Prednisone had little or no effect on flares. I have been flare free for 4 months now. It took a couple of months to reach full remmision. Currently taking 50MG daily along with 2400MG of Asacol and folic acid. Blood is drawn monthly to watch the white count. A small price to pay for being normal. The only reason I did not rate it as 5 is due to the side effects of tiredness and the medicated or dizzy feeling I occasionly have. | M | 43 | 6 months | 10/22/2003 | 4 | arthritis | I HAD BEEN TAKIN REMACADE FOR AROUND A YEAR AND I HAD MY TREATMENT ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. I RAN INTO PROBLEMS. MY HEART STARTED BEATING IRREGULAR AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO PASS OUT. IT HAPPENED ABOUT 10 MIN, AFTER I WAS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. IT WAS A HORRIBLE FEELING. I DO NOT KNOW IF I CAN TAKE IT ANYMORE DUE TO HAVING HEART PROBLEMS. THEY ARE CHECKING ON IT FOR ME, | M | 70 | 2 years | 9/27/2003 | 4 | crohns disease | None initially, but feel increased tiredness now after 2.5 years on the drug. My white count is also down considerably, therefore infections last longer. | First flare-up at age 25, undiagnosed until I obstructed and required a resection 2 years later.Controlled on Pentesa until taken off 7 years later as no symptoms.A year later the disease reoccurred- ending in a 2nd resection and colostomy formation. Started purinethol and have had no more symptoms of crohns since.Do I have long remissions or is the drug working well? | M | 38 | 2.5 years | 10/30/2003 | 4 | Crohn's | Nausea, fatigue | Diagnosed July, 2006. Was in hospital for 8 days, no surgery. Trying to stop prednisone. When I go below 20 mg, sickness comes back. Also take Asacol and Remicade. Just started Entocort 9mg and Purinethol 50mg due to flare-up. Second day pain went away, but still have bloated, swollen feeling. Blood work is next week. So far okay. | M | 43 | 7 days | 2/2/2007 | 4 | Crohn's | Tiredness - slight dry mouth. | Have been taking this med for about 10 weeks now. The past 2 weeks I notice that I am very sluggish at wake-up time and occasionaly nodd of during the day. It has been helpful in decreasing my prednisone intake, The goal is to be off of prednisone 100% . I am currently taking Asacol, Prednisone and 6MP. 25mg of 6mp is ths dosage I ingest. I do go for periodic blood tests to keep an eye on the White Blood count. On a whole, I see this working as I am able to decrease prednisone to a level that I was never able to reach. Each month I am able to drop the level by 1/2 mg . Doesnt sound like much, But any decrease is a PLUS as far as I am concerned. | M | 32 | 70 days | 11/13/2003 | 4 | crohn's | dry mouth just started tacking it jan.2004 had all of my colin tacking out. | M | 36 | 2 months | 2/23/2004 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | Some hair loss (but at 50+ years old I was already down that road). Chronic fatigue and major joint pain, but I'm not sure those are totally caused by the Pureinthol. The UC probably also contributes. Colds last longer than they did before. | I was diagnosed with UC in late 2001. After two previous attempts to get off Pred during 2002 it was Pureinthol that allowed me to do it on the third try during Jan. 2003. I've been taking 75 mgs a day since. I'm also taking 2400 mgs a day (originally 4800 mgs) of Asacol since my UC diagnosis. The Asacol helps, but it is the Pureinthol that allowed me to get off Pred and lets me function on a daily basis. It's not perfect, but I'm grateful that my side effects are not severe and it keeps my UC pretty well in check. My Dr. gives me OK to drink alcohol moderately; a glass of wine or a beer a day if I desire. The Dr. also monitors me with CBC blood tests every 3 months. The thought of possible side effects from long term usage give me pause, but can they be worse than the absolute hell that UC had me in, I don't know. Feeling pretty good I got overconfident and correspondingly sloppy with my Pureinthol intake during summer 2003 and my UC symptoms came roaring back with a vengeance. Some Pred and getting back to consistent dosing with the Pureinthol got me taken care of. Without good health insurance it is expensive. I'm fortunate to pay only a fraction of the what without insurance would be about $180 for my monthly dosage. Higher dosages than the 75 mgs a day I'm taking would obviously cost even more. Some good news on the cost issue is that Par Pharmaceuticals was just given FDA approval (Feb. 2004) to start selling a Pureinthol generic. Mercaptopurine is the actual drug name for the Pureinthol brand name (see www.parpharm.com and click Press Releases). | M | 52 | 14 months | 3/4/2004 | 4 | Crohn's | Headache, pressure at first two weeks. Now, almost no side effects | Drinking water helps | M | 31 | 3 months | 4/17/2004 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | Fatigue, aches in muscles and tendons. | I just got off of Prednisone after being on it off and mostly on for 2 and 1/2 years. I take 75 mg X 2 daily of Purinethol, along with 9 Colazal capsules, ea. @ 750 mg daily, for the last two and 1/2 years. They both probably contribute to my fatigue and aches. I am doing the best ever since I was diagnosed with UC 4 years ago. The fatigue is the worst since I quit Prednisone, but I have recently started vitamins, and feel much, much better. Do the vitamins, people!! I also quit coffee (DUH!) about 6 weeks ago, and my cramping and bleeding are almost gone! I should have done that a long time ago, but my Physician, who knew I was a coffee drinker, didn't even raise an eybrow about that. BTW, I feel that beef bothers me, did anyone else notice that? | M | 52 | 2 years | 4/26/2004 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | Severe Fatigue in the the 1st week to 14 days. | This medicine worked for me after 2 weeks and it has me in remission unlike any other medicine that I have taken. Prednisone is horrible compared to Purinethol. Other than fatigue...so far so good. I hope this will keep me in remission for a long long time!!! | M | 35 | 21 days | 6/3/2004 | 4 | Crohn's Disease | Acne, Irritability | The drug has been extremely efficient at keeping my crohn's in remission. Other than some unusual Acne I have not noticed many side effects. Make sure to drink plenty of water. | M | 31 | 2 months | 6/10/2004 | 4 | Crohn's Disease | Fatigue, low blood cell count, weakened immune system | This drug is a mixed blessing. Yes, it helps control my Crohn's Disease, but it also has some undesirable side effects. I was on 50mg per day, which isn't too bad. Also, it can be very expensive unless covered by an insurance plan. By far, Remicade is more effective but is also much more expensive. I'm hoping that some of the recent breakthroughs, such as Humira, will soon become my silver bullet. | M | 46 | 5 years | 6/11/2004 | 4 | Crohn's Disease | Slight diarhea, nothing to serious. | I have been diagnosed with crohn's disease about 3 months ago and i have been taking metronidazole to get rid of some abcess i had. Now i am taking pentasa and purinethol. And i have absolutly no pain. I have to be carefull with what i eat. For instance food that is very high in fiber and never eat popcorn!!!. I feel great and i do not think i will be getting off it any time soon. | M | 21 | 2 months | 8/21/2004 | 4 | Crohn's Disease | none that i can think of. | seems to be a very good drug. i have been on this medication for 12 years. the only time i stopped was 3 years ago on doctors advice. ( which was bad addvice ) the disease came back in full force after. i had to be re-operated on . now i am back on and am never comming off. | M | 27 | 12 years | 7/23/2004 | 4 | Ulcerative Colitis | Thirsty | Just started taking this drug 4 days ago. So far, I haven't noticed any side-effects at all, except that I am more thirsty than usual. The fact that it is a cancer drug scares the heck out of me, but I trust my doctor. I am on 50mg/day right now. | M | 28 | 4 days | 8/8/2004 | 4 | Chrohn's | None | I had a bad spell with Chrohn's when I was 23. I had a colostomy for seven months, and was put on every drug they offer for chrohn's. Finally I was put on a high dose of Remicade(inflaximoab) which had finally put me into remission. Since then I have restarted lifting weights and now I am training for my first triathalon. | M | 25 | 2 years | 6/7/2006 | 4 | Polymyalgia Rheumatica | None I could definitely blame on this drug. However blood tests show lower than normal white cell count and marginally low haemoglobin. | Looking at the other ratings and comments, all the others are for UC or Chrone's. Is anyone else having this for Polymyalgia Rheumatica? I was diagnosed 2 years ago and have been treated with Prednisolone which worked OK but attempts to get the dose down to a low level didn't work. So I am taking Purinethol as a steroid sparing agent and this has enabled Prednisolone to be cut right down. My Physician believes that Purinethol is much less damaging long-term than Prednisolone. (He tried me first on Asathioprine but I got got nausea with that). I am in the UK. | M | 63 | 8 months | 3/4/2007 | 4 | Crohn's Disease | I am not sure but I think some of my short term memory loss and a few skin rashes and early aging spots can be attributed to purinethol | Crohn's has been managable for the most part.. even though in 93 I had a major set back. I am taking 25 mg just a few times a week now to try and regain the short term memory loss and to see if a liver problem will subside. Other then that Doctor G in Scottsdale, Phoenix area got me on this back in 87, I been on it ever since.. No real complaints until the past couple years. if you need to email me just take out the nospam | M | 52 | 18 years | 10/19/2005 | 4 | Crohn's disease | none | I've been on a combination of 6MP & Asacol for over 10 years. Previously I had been on Predinone when severely flared up. The 6MP & Asacol was a huge improvement. No real side effects to speak of and a healthy weight gain once it started helping. I still flare-up to some degree from time to time but have had success with the antibiotic Cipro which usually helps if I use it for a week or two. I believe 6MP has helped me treat my Crohn's along with careful diet and exercise. | M | 40 | 10 years | 9/28/2005 | 4 | Crohn's/UC | Loss of appetite, sore throat sometimes, weakens immune system | Generally ok, but if you're underweight like I am the loss of appetite dosen't help. Weakens immune system to other illnesses but that helps against my crohn's and UC. Catch 22. | M | 19 | 5 months | 8/21/2006 | 3 | chrons | broken and torn nails, very slow to respond to colds, cough starts in February lasts deep into spring, fatigue and more fatigue | I have posted before. I am now four years with this med. Within the last 4 months, I have begun to tear and crack nails. I don't remember how long I have been without a thumb nail. You don't know how important it is until its gone. May hair continues to slowly fall out (not genetic). The fatigue is still awful. For the past three winters, I have gotten colds that have lasted forever. They are accompanied by a cough that goes for months. Pul. specialist says my lungs are fine. I just cough. Chrohn's is better. All else worse. | M | 45 | 4 years | 5/17/2006 | 3 | ulcerative colitis | does anyone else feel that 6mp is causing them to appear to look older? bags/wrinkles under eyes, deepened lines on face | drug has helped my symptoms, but really takes some of the steam out of you. i feel/look 5 years older than when i started a year ago | M | 38 | 1 years | 12/19/2006 | 3 | Crohn's | None initially. However, after about 2 years on 100 mg. I began to develop skin cancers. | My dosage was eventually reduced after some blood work to 75 mg. and I stayed there for the next 4 years or so. The skin cancers began to appear in greater numbers, first as basal cell then as the more aggressive squamous cell. No doctor made the connection; they all assumed I spent too much time in the sun. I discovered on my own the increased risk of squamous cell development in patients taking purinethol and I asked both my gastro and my dermatologist about it. Neither would admit it although they acknowledged the studies I found. After developing a new series of squamous cell cancers a few months ago, I just stopped the medication. If anyone is interested, try natural flax oil softgel capsules. I feel better than I have in years. Purinethol seems to have stopped the flares, but it has ravaged my skin. I'm better off without it, and if you'll research GI studies using flax oil in Crohn's patients, I think you'll be surprised. Looks like the best kept secret in the world of Crohn's. | M | 52 | 6 years | 10/23/2007 | 3 | Crohns | Tired, Irritable, headaches | I am on Pentasa (4000mg daily) and have just started 6MP. Boy can it make you irritable. I was dignosed with Crohns when I was 17yo. I have been on various drugs and to date have been fortunate not to have had surgery. My symptoms have increased over the last year or so, so my doc started me on 6MP. I sure hope that it makes as much a difference as I have been reading. | M | 34 | 3 weeks | 11/4/2004 | 3 | UC | I haven't noticed any side effects at this time but I am still on prednisone, 5mg per day. With the prednisone I have broken out with acne, have gained weight, mood swings and always hot. | I am taking 50mg of Purinethol, 1600mg of Asacol, and 5mg of prednisone. I have been on Purinethol for two mouths now and my Doctor is taking me off the Prednisone slowly. I have suffered with UC since 1998 but never hospitalized for it. At first the Asacol was keeping the UC under control but then things got out of control and my Doctor put me on Prednisone. This last flare-up Prednisone didn't help at all so that is why I am on Purinethrol. I also take the flu shot every year. | M | 54 | 2 months | 5/5/2004 | 3 | for ulcerated colitis | hot flashes, dry mouth and extreme exhausation | i have been suffering for 3 yeARS have been hospitalized twice finally after months and months of steriod use doctor put me on 6mp 100mg took about 6 months to see some differnce still have flare-ups but have been off steriods for 6 months and lost 40lbs | M | 44 | 1 years | 5/8/2004 | 3 | crohn's | Many side effects. Massive energy loss. There are periods of time where I can literally not move. They are incredibly scarry. During them, I seem to drift in and out of consciousness. Prior to purinethol, on a good day I could bike for 30+ miles. I would be happy with half that now. Slow but steady hair loss. No one in my family has a receding hair line. I did not prior to purinethol. Red dots all over my body. Weight gain. I expect that is due to an appetite loss which encourages me to eat more junk I like and less food that is good for me (common with chemo). My doctor said two years ago it's my last chance so I guess still being here is better than other options, but I'm not sure. I am a vp in my company and the fatigue is killing me at work. I am more absent minded and have lost most of my sharpness. My liver functions have deteriorated. Joint pain goes from moderate to unbearable. I was always active in sports including football and basketball. The last few years have taught me I knew nothing about pain. | The worst thing for me with this med was I was not told that this was chemo for cancer patients until I picked up the first prescription and saw the warnings. I have faith in my doctor, but it worries me that he minimizes the dangers. About six months on the med, I felt like a new person. Then the bottom fell out. My wife was diagnosed with cancer at the time so I assumed that I was having a rough time dealing with the extra physical effort of keeping the house going while she went through chemo, surgery etc. When things continued to get worse they realized that there had been a lowering of my liver performance. The only good I can say is I am still here and the medicine seems to have stopped the really lowest points with the crohn's. It's a huge trade-off. | M | 43 | 26 months | 4/2/2004 | 3 | Chrons | mild dry mouth | I've been on the Purinethol for 5 days now, my doctor said no alcoholic beverages but I have talked to one person who has had alcohol with this drug. Does anyone else drink while taking it and what side affects have accured? | M | 26 | 5 days | 6/10/2003 | 3 | Crohn's disease | Possible muscle weakness and joint pain. | I was first diagnosed with Chron's disease when I was about 19 years old; however, I had symptoms since I was 13. In those | M | 44 | 1 months | 7/13/2003 | 3 | Crohn's | Dry skin/rash on elbows, knees, and ankles | Haven't been on 6-MP too long, a pharmacist friend found only liver effects. Nothing on interactions with alcohol, although alcohol is also an immunosuppresant, so that might be why alcohol should be avoided. Patients on low doses are probably not of great concern for this... also on Remicade, which 6-MP is supposed to replace after my next infusion. | M | 30 | 2 months | 4/1/2003 | 3 | UC | Patchy areas of mild rash @ 100 mg / day | After a huge flare up I was hospitalized for the first time to get the UC under control (originally diagnosed with UC 13 years ago). Had a Remicade infusion and started at 75 mg/day, huge improvement in 48 hours from the Remicade. First signs of symptoms reoccuring after 8 weeks, bumped Purenithol up to 100 mg/day and symptoms subsided after a few weeks. Pretty much in remission now but still have a bad day every few weeks. Just wish the precautions for this medication were a little more clear. Interaction with alcohol and effect on sperm quality (possible increase of birth defects??) aren't really consistent depending on the source. | M | 32 | 4 months | 1/16/2003 | 3 | UC | I have not started to take Purinethol as of yet. | I was diagnosed with UC about 6mo ago. I have been suffereing from IBS since early teens that I can remember. I have been taking Asacol for 6mo now and cortenema's for 1mo. I realized no difference on Asacol, however I thought Cortenema's helped mildly. Mainly with the bleeding. My doc wants me off the steriods b/c of the bone marrow issue. He prescribed Purinethol which by book definition sounds very scary for me as I am 25 years old. I am looking for some good advice as whether to start this or not. I have been suffering from a really bad flare up for over a year now. I believe due to work related stress and general life style. My family relatives are Pharmacists and from there perspective it offers to many risks to be on at such a young age. Unfortunatley every day seems to be worse than the next. Any advice regarding Purinethol would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone ever tried Welbutrin to help with UC/Chrone's? | M | 25 | 0 days | 1/16/2004 | 3 | Crohn's Disease | Joint pain(could be from Crohn's though as I have heard), Tired alot. Naps during the day. Then ended up in the hospital with Pancreatitis. | I do have to say that the drig has helped me out in regards to an entro vescular(<-- Spelling?) fistula that connected my bowel to my bladder and I was urinating fecal matter with air bubbles. Kind of weirded me out in a big way since I wasnt under the following of a doctor at the time. Fianlly admitted I truly had Crohn's and got insurance and a whole slew of doctors behind me to get me back to health. I have been on-off 6mp for a little over four years. The last two years I have been on the drug straight. three days before New Year's eve into '04, I went to the hospital from what I thought was a horrible flare up and was uncontrollable with my normal pain medecine. While in the E.R., the attending Dr. asked me if I knew I had pancreatitis. I said hell no!!!! My new G.I. contributes the pancreatitis to the 6mp. I am not saying that you could get pancreatitis, or wont. But that has been my experience with 6mp. If not for the pancreatitis, I would reccomend this drug to anyone that was in my condition. It did heal the fistula. | M | 31 | 4 years | 1/17/2004 | 3 | Crohn's Disease | My doctor warned me about severe side effects that can occurs with he use of purinethol. It is considered here as chemotherapy, and is a immuno-repressant. He told me the side effects were: lack of white blood cell, pancreatitis, high fever but that not everybody have those symptoms. I am taking blood test weekly and being followed closely by my doctor and will probably have to stop taking it, as my immunity system can't cope with it. I don't say it is a bad product, it is just not appropriate for me. | M | 23 | 2 months | 8/23/2002 | 3 | UC | I continue to take 6mp as well as remicade. The remicade put me into remission, and the 6mp is used to help my body cope with the remicade. I have been searching for the reason as to why it is recomended to abstain from using alcohol while on 6MP, and would appreciate anyone's knowledge. | M | 18 | 1 years | 8/25/2002 | 3 | ulcerative colitis | chronic fatigue, skin sensitivities, skin cancers, joint pain, depression, weakness, difficulty concentrating | I have had uc for 16 years and I take 100mg of 6mp in conjuncture with lots of asacol. This keeps my colitis from flaring up and my last colonoscopy looked great. But at what cost? I feel like it's eating up the rest of my body. | M | 44 | 7 years | 10/2/2009 | 3 | for Crohn's Disease, and fistulas | Hair loss, itchy rash, joint pain ,sore mouth. acne (pustules)low grade nausea, aching legs, tiredness. | I have taken purinethol for eight years, and the fistulas persisted for all that time. After reading articles that speculated on the reason for the immune system over-reaction as being due to some bug in the gut,I started taking Acidophilus - capsules of five billion organisms, eighteen a day, reducing gradually to two with meals. My fistulas cleared up within two weeks of taking the Acidophilus. I have recommended it to many people who all reported relief from Crohn's. I wonder if acidophilus will also be effective with other auto-immune diseases. The side effects I suffered, have not been severe and I didn't at first attribute them to purinethol, but now I do. Incidentally, a year after beginning to take the pro-biotic - Acidophilus - a blood test, and a colonoscopy showed no signs of Crohn's at all. My doctor told me I was 'married to purinethol.' I disagree and have ceased to take purinethol. The annoying thing is that my GI doctor never told me of the range of side effects, and I | M | 69 | 8 years | 8/16/2007 | 3 | Crohn's Disease | Joint pain, irritable, and lack of energy. | I started taking this medication about 2 years ago. It worked ok for me at first other than the side effects I listed. I was on 125 mg at the time and my white blood cell count dropped. My doctor told me to immediately stop taking it for 2 weeks and take another blood test. It was fine, so he told me to resume taking it at 100 mg. Now, about a year later, my white count is low again. I had another small bowel series and Colonoscopy which revealed more Crohn's activity at the same place that was resected. He said that we need to discuss other possible medications, because this one isn't working. If anyone knows of a better medication, besides Remicade, please let me know. Thank you. | M | 29 | 2 years | 2/6/2005 | 2 | Crohn's Disease | Made me feel sick in the morning after I took the pill. After the doctor bumped up my dose, I felt more sick and eventually wound up in the hospital with mild pancreatitis which I believe was caused by the 6-MP. | Initially prescribed Prednisone, Asacol, and 6-MP all at once. Prednisone made me feel 100% better but the doctors worried about long term effects and tapered me off. The 6-MP seemed to be making me sick, esp. after the doctor increased the dosage. I wound up in the hospital for a few days with mild pancreatitis which I believe was caused by the 6-MP. Once off of all medications but Asacol (and over the counter drugs such as Immodium and Digestive Advantage Crohn's) I felt good and was later diagnosed as being in full remission. SUMMARY: It's hard to evaluate Crohn's medications because they make you take so many all at once. However, I am convinced that the 6-MP did little to nothing for me and believe that it caused the pancreatitis that landed me in the hospital for 4 days. | M | 31 | 7 months | 6/25/2007 | 2 | crohns | fever''105'' | M | 8 weeks | 7/9/2002 | 2 | Crohns Disease | Nausea; developed lung cancer at an early age (44 yrs old). I smoked cigarettes, unfortunately, despite several doctors' repeated advice that I should quit, while I had Crohn's symptoms. | 6mp stopped working and I ended up having a small bowel resection after 10 yrs of Crohn's. Thank god I haven't had any symptoms return since the operation. But, I did develop lung cancer at a relatively early age, I believe partly due to the 6mp. I had my right lung removed 4 years ago. Don't smoke w/ 6mp!!!!! | M | 7 years | 12/3/2007 | 2 | Crohn's | Fatigue, lowered immune system response, joint aches, lack of appetite...etc. | Generally I feel like complete and utter crap on this med. My history: I was diagnosed with Crohn's 22 years ago, and have been off and on this med since I was 17. Usually I'm on it for a year or two, then I go off it for several years. I've heard this medication can do good things for some people, and by the looks of the responses this is true. In one and a half months time if my new dose (started a month ago) doesn't show any effect at keeping Crohn's under control my G.I. specialist is going to do some metabolite tests to see if my liver is properly handling the medication (FINALLY!). Generally I notice no effect from this medication. Since I've recently fallen prey to clinical depression the appetite supression from the Zoloft and Purenithol have conspired to make me feel sick. I will probably go off of this med regardless of how the metabolite tests turn out. | M | 34 | 1 years | 2/23/2006 | 2 | Crohn's Disease | nausea, strong headache, fatigue, abdominal upset/pain, dizziness | I was hospitalized two times before being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at the age of 30, both at the same year and both times treated with Prednisone and after the hospital stays took Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®). Before that time I took antibiotics like metronidazole (Flagyl®) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) but did not work out. On Dec 2006, after being diagnosed for Crohn's I started with Pentasa and Entocort till on March 2006 I was not showing improvement and was completely obstructed. At that time I had laparoscopic ileocolic resection to fix it (surgery that removed the ileum and cecum part). After the surgical procedure I started with 6MP and for the first two weeks the side effects seem normal (mild headaches, stomach upset and weakness) but they increased week by week, after 6 weeks my doctor recommend increasing the doses from 50 mg to 100 mg a day. I started with severe abdominal pain, dizziness, strong nauseas and headaches. I am still scared based on what I h | M | 31 | 2 months | 7/5/2007 | 2 | Crohn's | Anal Fissures developed. Docs never found the relationship. I happened to have stopped the med due to high liver enzymes and puff! fissures stopped. It is called mucositis. | Stopped taking it. | M | 45 | 3 years | 8/20/2007 | 2 | Crohn's | Terrible taste in my mouth, so bitter I sometimes can't get rid of it eating sweets. Doctor told me to stop taking Purinethol after 10 days. | M | 10 days | 10/10/2005 | 2 | Crohn's | Terrible taste in my mouth, so bitter I sometimes can't get rid of it eating sweets. Doctor told me to stop taking Purinethol after 10 days. | M | 39 | 10 days | 10/10/2005 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |