Yes, a month is time enough for problems to show up.
Usually when taking Imuran, you get a weekly test for the first month to see if you will have an allergic reaction, and to watch your liver enzymes. These should have already been detected as being high in your weekly tests during the first month.
I used prednisone at high doses to get MG under control ( in about 4 months) and then tapered it down. My doctor thought that if I could get control, then decrease prednisone to something like 10mg per day, I could stay on that, or if that was a problem from side effects, try Imuran next. My MG went into full remission after a year (4 years ago), so never tried Imuran.

Good Luck
Russ

Hi Rhanson, so nice to meet you & thanks for the relpy! My doctor never did weekly tests. I got sick in a months time & at no time in between did they ever do a liver enzyme test. I told him that my liver enzymes were high when I went to see my oncoligist not even a month before going on Imuran & he didn't believe me. I went straight away to see the doctor after my stay in the hospital the next week & he told me to go home; it wasn't the imuran because that takes up to 9 months to get in-to your system & told me go home & go back on the imuran; so I took one when I got home. I was vomiting by 8:00 that night. I called next day & told his nurse, he said to go off & wants me to now take another type of drug just like imuran. I told them I would think on it. I called him to-day and am seeing if there are ANY other drugs to treat MG with. I am allergic to predisone, the mestinon made me have bad charlie horse's, chest pain, and severe nerve jumping & migraine. I honestly thought my heart was going to quite the last nite I took it and I am taking a drug that is supposed to stop the effects of the mestinon. Did me no good. I am not taking any-thing right now for the MG. I am waiting to see what my neurologist has to say. He doesn't seem to know what he is doing in my opinion. I am really angry I went thru all of that when he should have been checking my enzyme levels. I might not have gotten so sick. Also, I found out to-day my lungs are not as strong as they should be, so I have to start physical therapy for that next week. They found a lump in my left lung & I had a mastectomy (stage 1 breast cancer last spring), so they are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it isn't cancer again. I also found out doing research that hypothyroidism is associated with MG. I had that since 2003 (hypothyrodism). I am losing some leg function too. The last couple of days( may-be more) my legs are like they are not there. it does not happen too often, maybe once a day& t doesn't last long, but long enough I fall down. Sorry to lay all of this down on you, but I have no-one else but all of you here who can relate with what I am going thru. It just got so much worse so quickly. I am thankful in a way that it did or I would still not have a diagnosis. I know I have had it for close to 20 years.

P.S. I for-got to tell you that I have had liver issues in the past. So I am thinking there is an un-diagnosed issue going on because muliple occassions my liver enymes were high! I used to get purple eye-lids & I thought it was dermotomyositis. But the doctors all say no, but have to have some-thing wrong as I just got sick again. I am really getting worried & am sick of being sick all the time. Back to the doctor tomorrow to see if my liver is what is making me vomit again. Wish me luck!!!

I took Imuran for a week and it shut down my kidneys within the first 3 days and started to damage my liver. Thankfully my docs were running regular tests and got me off of it asap. The med that did best for me was Cellcept. Least side effects and best results! Have you had your thymus checked or removed? I got much better after mine was taken out! Keeping you in my prayers. This is a hard disease to fight!

Just be careful with herbal remedies -- they are unregulated, and recent studies have shown that a lot of the stuff sold is not what it purports to be. In any case, much of the herbal remedy stuff is based on the shape of the plant's leaf, or some other magical association. As with all "alternative medicines" -- if they really worked they would have been called "medicine." Nobody has ever come on Daily Strength with an herbal cure for MG who was not selling the herbal cure themselves! ~joe

Yes, my thymus gland was checked & it is okay so far. I have looked into herbal medicines & yes there are a lot of warnings that come with them too & most are sold only to make a profit & like you say they are not regulated, so that road can be dangerous. I wasn't looking for a herbal cure, I was looking for herbal treatment; as there is no cure for this disease & if they try to tell you other-wie they are lying!!!

Sapira,

Your doctor was supposed to check your liver before starting you on Imuran. In fact if I remember thru check if you had previous liver problems

Also as previously mentioned by another poster you should be checked frequently. My doctor just changed me from every 3 months to every 2 months because of my liver.

I am also noticing that my ankles are swollen so I am thinking I need to get my kidneys checked.

Hope you get it sorted out.