I have been taking Imuran for about 3 months now and haven't had any side side effects. I do think it is one of those drugs that makes you more susceptible to catching things but almost all of them do that. I don't know why you need to be monitored be an immunoligist maybe you should call the doctor and ask. Good luck

I took Imuran in the spring of this year and it didn't help me. I actually ended up so run down I got viral meningitis. Now they will not say the imuran caused this maybe it didn't but just watch carefully how you are feeling. Like all of them, it has side effects, I have my blood done every month to check my white blood cells and my liver function. All of these drugs affect the liver (well all the ones I have tried anyway). But best of luck, maybe this will be the one for you!

I take both imuran and methotexate.....no side effects really. I am still weak in my legs and arms and have no improvement in strength, but no worse. Very frustrating.

The Prof. said it may not make you back to normal but would prevent it getting worse. I have major muscle wasting in 1 leg.

i take imuran and the only thing i had with this was an upset stomach until i guess my body got used to it. my doc started me on 50mg for a week and then increased another 50mg the next week. i do tend to have a weak stomach though and usually don't do well with taking any medication.

after a few weeks i felt fine. since the imuran wasn't doing quite enough my doc increased the imuran another 50mg and now the slight queasiness & loss of appetite is more consistent. taking imuran my doc does check my blood work about every 6-8 weeks because there are possibilities it can lower your white blood cell count in which case they would take you off the med & things would go back to normal.

otherwise, imuran is an immune suppressant like prednisone so just make sure you are practicing good hygene and washing your hands lots & you should be just fine. i usually have so many bad reactions to meds that i was shocked how easy imuran was for me to take. hopefully you have good results also. you'll have to keep us updated, :)

I am back on Immuran (aka Azathioprene) as well - 50 mgs nightly. I take it at night so as to sleep through any side effects I might feel during the day (slight headache, stomach ache.) Earlier in my treatment I tried to increase the dose to 100 mgs daily, but the side effects were too intense so now it's just 50 a night. Understand that the side effects and severity can be different for everyone.

Good luck!

i hear you about dealing with the side effects stomach wise. i tried taking it at night, but i seem to do better with taking it in the morning because laying down seems to make my upset stomach worse. it is funny how we're all different? i always make sure to drink plenty of water when i take it and eat a good meal with it which helps. although now that i'm up to 150mg not much is making it better even though i split it into taking 100 at one time and 50 another time. oh well.