I tried it at two different times, but could not tolerate it. So the doctor put me on Rituxan for a while. Now I'm on a very low dose of Methotrexate injections.

I was on Imuran and had a huge case of meningitis. The rheumy took me off didn't know if it was the meds or just the weak immune system from it. I did two infussions of Rituxan, one in December and one in January. OMG, I have no pain. I am still tired and kinda draggy and my hands are in rough shape - swollen and big red patches - but no pain! It is amazing. The Metho injections were ok for about 5 months but then I had the constant runs....it was horrible. I hope the Imuran works for you okapi2.

I can't give you any feedback on Imuran, because I've never been on it. However, I just wanted to encourage you. FYI, antibiotics only work for people with a mycoplasma problem. Even then, there's only one class of antibiotics that can work against mycoplasmas. I wanted to try antibiotics, too; but when my doctor ran blood work, I had Epstein-Barr Virus. So the antibiotic protocol wasn't an option for me.

Back to the imuran, just remember, as with any new medication, do your homework. Read up on the possible side effects, and talk to your doctor about what to expect from the imuran. And best wishes to you for good results.

Thanks nanny for the encouragement. I'm glad I tried the antibiotics, but like you I have a suspicion mine was caused by Epstein-Barr. It was worth a shot, but clearly it isn't going to work for me though.

I will start the Imuran next week. I hope it works.

I liked Immuran and it was the first choice from my dr as it has the most research behind it. Make sure with your blood tests that they check your liver enzymes as I was allergic to Immuran after 2 mos - it is really rare though - 1 in 500 get allergic. I even had that prior blood test to see if my system would tolerate it - go fiqure!
Hope all goes well -.
Love and hugs-:)

I just did two weeks and had to stop. I did 6 months of Cellcept Generic first and got allergic at the end. So i was off meds for 4 weeks and felt amazing!!! Then started low dose Imuran. first 4 days were fine, then i got really tired and slept alot. like 4 or more hours a day more than my regular. By day 14 i could barely get out of bed and could not think. Not toxic, but an odd side effect. Not the med for me. Most people tolerate it well. I stopped and now two days later i feel much better.

WE are all different, and i too get nervous and anxious before starting a new med. I try to start only one at a time so i know what is causing what.

I hope it is the magic med for you, your body will tell you how it is going. Shawna

No need to worry. I am on a high dose of Predisone currently and ramping up my Imuran at the same time with the intention of bringing down the Predisone and then hopefully bringing down the Imuran. I have nothing negative to report about using Imuran. No side effects. I realize everyone is different but just to let you know I have had no issues with it and as of next week I will be up to 200mg a day of it.
Stay positive and have a good day!!

Im on Imuran and Prednisone. Its working great for me, Im on 100mg Imuran a day, and Prednisone 25mg a day. I woke up paralysed in hospital 6 months ago, both medications have got my body moving again. I am scared of the potential side effects, but id rather be moving about then bed ridden. Most of my side effects have been from the prednisone. It took a couple of goes to get the Imuran into my system, as my liver levels kept coming back as being low, but thats because I had also suffred kidney failure and the liver was failing due to my cardiac arrest. All is good now, blood work is in a stable range, the Rhumey is really happy with my progress.

@HaligonionGuy
Welcome to DS's PM/DM support site. There are lots of great and friendly people here. I trust we'll be an encouragement to you.

@Okapi2
If indeed you do have a chronic Epstein-Barr Virus problem as I have, then a supplement called Lauricidin might help you. It has been a tremendous help to me. And an extra side benefit has been the lessening of pain. Do some research to see if it might help you. I couldn't find any medication that it contraindicated, and my doctor recommended it. Lauricidin can be purchased at lauricidin.com or amazon.com.