Proventus
Making Life Fairer
Help-
Working together to make a difference
Find Us Here
If you have experienced any adverse side effects from a medication or therapy -
Azathioprine -
Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant drug. It is used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, in the treatment of some cancers and also in the treatment of conditions such rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and hepatitis. In MS, studies suggest that azathioprine reduces relapse rate and slows down disability progression.
Some research suggests that efficacy could be similar to that of interferons although because of its side effect profile it is usually reserved for people with moderately aggressive disease.
A small study of people who did not respond to either treatment with beta interferon 1a or azathioprine alone found a combination therapy was well tolerated and after two years of treatment no serious side effects were reported. Mean number of relapses over the trial period was significantly lower than that before combined treatment. Further larger studies are required.
Adverse side effects may occur
- Severe nausea.
- Severe anaemia.
- Leucopenia (shortage of white blood cells).
- Liver damage. Careful monitoring of blood count and liver function is required during treatment.
- There is also an increased risk of developing cancer if the drug is taken long-
term.
- Yudkin PL, et al. Overview of azathioprine treatment in multiple sclerosis. -
abstract - pubmed - Lus G, et al. Azathioprine and interferon beta (1a) in relapsing-
remitting multiple sclerosis patients: increasing efficacy of combined treatment. European Neurology 2004;51(1):15- 20. - abstract - pubmed