Purinethol for ulcerative colitis
Hello, my husband has moderate ulcerative colitis and has had several courses of steroids just this year to help with flare ups. His consultant today has offered to prescribe Purinethol as the next step for medication to help him into a remission.
We have been advised that it is a form of chemo medication and the biggest risk is cancer.
We are both very worried of the side effects of this drug and are wanting to get in touch with people who have been prescribed a drug like Purinethol to help fight their IBD flare up’s and what it was actually like taking this medication and if it’s worth the risk of the side effects.
Any stories or advise would be really appreciated.
Just to clarify my husband is in his late 20’s, had colitis now for roughly 4 years, and is on 2 types of suppositories and mazevant to help with his flare up’s with not much success.
thank you for sharing! I know how hard it is trying to figure out which treatments to try and balancing out the risks vs the benefits. While I do not have any personal experience with purinethol, I wanted to share this article from our site with some information about the medication https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/treatment/medications/immunomodulators.
I hope others from our community will chime in with their own personal experience with the medication but everyone is so different and can react differently to treatments. I would try to discuss any concerns about the medication with your doctor if you haven't done so already. Sending thoughts your way! Warmly, Erin (team member)
Hi
. First, let me say that it is great that your husband has your support and your efforts to research and get information on potential treatments. On top of the excellent information from Erin, I want to note that, while it is true that purinethol is used for cancer treatment, it is in significantly higher dosages than when it is used for IBD. It is one of the longest established treatments for IBD, having been originally researched and introduced in the 1960s. This article provides more of an overview of the history and effectiveness: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3662937/. Many people have found success with purinethol over the years. That said, I don't want to sugarcoat things - potential side effects are a real and legitimate concern. Each person needs to weigh for themself and their circumstances if a particular treatment is right for them. I know this sounds like a little bit of a copout, but it is true that each case is different. Your husband's doctor should be able to explain why they believe this treatment is the right course for your husband, including looking at what one patient referred to as the risk to risk ratio. Hope this information is helpful and please feel free to keep us updated and to ask additional questions - this community is here for you. Best, Richard (Team Member)
