Hello ive been taking Azathioprine for 10 weeks now at a 100mg a day
the plan is to replace the steroids that i'm on 60mg every other day which i've been on for 6 months
i found that when i went on imuran i had a bad reaction which has lessened
my last blood test showed a very high white cell count
my Dr examined me but thinks its due to my steroids which he has said
to reduce to 50mg
ive also phoned the neuro to say how ive been feeling as ive not seen him for a long time. should i worry tho?

Hi Alan! I too have a high white blood cell count - but all of my drs think it is due to the meds......granted, it has gone down, but it is still scary!

How are you feeling other than that? Do you still have energy? Is your mum still there?

I would call your dr and let (s)he know what is going on. Just to be on the safe side!

Hopefully Neuro, Annie or Becky will be on soon - they really know their stuff.

Hope you get the answers you need!

Love,
Erin

Hi, Alan. Do you know if your docs figured out "which" white blood cells are elevated? Here is an explanation of white blood cells for you. Sometimes a doctor can figure out what might be going on if only one "type" of white blood cell is increased.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003643.htm

Imuran can cause liver problems in someone who lacks the enzyme thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT). People who lack that enzyme can have Imuran build up in their bodies and become toxic. If your doctor is good, they should test for that BEFORE someone starts Imuran.

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed...fo.cfm?id=9906

It's usually pretty odd for someone who is being "immunosuppressed" to have an increase in white or red blood cells. If it were me, I'd go see a hematologist for a second opinion on it. They are the "blood" experts. I'm not saying you could have cancer, but I know that's what people usually think about when they have a high white blood cell count. There are a lot of reasons it could be high. But you need an expert to tell you for sure if it's a drug reaction (like an allergic reaction) or whatever else it might be.

That's nice of you, Erin, but I'm no expert! Just been around the block too many times and read a lot.

Annie

hi Annie
i had the blood test before i went on Imuran by my Neuro
to make sure it was safe for me
then each week for a month then each month
i got a letter of my Neuro saying that tho my white cells were high he didn't think it a problem
but its got higher
i think its due to Imuran when i do physical things later i become extremely
exhausted and get a pounding headache and my knees have become very
painful again which stoped after going on the steroids
hi Erin stayed at mums and now she's staying with me for a week
i make the most of a good day hate the weight problem
alan