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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Intermittent Diarrhea Or Constipation And Anemia While Treating Crohn S Disease?

I am now 48 years old and I was diagnosed with Crohn s Disease over 20 years ago. I had most of my large bowel removed 15 years ago. Last August I developed a hole under the resection, my bowl fell into it and got twisted. A few weeks later I developed an infection at the incision site. Since then I have had many problems. Fist awful gas and diarrhea. Then I ended up suffering with constipation, which is a fist for me it has always the opposite. The x-ray showed it was pretty backed up. It was very painful. My last colonoscopy was a few months ago and it shows the Crohns is active but I have seen it look worse the pictures showed a few mild spots. My Dr. first prescribed Pentasa and then Delzicol, after just a few days both caused severe bloody diarrhea . Now he has prescribed 50 mg of Imuran and I am terrified of it. I am almost thinking that I should just suffer with the constipation or milder diarrhea. I am already fighting anemia and feeling run down. Especially after dealing with the side effects of the previous two drugs. I work for a lawyer and I have to keep my mind sharp. I really just don t know if I want to take this drug. It seems like I am always among that very small percent of people who end up with the severe side effect. Am I just reading too much or should I be concerned? Sincerely, Stephanie
Thu, 17 Nov 2022
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Anesthesiologist 's  Response
Hello,

Imuran is the preferred drug in Crohn's disease in severe cases. Imuran has the following side effects:
Leukopenia (28-50%)
Infection (20%)
Lymphoma
Abdominal pain
Alopecia
Arthralgia
Bacterial, fungal, protozoal, viral infections
Bone marrow suppression
Diarrhea
Fever
Hepatotoxicity
Macrocytic anemia
Myalgia
Nausea or vomiting
Rash
But diarrhea frequency is in less than 1%. So you can try it once. Moreover, your physician have you the least dose.

Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Pallavi M., Anesthesiologist
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What Causes Intermittent Diarrhea Or Constipation And Anemia While Treating Crohn S Disease?

Hello, Imuran is the preferred drug in Crohn s disease in severe cases. Imuran has the following side effects: Leukopenia (28-50%) Infection (20%) Lymphoma Abdominal pain Alopecia Arthralgia Bacterial, fungal, protozoal, viral infections Bone marrow suppression Diarrhea Fever Hepatotoxicity Macrocytic anemia Myalgia Nausea or vomiting Rash But diarrhea frequency is in less than 1%. So you can try it once. Moreover, your physician have you the least dose. Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Pallavi M., Anesthesiologist