What is Imuran? How to Treat with Generic Azathioprine.

Generic Imuran (Azathioprine 50 mg) guide:

More facts about Generic Imuran (Azathioprine 50 mg):

What drug is sold under the name Imuran?

The medication you know under the name Imuran is nothing else than the medical substance called Azathioprine first discovered in 1959. The name Imuran is a commercial name which is owned by a certain pharmaceutical company yet the same medication can be produced by other companies too as the formula was developed a long ago and is no longer protected by the copyright.

The active substance of the preparation is a powerful immunosuppressive preparation of cytotoxic and cytostatic action that is utilized in after an organ transplant to avoid organ rejection, in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other conditions of auto-immune nature in which the organism’s immunity renders an inadequate response to its own organs and components.

If your doctor prescribes you to buy Imuran, you can purchase the medication cheaper if you look for Azathioprine or Generic Imuran. They are the same medicines that are manufactured by other companies.

How does Generic Imuran act?

Azathioprine is a structural analog of the natural substances such as adenine, hypoxanthine, and guanine that make up the nucleic acids. It prevents the biosynthesis of nucleotides and suppresses the proliferation of tissues.

The immune-suppressive action is due to the hypoplasia of lymphoid tissue, a lowering of T-lymphocytes volume, a disruption of the synthesis of immunoglobulins, the occurrence in the blood of the atypical phagocytes, and the oppression of cell-mediated hypersensitivity reactions.

After the oral intake of the pills, their active ingredients quickly and completely absorb. The maximum concentration of them in the blood plasma is achieved within one to two hours. After their first passage through the liver, an active metabolite called mercaptopurine is formed.

The active substance is inactivated in the liver with the formation of 6-thiocyanic acid. Oxidation and methylation of the substance occur also in erythrocytes. The blood levels of the drug do not correlate with the potency of its effect because the drug and its metabolite are promptly disposed from the tissues.

The preparation is excreted almost completely with bile and only about one percent is excreted in urine.

When you buy Imuran, you should remember that it is excreted into the breast milk and penetrates the placenta so it must not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

When can your doctor prescribe you drugs based on Azathioprine?

The preparation use can be appointed after a transplant surgery to avoid the new organ rejection by the body but the pills cannot be the only medication for this purpose and the complex combination therapy must be followed.

Other indications for the drug use are rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, dermatomyositis, myasthenia gravis, periarteritis nodosa, vulgar pemphigus, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, relapsing alternate multiple sclerosis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, psoriasis, and other auto-immune conditions.

Although here we list the conditions the drug is indicated to be used for, we strongly advise you not to engage in self-treatment and consult a specialist before you buy Azathioprine even if you are diagnosed with one of the above-listed conditions.

When is Generic Imuran contraindicated to be taken?

The medication is contraindicated to be taken by people who are allergic to its components including the drug’s metabolites, in hypoplastic and aplastic anemia, leukopenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, liver insufficiency, and for children.

Besides, you must not buy Generic Azathioprine if you are pregnant, plan on getting pregnant, or breastfeeding.

The drug must be cautiously used at a doctor’s discretion in chickenpox, herpes zoster, insufficiency of xanthine oxidase, radiation and cytotoxic therapy.

Does Generic Azathioprine interact with other medications?

Since the medication has an immune suppressive effect, it can potentially negatively interact with live vaccines provoking the development of viruses contained in the vaccine. Therefore, it is not recommended to vaccinate people who are administered Azathioprine. As for the inactivated vaccines, their effect can be lowered by the drug use, i.e. there won’t be any protection from the virus against which the vaccine is made.

The concurrent use of Azathioprine with Ribavirin is strongly not advised as it is dangerous with the development of severe bone marrow suppression.

It is advised to avoid combining the drug use with cytotoxic agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and medications that suppress the bone marrow such as penicillin as it can cause the development of severe hematological changes.

In the concurrent use of Allopurinol, Oxypurinol or Thiopurinol with Azathioprine, the dose of the latter should be lowered by 25% from the regular ones.

The medication suppresses the anticoagulant activity of warfarin and acenocoumarol. Therefore, in a simultaneous use, the higher doses of the anticoagulants may be needed and the monitoring of coagulant probes done frequently.

Before you order Imuran, make sure to tell your doctor about all medicines that you use or plan to use so he or she would decide on the doses and safety of their combination with this immunosuppressive drug.

How should Generic Imuran be taken?

Considering that the pills render a very potent effect on all systems of the body, you should read this instruction for information only and for the precise instructions on the drug use consult your doctor who knows your disease history, has a possibility to prescribe necessary tests to assess your condition, and so on.

The pills should be taken at least one hour before or three hours after any meals.

The dosages after an organ transplant for adults are the following:
- Depending on the regimen of immune suppression, at the first day, the dose up to 5 mg per kilogram of the body weight can be taken in two to three intakes. The supporting dose is 1-4 mg per kilogram of the body weight split into several intakes and determined by a doctor based on the clinical and hematological tolerability of the drug;
- The treatment duration is chosen by a treating doctor;
- For the therapy of multiple sclerosis, the recommended dosage is 2-3 mg per kilogram of the body weight split into two-three intakes. For the achievement of a stable effect, the therapy can be continued for more than a year without interruptions. The control of the disease progression can be established after two years of the therapy.

The doses for adults other diseases are the following:
- In general, the starting initial dosage is from one to three mg per kilogram of the body weight. It is chosen individually by a doctor based on the clinical response to the therapy which is determined within a week or a month of the treatment, and hematologic tolerance;
- In the development of the therapeutic effect, the dose is then lowered to the minimum one in which the therapeutic effect is preserved. In the lack of the expected effect within three months of the therapy, the therapy need must be revised.

The doses of Imuran for children

If you order Generic Imuran for the therapy of your child, the recommended doses are the following:
- For the prevention of transplant rejection, children are administered the medication in the same doses as adults. However, children with excessive body mass can require the use of increased doses of the drug. To establish the optimal dose for them, their doctor must thoroughly control their response to the therapy;
- The drug can be used on children for different conditions except for multiple sclerosis in which the drug is contraindicated in children.

The use of the medication in elderly patients

There is limited data on the use of the medication in elderly patients. However, it is considered that the likelihood and severity of the side effects that can potentially develop in them is the same as in adults but considering age changes in the body during the therapy it is important to monitor the liver and kidney function and lower the dose in case of the development of liver or kidney insufficiency.

Therapy of people with liver or kidney insufficiency

The use of the drug in people with liver or kidney insufficiency is possible but in the lowest recommended doses.

Use of the drug in people with thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) deficiency

People with complete or partial hereditary TPMT deficiency have a higher risk of severe toxicity of the drug in the use of the standard doses. Therefore, they require the use of the lower doses and constant monitoring of a doctor.

People with heterozygous TPMT deficiency generally well tolerate the regular doses yet some of them may require the use of the lower doses.

Possible side effects of the drug

The use of the drug as a part of combination immunosuppressive therapy after an organ transplant can cause the development of viral, bacterial, or fungal infections. Besides, it may contribute to the oppression of bone marrow function, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. Therefore, during the therapy doctors should monitor the blood composition.

Other possible adverse reactions that you can encounter while using Imuran are nausea, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, impaired liver function, cholestatic hepatitis, erosive and ulcerative lesions of the mouth and lips, pancreatitis, ulceration of the stomach and duodenum, intestinal bleeding, necrosis and intestinal perforation, skin rash, and fever; in long-term use - toxic hepatitis. On top of that, there is a chance of the occurrence of benign or malignant neoplasms (malignant develop very rarely).

Overdose dangers and symptoms

The acute overdose of the medication can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and mild liver function impairment which go away without any measures.

The regular overdosing that can occur as a result of wrongfully chosen daily dose can contribute to the development of unmotivated infections, ulcers in the throat, bruises, and bleeding. These are the results of bone marrow suppression which develops in 9-14 days after the start of the intake of the high dose.

Since there is no specific antidote that can minimize the negative effect of Generic Imuran, it is important to control the blood picture and conduct necessary supporting measures. The intake of activated carbon is reasonable if it is made not later than sixty minutes after the increased dose intake.

Precautions to follow when you buy Azathioprine

It is not advised to use the drug for long periods of time as it can induce the development of neoplasms (benign or malignant tumors).

Within the first eight weeks of the therapy, it is advised to control the peripheral blood weekly (later it should be checked once or twice a month) as well as periodically monitor the activity of serum hepatic transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin level.

In the dysfunction of the liver or kidneys as well as if you order Azathioprine while taking Allopurinol, the dose of Azathioprine should be cut by 25%.

During the therapy, women of childbearing age must ensure reliable contraception.

Where can you buy Imuran?

If you have a valid prescription you can acquire the medication at any drugstore but if you want to get it cheaper you should order Generic Azathioprine from our online pharmacy. We guarantee that you will get the same effect buying the same drug made by another company.

Shipping of Imuran

We specialize in an online selling of medications all around the world. Therefore, we offer international standard and express shipping.