Azathioprine and Headaches: What Users Say

• MI ...
• February 18, 2016

Imuran (azathioprine) for Rheumatoid Arthritis "The first two to three weeks were fine. Then I started experiencing a bad headache, the next two days fever and chills. The next evening, severe chills, weakness, dizziness, raging fever (up to 104.3), and began throwing up. It was the worst I've ever felt in my life (and that includes a hospitalization in ICU when first diagnosed). I was on the verge of calling 911. However, it eventually passed (as the medicine worked its way out of my system) and the fever subsided. My rheumatologist ran a complete series of blood work and she said that I had an allergic reaction. Prior to starting Imuran, I had been tested for liver compatibility and the results showed that I would have no issues, so I proceeded. Proceed with extreme caution."

• Rub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2020

Imuran (azathioprine) for Lupus "So, I’m a few days on Imuran for SLE. The first day was okay for me, but then the days after that, I started getting headaches, feeling nausea, and having on-and-off diarrhea. I also don’t feel hungry nor full. Just average, basically, all the time. I also noticed I started losing some weight. Not sure what will happen in the future. Just hoping for the best."

• Mom...
• August 15, 2015

Imuran (azathioprine) for Lupus "At the 2 wk mark of taking Imuran, I started having a terrible headache. My body started to ache. I couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did, and I had trouble sleeping. I had a fever, I had chills, and I sweated worse than being at the gym. My urine was golden dark yellow, and my skin was pale. I was tested for the flu, which was negative, and my blood test results were normal (as normal as can be for a lupus patient). My doctor thought I had a virus but told me to stop taking the Imuran. Within a little over 24 hours, the headache started going away, the urine went back to normal color, and my body was feeling better."

• chr...
• April 29, 2019

Imuran (azathioprine) for Inflammatory Bowel Disease "Shortly after commencing Imuran at a low dose (50 mg/day), I developed a severe and persistent headache and also felt very tired and listless. One week later, everything got a lot worse: within 24 hours of commencing the higher dosage (100 mg/day), I began to feel extremely nauseous, and about an hour later, non-stop vomiting commenced. I couldn't even swallow a mouthful of water without bringing it up almost immediately. That night, all the joints in my body began to swell up and become very painful. By 3 a.m., I could barely walk, and by 7 a.m., my husband had to call in emergency services: my BP had dropped to 56/40, so I was immediately taken to the hospital, where I was treated with copious amounts of IV fluids, antiemetics, and high doses of corticosteroids. Over the next few days, I very gradually began to improve and was discharged from the hospital 6 days later, but it took many weeks before I was anywhere near back to normal."

• BKa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2016

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I started taking this medicine to help with my breathing issues caused by RA. The first thing I noticed was a mild headache, joint pain had increased, and both hands and feet were swollen, but I was told to give it a couple of weeks to adjust to the medicine. During weeks 2 and 3, my breathing got worse, and I had a hard time lying on my back without chest pain. I had a stronger headache than in the beginning, and it got increasingly worse over the weeks, along with nausea and stomach cramps. This medicine did nothing for me and made me feel worse, so I had to stop. Good luck."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2022

Imuran (azathioprine) for Lupus "I took it for a month. The first week it made me nauseous, which I just took promethazine to help with, but it didn't take the feeling completely away. I wasn't really eating, and the diarrhea started at 2 weeks. By the 4th week, I felt horrible! Headache, weakness, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea from Sunday to Friday. It was then I knew, although effective for some, and I'd really hoped it would help after seeing so many great reviews, but I requested something else."

• bor...
• August 3, 2011

For Ulcerative Colitis "This medicine seemed to work at first, the negatives ultimately were worse than the positives. It did put me down to about 4 bowel motions a day, but it was at the cost of horrendous acne, terrible headaches, joint pain, and fatigue. Doctor still has me on it for another autoimmune disease, but keeps me at a minimum."

• Don...
• February 25, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Took methotrexate for 7 weeks and had to stop because of extreme fatigue and stomach issues. Doctor started me on azathioprine, and I took my first 50 mg dose about an hour before I went to bed. I refused to take it again! My sinus passages started burning after about an hour of taking it, and I developed a headache that lasted for about 18 hours. I was extremely nauseous when I woke up and felt really lightheaded. Then there were the brutal stomach issues. I'll spare you the details :) Never again!"