Medication

January 12, 2004

my experience only

Nick PHd. Igenex Corp Palo Alto, CA

Steve MD SF CA Life time lymieLLMD

Re: [ ] Re: Medication

I have been on Doxy and Motrin since 1997 with very few breaks (when I am off,

I can't walk and the pain is unbearable). I am not cured. The first doc said

that I would probably be on this until death. Now looking for another way with

better relief.

Sue V.

January 24, 2005

Why would he put you on Lipitor? Thyroid meds are supposed to lower

cholesterol levels. Get the book Schwarzbein Principle and throw out the

lipitor.

Gracia

>

> Im 54 Years old and the dr. put me on Levothroid 50MCG,and on

> Lipitor 20 mg.never took this medication before !Can anybody tell me

> abbout this ?

> Renate.

>

January 27, 2005

,

You wrote:

> It is Levothyroxine (generic for Synthroid) and is .088 MG (88MCG) according

to the label.

>

> One question. The directions say to take it one hour before eating, but on my

FMS

> group several people said they have to take it anywhere from 2-4 hours before

eating,

> or it gives them problems. ...

Depends on what you are eating. Calcium carbonate and certain

medications and goitrogenic foods (soy) will interfere with T4

absorption up to three hours after you take it. For most breakfast

foods, one hour is sufficient. I drink coffee during my hour after

taking it. The important thing is consistency, since you will be

adjusting your dose to match the pattern in which you take it. I drink

the coffee every day, so my dose is presumably tuned to whatever affect

that may have.

Until you get up to a maintenance dose, it probably won't make much

difference. However, you should get into the habit as soon as you can.

Chuck

January 27, 2005

I find it works best when you take it first thing when you get up in

the morning (so you take it on an empty stomach) and don't eat for

about an hour, or 2 if you can. The idea is that the medication will

absorb into your body without interruption from food that may inhibit

the drug from completely getting into your system.

> Okay I got the medication.

> It is Levothyroxine (generic for Synthroid) and is .088 MG (88MCG)

according to the label.

>

> One question. The directions say to take it one hour before eating,

but on my FMS group several people said they have to take it anywhere

from 2-4 hours before eating, or it gives them problems. What's the

common time frame? Obviously it will vary from person to person but

I'm trying to get an idea of what time frame to start with to be safe.

>

> M

>

January 27, 2005

Hi again Chuck,

You wrote:

For most breakfast foods, one hour is sufficient. I drink coffee during my hour

after taking it. The important thing is consistency, since you will be adjusting

your dose to match the pattern in which you take it. I drink the coffee every

day, so my dose is presumably tuned to whatever affect that may have.

Okay that will actually be easy enough because my schedule already is waking up

at 6:30am to take my muscle spasms, pain control and anti-fatigue medications

and then laying back down until 8am to give them time to " kick in " so I can

function at all. After I get up, I take another pain pill if needed and then

it's at least another hour or more of sitting up in the chair just watching tv

and sipping soda waiting to be able to start to feel anywhere closer to normal.

It's after that before I even think about whether my system will let me try to

eat something or not. LOL

I'll just add the thyroid medication to the initial 6:30am dosing.

January 27, 2005

,

You wrote:

>

> ... I'll just add the thyroid medication to the initial 6:30am dosing.

>

That should be fine as long as the other medications don't change. If

the other meds use calcium carbonate as a binder, they will slightly

inhibit absorption. Once your thyroid dosage is finely tuned, if you

stop taking any of the other pills, you may go slightly hyper. Just be

prepared to make some adjustment if the routine changes.

Chuck

January 28, 2005

????? I think you will need proper thyroid treatment so you can get off the

other medications. This is a huge problem in America. Should we take a

drug for every symptoms so big pharma thrives or do we get proper treatment?

I vote for healthy people over healthy profits.

Gracia

> Okay that will actually be easy enough because my schedule already is

waking up at 6:30am to take my muscle spasms, pain control and anti-fatigue

medications and then laying back down until 8am to give them time to " kick

in " so I can function at all. After I get up, I take another pain pill if

needed and then it's at least another hour or more of sitting up in the

chair just watching tv and sipping soda waiting to be able to start to feel

anywhere closer to normal. It's after that before I even think about whether

my system will let me try to eat something or not. LOL

>

> I'll just add the thyroid medication to the initial 6:30am dosing.

>

January 28, 2005

,

Your life sounds like mine. I agree with Gracia that all these

symptoms you have, are caused by hypothyroidism. Can you talk to your

Dr. about going off the other meds., so you will know how the thyroid

medication is working for the other problems?

Gail

>

> ????? I think you will need proper thyroid treatment so you can

get off the

> other medications. This is a huge problem in America. Should we

take a

> drug for every symptoms so big pharma thrives or do we get proper

treatment?

> I vote for healthy people over healthy profits.

> Gracia

>

> > Okay that will actually be easy enough because my schedule

already is

> waking up at 6:30am to take my muscle spasms, pain control and anti-

fatigue

> medications and then laying back down until 8am to give them time

to " kick

> in " so I can function at all. After I get up, I take another pain

pill if

> needed and then it's at least another hour or more of sitting up in

the

> chair just watching tv and sipping soda waiting to be able to start

to feel

> anywhere closer to normal. It's after that before I even think

about whether

> my system will let me try to eat something or not. LOL

> >

> > I'll just add the thyroid medication to the initial 6:30am dosing.

> >

January 28, 2005

I agree with Gracia that all these symptoms you have, are caused by

hypothyroidism. Can you talk to your Dr. about going off the other meds., so you

will know how the thyroid medication is working for the other problems?

I dunno, that just doesn't seem right.... I mean the HCV isn't even

questionable... it can't be caused by the Hypothyroidism, nor vice versa. The

two are completely different and of course both show up in lab work so there's

no doubt that I do actually have both of those illnesses.

I know a lot of people don't believe FMS is a real illness on it's own and it's

tempting to look at the symptoms that are the same between the FMS and Thyroid

and want to think it was really *just* the thyroid all along... especially

because FMS can't be proven or disproven by a blood test. But it really wouldn't

make sense... I only listed off the symptoms that all three illnesses have in

common because that's what has made me most miserable and apparently now why

those pareticular symptoms persisted despite treatment...

BUT...

That wouldn't explain all the other symptoms of FMS I have that wouldn't be

present with Hypothyroidism, the severity of the symptoms even back 12 years ago

when my thyroid levels WERE normal, it wouldn't explain that the other symptoms

of FMS that are not found in Hypothyroidism yet have responded to standard FMS

treatments.

We'll still be able to see how the Thyroid medication helps those symptoms

because that was the whole point of why we went checking. All other symptoms of

the FMS and HCV were stabalized and under complete control... yet the fatigue,

muscle aches and slugishness remained... and they shouldn't with those

controlled. By finding that there is another issue going on that causes those

particular symptoms, starting a medication for it... if those particular

symptoms clear up, then we'll know that was the thing causing them.

I really don't like the idea of risking going off the other treatments... with

the HCV, without it, my viral load goes up and it's destroying liver cells,

causing damage every day that it's high. The medication I take for that works

directly on the liver... I just can't see any connection between that and

thyroid issues.

As far as the FMS, without the neurological and muscular medications I can't

walk, I can't speak, I can't function... I lay in bed screaming with nonstop

seizures that go on for hours. I haven't seen that Hypothyroidism causes that.

January 28, 2005

,

I'm sure you're correct about the Hepatitis C, which, as far as I

know, I don't have. But I checked out your original post, and all

your other symptoms are those I have as well. The FMS symptoms are

the worst, and CFS is no fun either. But these are all symptoms of

hypothyroidism. You hadn't mentioned seizures, which I have never

had, but I do know that as a dog breeder, the first thing to check on

a seizuring dog, is thyroid function, as hypoT can definitely cause

canine seizures.

However, FMS and CFS are both " s's " which stands for syndrome, which

is not a diagnosis-- just a bunch of symptoms which are seen

together. These syndromes generally do indicate undiagnosed or

undertreated hypothyroidism. You very well could have had hypoT 12

years ago-- just that the labs didn't find it.

What medication are you on? We who have had hypoT for a long enough

time to show up as longterm FMS and CFS, do seem to need T3 in

addition to T4.

Gail

In hypothyroidism , " Pegasus.Realm "

<Pegasus.Realm@c...> wrote:

> I agree with Gracia that all these symptoms you have, are caused by

hypothyroidism. Can you talk to your Dr. about going off the other

meds., so you will know how the thyroid medication is working for the

other problems?

>

> I dunno, that just doesn't seem right.... I mean the HCV isn't even

questionable... it can't be caused by the Hypothyroidism, nor vice

versa. The two are completely different and of course both show up in

lab work so there's no doubt that I do actually have both of those

illnesses.

>

> I know a lot of people don't believe FMS is a real illness on it's

own and it's tempting to look at the symptoms that are the same

between the FMS and Thyroid and want to think it was really *just*

the thyroid all along... especially because FMS can't be proven or

disproven by a blood test. But it really wouldn't make sense... I

only listed off the symptoms that all three illnesses have in common

because that's what has made me most miserable and apparently now why

those pareticular symptoms persisted despite treatment...

>

> BUT...

>

> That wouldn't explain all the other symptoms of FMS I have that

wouldn't be present with Hypothyroidism, the severity of the symptoms

even back 12 years ago when my thyroid levels WERE normal, it

wouldn't explain that the other symptoms of FMS that are not found in

Hypothyroidism yet have responded to standard FMS treatments.

>

> We'll still be able to see how the Thyroid medication helps those

symptoms because that was the whole point of why we went checking.

All other symptoms of the FMS and HCV were stabalized and under

complete control... yet the fatigue, muscle aches and slugishness

remained... and they shouldn't with those controlled. By finding that

there is another issue going on that causes those particular

symptoms, starting a medication for it... if those particular

symptoms clear up, then we'll know that was the thing causing them.

>

> I really don't like the idea of risking going off the other

treatments... with the HCV, without it, my viral load goes up and

it's destroying liver cells, causing damage every day that it's high.

The medication I take for that works directly on the liver... I just

can't see any connection between that and thyroid issues.

>

> As far as the FMS, without the neurological and muscular

medications I can't walk, I can't speak, I can't function... I lay in

bed screaming with nonstop seizures that go on for hours. I haven't

seen that Hypothyroidism causes that.

>

January 28, 2005

From: & Gail on

I'm sure you're correct about the Hepatitis C, which, as far as I know, I don't

have. But I checked out your original post, and all your other symptoms are

those I have as well. The FMS symptoms are the worst, and CFS is no fun either.

But these are all symptoms of hypothyroidism. You hadn't mentioned seizures,

which I have never had, but I do know that as a dog breeder, the first thing to

check on a seizuring dog, is thyroid function, as hypoT can definitely cause

canine seizures.

However, FMS and CFS are both " s's " which stands for syndrome, which is not a

diagnosis-- just a bunch of symptoms which are seen together. These syndromes

generally do indicate undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism. You very well

could have had hypoT 12 years ago-- just that the labs didn't find it.

What medication are you on? We who have had hypoT for a long enough time to show

up as longterm FMS and CFS, do seem to need T3 in addition to T4.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well first off, if you ever have reason to suspect it, Hepatitis C is very easy

to check for, a simple blood drawn liver functions test will show whether there

is an active viral. Although, if it's not active it can be undetectable... but

by the same token, if it is not active, you won't be having symptoms either. LOL

I hadn't mentioned the other symptoms because, and maybe I wasn't clear enough

about this, the whole point was that all my other symptoms and problems were

stablized and under control. The ones I mentioned were the ones that I was still

having problems with, that were turned out to be the ones that are also common

symptoms for Hypothroidism... which explained why I was still having those

particular symptoms.

I'm not trying to be arguementative, but I have to question what source of

information you are relying on, or how old it is, regarding Fibromyalgia. FMS is

an actual diagnosis and it is an actual illness of it's own, it is not just a

bunch of symptoms. More recent studies and research have proven that... it has

actually now been changed from being lumped in with arthritic or other areas and

has been re-classified as a neurological disorder and re-classed in the " purple "

category with Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus. Although it was once believed that

it was impossible to prove or disprove it's existence because there was no lab

tests that showed anything, it was only symptoms that couldn't be explained...

they have now found dysfunctions that DO show up in lab work that is the common

factors in all people who truly have FMS.

I feel it is also very misleading to say that something having the " s " word

(syndrome) means it is not a diagnosis, that is not correct at all. The word

Syndrome does not at all mean something is not an actual illness or just a

symptoms with no *real* diagnosis... the medical definition is:

Disease: Illness or sickness often characterized by typical patient problems

(symptoms) and physical findings (signs).

Syndrome: A set of signs and symptoms that tend to occur together and which

reflect the presence of a particular disease or an increased chance of

developing a particular disease.

In fact, the american medical association issued a statement a couple years ago

that, in part, stated " doctors who continue to insist that FMS is not a real

illness in it's own right or that it is only a junk diagnosis for symptoms they

can't otherwise explain are not educating themselves to the new information and

are doing a grave disservice to their patients " .

Now am I saying that it is not possible that there are people diagnosed with FMS

that are really undiagnosed thyroid issues, hepatitis c, early undetected MS or

lupus or a host of other illnesses? No... I fully believe that there are many

people whose doctor has said FMS simply because they couldn't find anything, or

didn't look hard enough or the other illness may be not showing up on standard

tests yet etc. Along with the findings that prove FMS is a real illness, they

also released a very specific set of medical criteria that a patient must meet

in order to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and I have seen many people who have

been diagnosed without meeting the criteria but also without the doctor checking

for other things, like thyroid problems.

So yes there is a real issue of FMS being mis-diagnosed due to lack of other

tests, lazy doctors or what ever reasons... and yes there is no doubt there is

many people diagnosed with it that really have something else causing symptoms.

However, there is also a real illness in Fibromyalgia on it's own which can

occur all by itself, but most commonly does occur in people with the other

problems such as thyroid as well as many others. One of the theories that gains

more credibility as the research continues is that certian people have a

pre-disposition for Fibro ar even already " have it " but the severity and

symptoms remain either non-exisitant or so mild that it is never mentioned until

after some other trauma or illness causes the body to trigger it into activity.

Being diagnosed with Hypothyrodism in 2005 (at age 40) certianly can not explain

away back muscles that seize, cramp and don't repair correctly that began in

1980 (at age 15) and was diagnosed as Fibrositosis in 1986 (at age 21)... and

almost any medical report you find on Fibromyalgia mentioned that it was once

commonly misdiagnosed as Fibrositosis prior to the 1990's.

As for medications, I take Neurontin for the neurological problems, Skelaxin for

the muscle seizures, SAM-e for the Hepatitis C, Provigil for the fatigue and

have pain meds for when I need them. And of course, now the Synthoid.

January 29, 2005

I recommend you look at http://www.drlowe.com

http://www.geocities.com/thyroide

Gracia

>

> We who have had hypoT for a long enough time to show up as longterm FMS

and CFS, do seem to need T3 in addition to T4.

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> > I'm not trying to be arguementative, but I have to question what source

of information you are relying on, or how old it is, regarding Fibromyalgia.

January 30, 2005

Yes it can, and was a sign of hypoT for me. BTW, my back pain was one

of the first symptoms that happened to me, and about the age of 15,

if not before. I also had a spinal fusion at age 27, which did not

help the pain. The one and only thing that helped my back pain after

all these years, was starting on thyroid medication last spring. My

back pain was actually the first thing to start getting better.

Unfortunately it has also got worse again since I have had to go back

onto T4 (Eltroxin) the past couple of months.

Just as a matter of interest, do you have a vertebra at the top of

your spine, the last one before the neck vertebrae, that sticks out

and hurts/aches? I had that vertebra hurting for as long as I can

remember. Once on thyroid supplement for a month, that stopped

hurting.

Gail

Being diagnosed with Hypothyrodism in 2005 (at age 40) certianly

can not explain away back muscles that seize, cramp and don't repair

correctly that began in 1980 (at age 15) and was diagnosed as

Fibrositosis in 1986 (at age 21)... and almost any medical report you

find on Fibromyalgia mentioned that it was once commonly misdiagnosed

as Fibrositosis prior to the 1990's.

>

> As for medications, I take Neurontin for the neurological problems,

Skelaxin for the muscle seizures, SAM-e for the Hepatitis C, Provigil

for the fatigue and have pain meds for when I need them. And of

course, now the Synthoid.

>

January 30, 2005

I disagree. FMS is not a disease in itself. It is a lots of symptoms

that tell you there is something underlying wrong, and if that

something is not hypoT, then it is something else. It could be

several things from what I have read, but since hypothyroidism is so

common, and so commonly underdiagnosed and undertreated, it makes

sense to me that hypoT is the most common cause of FMS. I see Gracia

has sent the Dr. Lowe site, and that is the site that a friend sent

me last year, and which brought everything together for me. Then I

read some of Dr. Derry's articles, and that further re-enforced

my self-diagnosis.

So I am not saying there is no such thing as FMS. Having suffered for

many years with this, years before the " official " diagnosis by the

rheumatologist, I know those symptoms are not imaginary nor

phychosomatic! What I am saying is that there is underlying cause for

these symptoms, and in my case, and I presume many others, that cause

is hypoT, which can be dealt with.

Gail

> I'm not trying to be arguementative, but I have to question what

source of information you are relying on, or how old it is, regarding

Fibromyalgia. FMS is an actual diagnosis and it is an actual illness

of it's own, it is not just a bunch of symptoms. More recent studies

and research have proven that... it has actually now been changed

from being lumped in with arthritic or other areas and has been re-

classified as a neurological disorder and re-classed in the " purple "

category with Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus. Although it was once

believed that it was impossible to prove or disprove it's existence

because there was no lab tests that showed anything, it was only

symptoms that couldn't be explained... they have now found

dysfunctions that DO show up in lab work that is the common factors

in all people who truly have FMS.

>

> I feel it is also very misleading to say that something having

the " s " word (syndrome) means it is not a diagnosis, that is not

correct at all. The word Syndrome does not at all mean something is

not an actual illness or just a symptoms with no *real* diagnosis...

the medical definition is:

> Disease: Illness or sickness often characterized by typical patient

problems (symptoms) and physical findings (signs).

> Syndrome: A set of signs and symptoms that tend to occur together

and which reflect the presence of a particular disease or an

increased chance of developing a particular disease.

>

> In fact, the american medical association issued a statement a

couple years ago that, in part, stated " doctors who continue to

insist that FMS is not a real illness in it's own right or that it is

only a junk diagnosis for symptoms they can't otherwise explain are

not educating themselves to the new information and are doing a grave

disservice to their patients " .

>

> Now am I saying that it is not possible that there are people

diagnosed with FMS that are really undiagnosed thyroid issues,

hepatitis c, early undetected MS or lupus or a host of other

illnesses? No... I fully believe that there are many people whose

doctor has said FMS simply because they couldn't find anything, or

didn't look hard enough or the other illness may be not showing up on

standard tests yet etc. Along with the findings that prove FMS is a

real illness, they also released a very specific set of medical

criteria that a patient must meet in order to be diagnosed with

Fibromyalgia and I have seen many people who have been diagnosed

without meeting the criteria but also without the doctor checking for

other things, like thyroid problems.

>

> So yes there is a real issue of FMS being mis-diagnosed due to lack

of other tests, lazy doctors or what ever reasons... and yes there is

no doubt there is many people diagnosed with it that really have

something else causing symptoms. However, there is also a real

illness in Fibromyalgia on it's own which can occur all by itself,

but most commonly does occur in people with the other problems such

as thyroid as well as many others. One of the theories that gains

more credibility as the research continues is that certian people

have a pre-disposition for Fibro ar even already " have it " but the

severity and symptoms remain either non-exisitant or so mild that it

is never mentioned until after some other trauma or illness causes

the body to trigger it into activity.

>

> Being diagnosed with Hypothyrodism in 2005 (at age 40) certianly

can not explain away back muscles that seize, cramp and don't repair

correctly that began in 1980 (at age 15) and was diagnosed as

Fibrositosis in 1986 (at age 21)... and almost any medical report you

find on Fibromyalgia mentioned that it was once commonly misdiagnosed

as Fibrositosis prior to the 1990's.

>

> As for medications, I take Neurontin for the neurological problems,

Skelaxin for the muscle seizures, SAM-e for the Hepatitis C, Provigil

for the fatigue and have pain meds for when I need them. And of

course, now the Synthoid.

>

November 21, 2005

hi cin

im on nystatin supp, twice a day cathy

Bentley

PO Box 61

Rumney NH 03266-0061

chihuahuamom@...

NHDogRescue

An outside dog has an address not a home ..

Medication

I just joined the group last week and I have been trying to go through all of

the posts. I have seen some suggestions on howing to cure and control

candidiasis including natural products, change in diet, etc. I'm wondering if

anyone is on prescribed medication? My doctor prescribed anti-fungal drugs that

I'm supposed to start taking when I start my diet on Dec. 1.

~Cin.

November 22, 2005

I'm on prescription Lamisil. I alternate prescription Nystatin tablets with

Caprylic Acid tablets/capsules after I eat anything that happens to contain

sugar, vinegar, etc., in order to take away the candida 'drunkenness' I get

on those occasions. (And I take magnesium after eating, too, for the same

relief measures.)

Cecilia

:+)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\

------

Medication

>I just joined the group last week and I have been trying to go through all

>of the posts. I have seen some suggestions on howing to cure and control

>candidiasis including natural products, change in diet, etc. I'm wondering

>if anyone is on prescribed medication? My doctor prescribed anti-fungal

>drugs that I'm supposed to start taking when I start my diet on Dec. 1.

>

> ~Cin.

November 22, 2005

Hi Cin,

I took Nystatin, Diflucan, and Lamisil, all unfortunately to no avail. If

you read some of the archives that wrote, she emphasizes Candida must

be treated holistically and I agree 100%. We all want a quick fix but that

is not going to happen with this stubborn affliction. You must change your

eating habits entirely, for life, and I recommend organic foods even though

much more expensive. You must tell yourself you are worth the cost and you

can not put a price on good health, as I'm sure everyone here at this site

can attest to what feeling like crap is all about. Good luck with your diet

and I recommend The Maker's Diet, it has helped me understand how my body

uses food and I feel better now than I have felt in many, many, years (AND

you can have berries, raw honey, and raw apple cider vinegar during the

first phase ENZYMES, ENZYMES, ENZYMES) unlike all the other Candida diets I

have tried.

Shirley G.

>From: " Cin " <2cin@...>

>Reply-candidiasis

><candidiasis >

>Subject: Medication

>Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 15:39:05 -0500

>

>I just joined the group last week and I have been trying to go through all

>of the posts. I have seen some suggestions on howing to cure and control

>candidiasis including natural products, change in diet, etc. I'm wondering

>if anyone is on prescribed medication? My doctor prescribed anti-fungal

>drugs that I'm supposed to start taking when I start my diet on Dec. 1.

>

>~Cin.

January 9, 2007

In 2000, my GI told me I would switch from azathioprine to CellCept if

numbers didn't improve. They did, so I didn't. I don't have any real

information

about it.

Harper

In a message dated 1/9/07 1:23:42 PM, chrisnc06@... writes:

>

> Has anyone heard of cellcept for AIH? I have researched this

> as someone in the UK wrote to me they were on it. It does not appear

> to have the side effects of cancer like azathioprine does.

> If you are on it please email me.

>

January 9, 2007

Hi I am Connie, I have taken CellCept for a year now. I have had no side

effects as of yet. Although It does have some bad ones and tumors and

something wiht the limp nodes. Although I have had no trouble.

Connie

Subject: [ ] medication

> Has anyone heard of cellcept for AIH? I have researched this

> as someone in the UK wrote to me they were on it. It does not appear

> to have the side effects of cancer like azathioprine does.

> If you are on it please email me.

>

January 10, 2007

>

> Has anyone heard of cellcept for AIH? I have researched this

> as someone in the UK wrote to me they were on it. It does not appear

> to have the side effects of cancer like azathioprine does.

> If you are on it please email me.

>

I saw your question and wanted to comment that I was on CellCept

for a short while after Imuran no longer was effective for me.

Bear in mind that the Imuran was effective for over 20 years.

Anyway, I can tell you that the CellCept is very difficult to

use. You can't have anything to eat or drink for 2 hours before or one

hour after taking the CellCept. That made my life very difficult since

I (and most of us taking Prednisone) have to take Calcium 3 times a

day. My life was consumed with my medication schedule. Furthermore, I

think CellCept, like Imuran, can cause cancer, so there's no advantage

in that respect.

I actually was happy to learn that the CellCept didn't work for

me. My LFTs actually went up over the 2 weeks that I tried CellCept.

Now I am on Cyclosporine, another immunosuppressant, which doesn't have

these schedule restrictions, but has the terrible side effect that it

can cause permanent kidney damage.

So my advice would be to stay on the Imuran if it is working for

you. Good luck!

Sharon

AIH, 1986

January 10, 2007

Re Cellcept: from this link http://www.drugs.com/cellcept.html comes this info:

.. This medication can lower the blood cells that help your body fight

infections. This can make it easier for you to bleed from an injury or get sick

from being around others who are ill. You may also have an increased risk of

certain forms of cancer. To be sure your blood cells do not get too low, your

blood will need to be tested on a regular basis. It is important that you not

miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.

. Cellcept products may contain phenylalanine. Tell your doctor if you

have pheynlketonuria (PKU), or if you otherwise need to restrict your intake of

phenylalanine.

. Cellcept has caused birth defects in animals, and there may be a similar

risk in humans. Do not use Cellcept if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you

become pregnant during treatment. To make sure you are not pregnant before using

mycophenolate, you may need to have a pregnancy test within 1 week before your

treatment starts.

. Unless you have had a hysterectomy, you must use effective birth control

to keep from getting pregnant while using this medication. Birth control is

recommended even if you have have been infertile (unable to get pregnant) in the

past. Use two effective non-hormonal forms of birth control (condoms, diaphragm,

or spermicides) while you are using Cellcept and for at least 6 weeks after your

treatment ends.

. Do not open the medicine capsule or crush or chew a tablet. Do not use a

pill that has been accidentally broken. The medicine from a crushed or broken

pill can be dangerous if it gets in your eyes, mouth, or nose, or on your skin.

If it does come in contact with these areas, wash your skin with soap and water

or rinse your eyes with water. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to safely

handle and dispose of a broken tablet or capsule.

. If you need to have any type of surgery, you may need to temporarily

stop using Cellcept. Be sure the surgeon knows ahead of time that you are using

this medicaton.

. Cellcept may increase the risk of developing skin cancer. Limit exposure

to sunlight and UV light by wearing protective clothing and using a sunscreen

with a high protection factor (SPF).

KayK TX, AIH/PBC

January 10, 2007

thank you Sharon for the information

Yes I am going to stick with Imuran for now. they are weaning the prednisone

down

today to 20 mg. I was diagnosed 12/8 and had a liver biopsy 12/14 and started

prednisone the next day. My levels were approaching 2000. What dose of

prednisone are you on?

I was hoping to get weaned off completely. I haven't slept right since

starting it. They gave me lunesta and that really doesn't work. I get 3 hours

of " rest " but not good sleep

I look and feel exhausted. How can my liver heal if I cannot sleep good?

anyway tell me how you have been making it for so long. Glad you are off the

cellcept also.

thanks Chris

sharon93_19008 <sfgordon93@...> wrote: