Mercaptopurin Orion
Mercaptopurin Orion is a medicine used to treat severe inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis when other treatments are not working or suitable.
Form
tabletti
Strength
50 mg
Active Ingredient
Mercaptopurine monohydrate
Manufacturer
Orion Corporation
How to Use
Dosage
The usual dose is 1–1.5 mg per kilogram of body weight each day. Your doctor will tell you your exact dose.
Method
You can take this medicine with or without food, but always take it the same way. Do not take it with milk or dairy products; wait at least one hour before or two hours after. The tablet can be divided into equal halves.
Important
Your doctor will determine the maximum daily dose for you.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Decrease in white blood cells and platelets (can make you tired, bleed easily, or get infections).
- •Feeling sick or throwing up (nausea or vomiting).
- •Liver damage.
- •Decrease in red blood cells (anemia), which can make you feel tired, weak, or short of breath.
- •Loss of appetite.
- •Diarrhea.
- •Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), causing belly pain.
RARE
- •Mouth sores.
- •Joint pain.
- •Skin rash.
- •Fever.
- •Liver cell death.
- •Bacterial and viral infections, especially if you have low numbers of a certain type of white blood cell (neutrophils).
- •Hair loss.
- •In men, temporary low sperm count.
- •Swollen face.
- •Different types of cancers, including blood, lymph gland, and skin cancers.
- •Leukemia (a type of blood and bone marrow cancer).
- •Sores in the intestines.
- •Too much activation of white blood cells leading to inflammation (macrophage activation syndrome).
- •Sensitivity to light, causing skin reactions.
- •Burning or stinging feeling in the mouth or on the lips.
- •Cracked or swollen lips.
- •Lack of Vitamin B3 (pellagra), which can cause a dark skin rash, diarrhea, or problems with memory and thinking.
- •Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in children.
Important Warnings
- Do not take if you are allergic to mercaptopurine or any other ingredient in this medicine.
- Do not take with yellow fever vaccine, as this can cause a life-threatening infection.
- Tell your doctor if your body produces too little of the TPMT enzyme, as your dose may need to be changed.
- Avoid too much sun and UV light. Wear protective clothing and high-SPF sunscreen.
- This medicine can increase your risk of certain cancers, including skin cancer and types of lymphoma.
Show 6 more warnings
- You are at a higher risk of serious infections (viral, fungal, bacterial). Do not get live vaccines during treatment.
- Using this medicine with other similar drugs can increase the risk of a rare, serious brain disease called PML.
- If you plan to have a baby, this medicine can harm sperm or eggs. Use reliable birth control during treatment and for several months afterwards. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not handle the tablets.
- Do not take the tablets with milk or dairy products, as they can make the medicine less effective.
- Wear disposable gloves when splitting or handling tablets to avoid skin contact or inhaling the medicine, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
- Tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, as your doctor needs to check that these organs are working well.