This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Monitoring azathioprine

Authoring team

It usually requires 6 to 8 weeks for azathioprine to work. The recommendation is to consider stopping the medication if there is no improvement in 3 months

Check full blood count before starting treatment, once weekly for the first four weeks, then at least every 3 months throughout treatment. Check:

  • Haemoglobin
  • Total white cell count
  • Neutrophil count
  • Platelet count
  • Liver function tests

Patients should immediately have a full blood count if they develop any symptoms suggestive of marrow depression.

Reference:

  1. Anstey AV, Wakelin S, Reynolds NJ., British Association of Dermatologists Therapy, Guidelines and Audit Subcommittee. Guidelines for prescribing azathioprine in dermatology. Br J Dermatol. 2004 Dec;151(6):1123-32.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.