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Adverse effects

Nausea and vomiting are common adverse effects, especially at the beginning of treatment. Such cases are met with taking azathioprine after meals or transient intravenous administration. Side effects that are probably hypersensitivity reactions include dizziness, diarrhea, fatigue, and rashes. Hair loss is often seen in transplant patients receiving the drug but rarely occurs under other indications. Because azathioprine suppresses the bone marrow, patients can develop anaemia and be more susceptible to infection; regular monitoring of the blood count is recommended during treatment. Acute pancreatitis can also occur, especially in patients with Crohn's disease. Treatment is discontinued in up to 30% of patients due these effects, but therapeutic drug monitoring of the biologically active metabolites, i.e. thiopurine nucleotides, can help to optimize the efficacy and safety. Clinically, most hospitals resort to ion-exchange LC-MS (liquid chromotography – mass spectrometry), but the newly developed approach of porous graphitic carbon-based chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry appears superior with respect to patient care in this respect.