The azathioprine dosing guidelines your healthcare provider will follow depend on factors such as the condition being treated, your weight, and other medical conditions you may have. Typically, the starting dose for preventing rejection after a kidney transplant is 3 mg to 5 mg per kg once daily. When treating rheumatoid arthritis, the azathioprine dosage usually starts at 1 mg per kg daily (taken once or divided into two smaller doses).
Azathioprine Dosing: An Introduction
The dose of
azathioprine (
Imuran®) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
- The medical condition being treated
- How your body responds to azathioprine (some people do not clear the drug from the body as well as others)
- Your weight
- Other medical conditions you may have
- Other medications you may be currently taking.
As is always the case, do not adjust your azathioprine dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so. People with poor kidney function may need lower azathioprine dosages. Also, a test can be done to see if you have low levels of thiopurine S-methyl transferase (TSMT), an enzyme that helps clear the drug from the body. If you have low TSMT levels, you will need a lower azathioprine dose (or a different medication altogether) in order to prevent serious side effects.
Azathioprine Dosing for Kidney Transplantation
The recommended starting dose of azathioprine for preventing kidney transplant rejection is azathioprine 3 mg to 5 mg per kg (about 1.4 mg to 2.3 mg per pound) once daily, starting the day of (or sometimes a few days before) the transplant. Your healthcare provider may decrease your dose to azathioprine 1 mg to 3 mg per kg (about 0.45 mg to 1.4 mg per pound) once daily if you are doing well.
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