6-Mercaptopurine for Leukemia

Overview
6-mercaptopurine is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a maintenance therapy for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 6-mercaptopurine is also referred to as mercaptopurine or 6-MP. 6-mercaptopurine is marketed under the brand names Purinethol and Purixan.

6-mercaptopurine is a member of a class of drugs called antimetabolites. 6-mercaptopurine is believed to work by stopping cell division.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that 6-mercaptopurine should be taken daily.

6-mercaptopurine comes in tablet and oral suspension form.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for 6-mercaptopurine lists common side effects including low blood counts, high levels of uric acid, nausea, vomiting, rash, diarrhea, and hair loss.

Rare but serious side effects listed for 6-mercaptopurine include bone marrow toxicity, liver damage, and serious infection.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

6-mercaptopurine — Chemocare
http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/6-m...

6-mercaptopurine — Medscape
https://reference.medscape.com/drug/purinethol-...