Prograf (Tacrolimus) and/or alternatives

General Information On Prograf

Prograf or Tacrolimus belongs to the category of immunosuppressants that weaken your immune system so that it does not reject a heart, kidney or liver transplant. Your body’s immune system helps you fight infections and foreign bodies, but if you have just received a new kidney, heart or liver, then your immune system may also cause your body to reject it. Therefore, your immune system is weakened for a time so that your body gets used to the new organ, and after that, you can go back to your normal life. You can buy Prograf in both oral and injection forms as advised by your doctor.

Side Effects for Prograf

The major side effect of Prograf is that it weakens your immune system and you become susceptible to more diseases, infections and illnesses. It may also lead to increased risks of cancer, including lymphoma and skin cancer. In order to reduce the risks of any serious side effects, you should take the lowest dose of the drug as advised by your doctor and not miss any medical or laboratory appointments. You need to contact your doctor immediately if you are noticing a change in the size or appearance of your body’s moles, night sweats, swollen glands, unusual lumps or growth on your body, unusual skin changes, signs of infections like sore throat and fever, sudden weight loss, and loss of appetite. Some common side effects of the drug include diarrhea, headache, trouble sleeping, dizziness, and frequent urination. These symptoms will diminish gradually as your body gets used to the drug.

Precautions

While you are taking Prograf, you should avoid being exposed to direct sunlight or any artificial UV rays like tanning beds and sunlamps. If you have to go out in the sun, then use a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 and also wear protective clothes and sunglasses. Prograf can dangerously interact with grapefruit or its juice, and therefore, you should not take it unless your physician has allowed you to do so. You should also not buy Prograf if you are suffering from liver or kidney diseases, high blood pressure, or if you have used Neoral, Gengraf or Sandimmune within the last 24 hours.

Prograf Dosage

Prograf injection is given to a patient right after the organ transplant until he/she is ready to take the pill form of the medicine. You will initially be given Prograf 0.01mg/kg/day for a heart transplant and Prograf 0.03-0.05mg/kg/day for a liver or kidney transplant. After 2-3 days of the transplant, when the patient is able to take oral medicines, he/she is given Progarf 0.10-0.15mg/kg/day divided into two doses every 12 hours, and then, the dosage is increased or decreased depending on your response to the transplant, drug, and your individual medical condition.

Interactions

Prograf should not be used with Cyclosporine or Ziprasidone, as they may dangerously interact with the drug. When taken in combination with Pimozide, Guanidine, Procainamide, Amiodarone, Dofetilide, Sotalol and macrolide antibiotics, Prograf may affect your heart rhythm, so talk to your doctor before taking any of these drugs. Other medicines that may interact with Progaf include anti-seizure medicines, liver enzyme drugs, calcium channel blockers, protease inhibitors, Rifamycins, drugs that increase potassium levels, drugs that affect the kidneys, potassium supplements, ACE inhibitors, and proton pump inhibitors.

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