Cyclosporine weakens your body’s immune system, to help keep it from “rejecting” a transplanted organ such as a kidney. Organ rejection happens when the immune system treats the new organ as an invader and attacks it.
Cyclosporine is used to prevent organ rejection after a kidney, heart, or liver transplant.
Cyclosporine is also used to treat severe psoriasis or severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Cyclosporine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
You should not use cyclosporine if you are allergic to it. You may not be able to use cyclosporine if you have:
If you are being treated for psoriasis, you should not receive ultraviolet light therapy (PUVA or UVB), radiation treatments, coal tar, or drugs that weaken the immune system (such as methotrexate) while you are receiving cyclosporine.
Cyclosporine affects your immune system and may cause certain white blood cells to grow out of control. This can lead to cancer, severe brain infection causing disability or death, or a viral infection causing kidney transplant failure. Talk with your doctor about the risks of using cyclosporine.
MAKE SURE ALL DOCTORS INVOLVED IN YOUR CARE KNOW YOU ARE USING CYCLOSPORINE.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had:
It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
You should not breast-feed while you are using cyclosporine.
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
Common side effects may include:
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.
Cyclosporine can harm your kidneys, especially if you also use certain medicines for infections, cancer, osteoporosis, organ transplant rejection, bowel disorders, or pain or arthritis (including aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve).
Many drugs can affect cyclosporine. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.
Keyword: cyclosporine.