What you need to know about
Prograf
(Tacrolimus or FK506)
for Liver Transplant Recipients
Prograf is a medicine that shows down the bodies' immune system. For this reason, it works as an anti-rejection medicine. Prograf helps patients who have had a liver transplant. It protects the new organ and prevents it from being rejected by the body.
Instructions
- Prograf capsules should be taken on an empty stomach, or at least one hour before or two to three hours after a meal.
- You should avoid drinking grapefruit juice while taking medicine, as it may increase the level of this medicine in your blood and therefore increase the risk of side effects.
- This medicine can cause the amount of potassium in your blood stream to increase. For this reason you should avoid consuming large amounts of foods that have a high potassium content, for example dried fruit, bananas, tomatoes and "low sodium" salt, while you are taking the medicine. You should also avoid potassium supplements.
- This medicine maybe harmful to an unborn baby, so it is important to avoid getting pregnant and breast-feeding during treatment.
- Not to used in allergy to macrolide type antibiotics, eg erythromycin.
Side effect
- Infections
- Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
- Shaking, usually of hands (tremor)
- Headache
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
- Skin reactions such as rash, itch, acne, sweating, hair loss.
- Raised blood sugar level (hyperglycaemia)
- Raised cholesterol level (hypercholesterolaemia)
- Disturbances in the normal levels of chemical components (electrolytes) in the blood, eg raised potassium, decreased sodium, magnesium, calcium
- Disturbances in the normal levels of blood cells in the blood
- Shortness of breath (dyspnoea)
- Appetite and weight changes
- Pain in the muscles or joints
- Visual disturbances
- Anxiety and agitation
- Confusion
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Pins and needles or numb sensations
- Seizures
- Heart problems such as abnormal heartbeats, enlargement of the heart, heart failure.
- Liver problems such as jaundice, hepatitis, liver failure
- Ulceration or bleeding in the gut
- Bleeding
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