Anti-rejection medications

About rejection

Your immune system is your body's defense against foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses. Unfortunately, your immune system cannot tell the difference between a harmful invader and your transplanted liver and will try to reject it.

Rejection is dangerous because it can permanently damage your new organ and can sometimes lead to re-transplant. That is why your transplant team has prescribed anti-rejection medications as part of your long-term therapy.

Why you need anti-rejection medications

Anti-rejection medications (also called immunosuppressants) protect your organ by slowing down your immune system. There are a variety of anti-rejection medications available, and each works in a different way to suppress the body’s immune response.

Your transplant team will determine which combination of medications is right for you and may alter your medication regimen to improve rejection prevention or reduce side effects.

Preventing rejection with Prograf^® (tacrolimus)

Prograf is an immunosuppressant approved for the prevention of rejection in people who have received a liver, kidney, or heart transplant. Anti-rejection medications like Prograf are essential to the success of transplantation. In fact, since approval for rejection prevention for liver transplantation in 1994, for kidney transplantation in 1997, and for heart transplantation in 2006, Prograf has become a treatment that recipients and healthcare professionals alike can believe in.

To learn more about what Prograf can do for you, read the following brochure, which is an Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Please click here to download Adobe Reader for free.

Prograf and You

Important Safety Information About Prograf

Prograf® (tacrolimus capsules) is approved for the prevention of organ rejection in patients who have received a liver, kidney, or heart transplant. Only physicians and facilities specializing in transplantation should manage patients taking Prograf. Anti-rejection medications may increase the possibility of developing an infection or lymphoma, a type of cancer.

Before starting Prograf, tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to have a baby, or breastfeeding. Since some medicines can affect your body's ability to use Prograf, tell your doctor whenever you receive a new medicine, including any over-the-counter medicines or herbal supplements. Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice in combination with Prograf.

In clinical studies, up to 22% of patients taking Prograf developed insulin dependent diabetes, but in some patients, after 2 years, insulin was no longer required. Black and Hispanic kidney transplant patients were at an increased risk. Early signs of diabetes include frequent thirst or urination, blurred vision, or confusion. You should tell your doctor if you experience any of these.

Prograf has been associated with toxicity to the kidneys and nervous system. Common side effects are tremor, headache, high blood pressure, diarrhea, nausea, constipation, stomach pain, changes in kidney function, diabetes, low white cell count, infection, and high cholesterol/lipid levels.

Prograf should not be used in patients allergic to tacrolimus. Take Prograf exactly as your doctor tells you to. Take it before or after you eat at the same time each day.

Only your healthcare professional can weigh the risks and benefits of a prescription medication and decide which medication is the right one for you.

Full Prescribing Information

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