Tacrolimus pour prévenir le rejet d'organe

About tacrolimus

Your body can try to reject new donor tissue following organ transplants or grafts. Tacrolimus helps to prevent this by suppressing your body's immune or defence system.

Your body produces white blood cells called lymphocytes to fight infection or foreign substances which have entered the body. Following an organ transplant or graft, your body's immune system recognises the new tissue as 'foreign' to you and will try to attack it with certain lymphocytes. Tacrolimus works by preventing the production of these lymphocytes and this helps prevent rejection of the transplanted tissue.

Tacrolimus is also available as an ointment which is used in the treatment of eczema. There is a separate medicine leaflet available about this called Tacrolimus ointment.

Before taking tacrolimus

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking tacrolimus it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte, si vous essayez d'avoir un enfant ou si vous allaitez.

• If you have any problems with the way your liver works or the way your kidneys work (other than if it is the reason for the transplant).

• Si vous souffrez d'hypertension artérielle.

• If you have an infection, or if you have been told you have cancer.

• If you are taking or using any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines. It is particularly important that you let your doctor know if you have recently taken a medicine called ciclosporin.

• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine, especially if it was to a macrolide antibiotic (such as erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin or telithromycin).
  

How to take tacrolimus

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about the brand of tacrolimus you have been supplied with, and it will also provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Your doctor will prescribe a dose for you which is tailored to your weight and the reason you are taking it. Your dose will be printed on the label of the medicine pack to remind you what dose to take - make sure you take it exactly as your doctor has explained.

• Take tacrolimus when your stomach is empty. This means taking your doses an hour before food, or alternatively, waiting until two hours after you have eaten.

• If you have been prescribed standard-release capsules (such as Prograf® or Adoport®) these are usually taken twice each day, around 12 hours apart.

• If you have been prescribed modified-release capsules or tablets (such as Advagraf® or Envarsus®) these are usually taken once each day in the morning. Swallow them whole with a glass of water, do not break or chew the tablets or open the capsules.

• If you have been prescribed Modigraf® sachets, these are used to prepare a liquid suspension. Mix the granules into water before taking your doses (your doctor will tell you how much water to use to make up the suspension). Do not use cups or spoons that are made of polyvinylchloride (PVC) when you prepare the suspension because the active substance sticks to this kind of plastic. Take the dose straightaway after making up the suspension.

• Essayez de prendre vos doses à la même heure chaque jour, cela vous aidera à ne pas oublier de les prendre. Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en rendez compte (sauf s'il est presque temps de prendre la dose suivante, auquel cas ne prenez pas la dose oubliée). Ne prenez pas deux doses en même temps pour compenser une dose oubliée.

• Your doctor will tell you how long your treatment is expected to continue. Keep taking tacrolimus until your doctor tells you otherwise.

Tirer le meilleur parti de votre traitement

• Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are on tacrolimus. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice increases the amount of tacrolimus in your bloodstream. This makes side-effects more likely.

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. Your doctor will want you to have blood and urine tests during this treatment to check on your progress. From the results of these, your doctor will decide whether the dose you are taking needs adjusting. Your blood pressure, eyes and heart function will also be checked.

• There are a number of different brands of tacrolimus which may not all be absorbed by your body in exactly the same way. Because of this, your doctor will prescribe the same brand of tacrolimus for you each time you need a new prescription. If when you collect a new supply it looks different to what you have had before, ask your pharmacist to check this out for you.

• Tacrolimus can affect your vision or make you feel sleepy. Make sure your reactions are normal before driving and before using tools or machines. Do not drink alcohol as it may increase these effects.

• Ce médicament diminue votre protection naturelle contre les infections. Il est important de vous protéger contre les maladies graves en vous faisant vacciner par votre médecin. Si vous vivez avec d'autres personnes, elles peuvent également contribuer à vous protéger en se faisant vacciner.

• Certains vaccins peuvent ne pas convenir aux personnes dont le système immunitaire est affaibli. Informez toujours la personne qui vous vaccine que vous prenez ce médicament.

• Your doctor will have discussed with you the possibility of a slightly increased risk of cancer (particularly skin cancer) associated with immunosuppressants like tacrolimus. Do not use sunbeds, and avoid strong sunlight or use a sun cream with a high sun protection factor (SPF of at least 15).

• If you buy any medicines or herbal remedies, check with your doctor or a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take. This is because tacrolimus interferes with the way a number of other medicines work, and vice versa. Also, some anti-inflammatory painkillers which can be bought over-the-counter increase the risk of side-effects from tacrolimus and should be avoided.

• If you have diabetes mellitus this medicine may affect your blood sugar levels. Test your urine or blood regularly and report any extreme changes to your doctor.

• You should avoid becoming pregnant while you are taking tacrolimus. Make sure you have discussed with your doctor which types of contraception are suitable for you and your partner.

• If you are having an operation or any dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking tacrolimus.

Can tacrolimus cause problems?

Your doctor will have discussed with you the possibility of unwanted side-effects and how you will be regularly checked for signs of these. You will also have been told that you may become more prone to infections. Some of the more common unwanted effects of tacrolimus are listed below. Let your doctor know if any of the following continue or become troublesome, or if you experience any other symptoms which you are concerned about or think may be due to the medicine.

How to store tacrolimus

• Conservez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.

Informations importantes sur tous les médicaments