Immunosuppressive

What Are Immunosuppressants?

Immunosuppressants are drugs that regulate the immune system to work as normal.

Generally, your immune system is not only a fighter of infections but also an attacker of intruders like viruses, bacteria and cancerous cells. 

However, your immune system might be attacking body parts that are healthy by a mistake. 

Immunosuppressants shut down or delay this reaction. 

And immunosuppressants do reduce the immunity system, which makes you more prone to virus, bacterial and fungal infections.

Immunosuppressive agents are drugs that reduce the body's ability to reject a graft.

The term for these drugs is the anti-rejection drugs. 

There are 2 types of immunosuppressants:There are 2 types of immunosuppressants:

Induction drugs: The drug used in the transplantation process was very potent that helped in preventing the rejection of the organ.

Maintenance drugs: Anti-rejection medicines are used for the long-term therapy.

For instance, in the case of a mortgage loan, the down payment can be seen as the induction drug and the monthly payments as the maintenance drug. 

If this happens, the monthly payments will be lowered, just as for immunosuppression.

There are usually 4 classes of maintenance drugs:

Calcineurin Inhibitors: These are two immunosuppressive drugs which are commonly used to prevent organ rejection.

Antiproliferative agents: Mycophenolate Mofetil, Mycophenolate Sodium and Azathioprine are drugs used for the treatment of many immunologic disorders.

What Are Immunosuppressants Used For?

You are going to get new kidney during the kidney transplantation.

Your body will realize that the new kidney is a foreign object. 

The body will identify the new kidney as an enemy and start to destroy it. 

The immunosuppressant drugs are the ones that stop your body from fighting against the disease. 

The aim is to optimize the doses of these drugs in order to avoid rejection and to ensure the minimal side effects of these drugs.

Immunosuppression: Causes And Risk Factors

The immunosuppression is the situation in which your immune system cannot function as well as it should.

Immunosuppression may be associated with some diseases but it is also due to medications that suppress the immune system. 

Some medical procedures can also have immunosuppression side effects.

The immune system is made up of cells, tissues, and organs that fight infections and prevent them from occurring. 

The immune system, if not intact, might not be able to control even slight infections, thus leading to severe conditions and sometimes death.

Medication Causes

Among the list of medications that are used for reducing the inflammation, there are many.

Specific groups of drugs, referred to as immunosuppressants, stop the activity of particular parts of the immune system or the immune system itself.

Immunosuppressants are an important therapeutic class of drugs that are used for treating a vast spectrum of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases as well as to prevent transplant rejection in organ transplant recipients.

Does Everyone Who Gets A New Kidney Have To Take Immunosuppressants?

Almost everyone who has a transplant must do these drugs daily as prescribed.

If you receive a kidney from an identical twin, you may not have to take this immune-suppressing medicine. 

Not only failing to take a single dose can make you more likely to reject, but the same can be said of improperly taking the medication. 

With the exception of when your doctor or any other member of the health care team tells you to, you should never miss a dose. 

If you are not sure, you may consult your doctor. 

Moreover, you should wait to take your immunosuppressive medications after your blood is drawn when you are visiting the clinic.

You may find it difficult to take all your pills every day because of the large number of pills. 

You can do three things to help you remember your medicine:You can do three things to help you remember your medicine:

Learn the name of all medications you are taking and know what they are for. 

If you know your drugs well, there will be a decreased chance of you making a mistake by forgetting one.

Get a pill box or organizer. Now, you can set up a weekly pill box to the fullest extent.

After the schedule is set, only you need to take pills in each day and time according to the schedule.

Do your best to take your medication at the same time each day.

What Should I Do If I Miss A Dose?

Take it as soon as you remember and consult your doctor.

If the next dose is due, do not take extra pills.

Are There Any Signs Or Symptoms I Should Watch For?

Yes. If you are following the therapy every day, you might also experience rejection of the kidney transplant.

You need to be aware of your body fully. 

If you have any of the following, you should call your transplant center right away:

• an output of your urine falls.
• the fever that exceeds 100 degrees.
• new kidney's tenderness.
• bloody urine
• flu-like feelings

if your weight increases more than 3 pounds within 48 hours, this may be a sign of a serious condition.

It is likely that the transplant center will want you to have some blood tests and also additional tests. 

The long-term prognosis of your kidney transplant is mainly associated with a prolonged follow-up and a positive collaborative relationship between you and your transplant team.

Are There Any Side Effects From Taking These Drugs?

Yes. The risk of infections is an adverse reaction of these medicines.

This is more of a problem during the early period after a transplant or after rejection treatment since the dosage of steroids and other immunosuppressants is much higher at this time. 

You should call the transplant center if you have:

• a fever exceeding 100 degrees
• drainage from the surgical scar (which is the scar on your skin from the surgery)
• stinging as you pass your urine.
• a cold or cough that keeps coming back and will not go away.

The most common side effects of the immunosuppressant medicines are "gastric discomfort". 

If this is the case, then please check with your doctor to see if you can spread your medicine at different times to help with this problem.

In 6 months to a year after transplant, the dosage of immunosuppression drugs usually is reduced, which means the possibility of side effects is very low. 

In case you have any side effects, consult your transplant team in order to either reduce the dose of the medicine or switch to another one. 

Immune suppressant medication adjustment should only be done after consult with your transplant team.

Are There Other Medicines And Food That Can Act Against Immunosuppressants?

Yes. There are many other medicines, food and supplements that can change either the level of immunosuppressants or the level of immunosuppressants in the blood.

These are the most common ones: grapefruit juice, St. John's Wort, erythromycin, anti-TB drugs, medicines against seizures and common blood pressure medicines.