Immunosuppressive

What are immunosuppressants?

Immunosuppressants are a class of drugs that are given to your immune system so it does not attack healthy cells and tissues by mistake. Physicians and healthcare providers do prescribe immunosuppressants in order to treat some autoimmune diseases and to prevent organ or stem cell rejection. The above medication also increase your risk of infection as your immune system isn’t functioning well.

What is the use of immunosuppressants?

After transplanting your kidney, your body will recognize it as foreign (tissue not originally made for your body). The immune system will be the renegade among the organs, attacking the transplanted kidney and trying to spoil or destroy it. They work by impairing your body’s ability to recognize, and destroy these cells. The aim to be achieved is to modify these drugs in a way that would reduce the risk of rejection and side effects of the drugs.

What about individuals who just received a new kidney and to whom immunosuppressants need to be taken?

There are hardly any individuals who undergo a transplant without taking these drugs as directed by the doctor. But, in case of identical twins, if the new kidney comes from one of them, you may not be required to take them. The fact that you can miss even a single dose increases the likelihood for you to get rejected. The only time when you must not take the prescribed pill is when your doctor or any member of the health care team tells you so. If you are not sure that you should take it, please contact your physician. Another point to note is that during a clinic visit, you should not take your immunosuppressant drugs until your blood samples are drawn for clinical studies.

That’s because a vast number of pills you may be responsible to take daily, it’s really easy to forget one of the doses. You can do three things to help you remember your medicine:You can do three things to help you remember your medicine:

Know the name of every drug that you are on and what each does for you. If you are aware of all your medicines and the purpose they serve, you will be less likely to leave out one.

Try using a pill box or an organizer. Now you can plan your medication for the entire week beforehand. And after the week is organized, only popping pills at the right time and day is all you need to do.

Try to take your drugs on a regular basis in the same hour.