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Prograf® serum level
- Question
- Hello,
I have been transplanted with the living-kidney of my wife in 2009, everything went fine.
My serum level of Prograf® (substance: tacrolimus) was always around 7 in the last month with 1.5/1.0, now we reduced to 1.0/1.0.
I have been on holiday (Tenerife) and got strong cough and took an expectorant.
Now the serum level decreased suddenly to 2.5. Have increased again to 1.5/1.5. Why does the serum level decreases suddenly so strongly? - Answer
- Dear questioner,
PD Dr. Jens Gottlieb from the medical school Hannover answered your question as follows:
"The most imporant immunosuppressive drugs, such as e.g. Prograf® (tacrolimus) are metabolized in the liver via the so-called cytochrome-system. Many other drugs also use this way of metabolism and are like this capable of inhibiting or activating the metabolizing system. Therefore, newly prescribed drugs have always to be discussed with the transplantation physicians if such interactions exist, as the serum level of tacrolimus can decrease stronly or increase by this. However, also other influence factors are possible disturbing factors such as composition of food and changes in the interval between tablet intake and meal."
Yours sincerely,
Annette Pfalz for ECORN-CF - 23.04.2013
