US Brand Names
Description
Tacrolimus belongs to a group of medicines
Libitol known as immunosuppressive agents. It is used to lower the body's natural immunity in patients who receive organ (for example, kidney, liver, pancreas, lung, and heart) transplants.
When a patient receives an organ transplant, the body's white blood cells will try to get rid of (reject) the transplanted organ. Tacrolimus works by preventing the white blood cells from getting rid of the transplanted organ.
Tacrolimus may also be used for other indications, as determined by your doctor.
Tacrolimus is a very strong medicine. It can cause side effects that can be very serious, such as kidney problems. It may also reduce the body's ability to fight infections. You and your doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.
Tacrolimus is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although not specifically included in the product labeling, tacrolimus is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
- Bone marrow transplantation
- Uveitis, severe, refractory (an eye condition)
For patients receiving bone marrow transplantation, tacrolimus may work by preventing the cells from the transplanted bone marrow from attacking the cells of the patient. The dose of tacrolimus for patients receiving bone marrow transplantation is based on body weight. The usual dose is 0.12 to 0.3 mg per kg (0.05 to 0.14 mg per pound) of body weight a day for patients taking tacrolimus by mouth, and 0.04 to 0.1 mg per kg (0.018 to 0.045 mg per pound) of body weight a day for patients receiving tacrolimus by injection.
The dose of tacrolimus for patients with severe, refractory uveitis is based on body weight. For severe, refractory uveitis, the usual dose is 0.1 to 0.15 mg per kg (0.045 to 0.068 mg per pound) of body weight a day.
Before Using
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Pediatric
This medicine does not cause different types of side effects or problems in children than it does in adults, although some side effects may occur more or less often than they do in adult patients.
Geriatric
There is no specific information comparing the use of tacrolimus in the elderly with the use in other age groups. Tacrolimus is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults. However, older patients may need lower doses of tacrolimus.
Pregnancy
| Pregnancy Category | Explanation |
|---|
| All Trimesters | C | Animal studies have shown an adverse effect and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women OR no animal studies have been conducted and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women. |
Breastfeeding
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.
Drug Interactions
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aceclofenac
- Acemetacin
- Alclofenac
- Amikacin
- Amiloride
- Amiodarone
- Apazone
- Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live
- Basiliximab
- Benoxaprofen
- Bromfenac
- Bufexamac
- Carbamazepine
- Carprofen
- Caspofungin
- Cisplatin
- Clometacin
- Clonixin
- Colchicine
- Cyclosporine
- Darunavir
- Dexketoprofen
- Dibekacin
- Diclofenac
- Diflunisal
- Dipyrone
- Droxicam
- Efavirenz
- Etodolac
- Etofenamate
- Etravirine
- Felbinac
- Fenbufen
- Fenoprofen
- Fentiazac
- Floctafenine
- Flufenamic Acid
- Flurbiprofen
- Gentamicin
- Ibuprofen
- Indomethacin
- Indoprofen
- Isoxicam
- Itraconazole
- Kanamycin
- Ketoprofen
- Ketorolac
- Lornoxicam
- Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
- Meclofenamate
- Mefenamic Acid
- Meloxicam
- Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live
- Nabumetone
- Naproxen
- Nefazodone
- Nelfinavir
- Neomycin
- Netilmicin
- Niflumic Acid
- Nimesulide
- Oxaprozin
- Oxyphenbutazone
- Pazopanib
- Phenobarbital
- Phenylbutazone
- Phenytoin
- Pirazolac
- Piroxicam
- Pirprofen
- Poliovirus Vaccine, Live
- Posaconazole
- Propyphenazone
- Proquazone
- Rifabutin
- Rifampin
- Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
- Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
- Sirolimus
- Smallpox Vaccine
- Spironolactone
- St John's Wort
- Streptomycin
- Sulindac
- Suprofen
- Telaprevir
- Tenidap
- Tenofovir
- Tenoxicam
- Tiaprofenic Acid
- Tobramycin
- Tolmetin
- Triamterene
- Typhoid Vaccine
- Varicella Virus Vaccine
- Vemurafenib
- Voriconazole
- Yellow Fever Vaccine
- Zomepirac
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aluminum Carbonate, Basic
- Aluminum Hydroxide
- Aluminum Phosphate
- Amprenavir
- Chloramphenicol
- Clarithromycin
- Clotrimazole
- Dalfopristin
- Danazol
- Dihydroxyaluminum Aminoacetate
- Dihydroxyaluminum Sodium Carbonate
- Diltiazem
- Erythromycin
- Fluconazole
- Fosphenytoin
- Ketoconazole
- Magnesium Carbonate
- Magnesium Hydroxide
- Magnesium Oxide
- Magnesium Trisilicate
- Metoclopramide
- Metronidazole
- Mibefradil
- Nevirapine
- Nifedipine
- Quinupristin
- Rifapentine
- Ritonavir
- Saquinavir
- Schisandra sphenanthera
- Theophylline
Other Interactions
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.
Other Medical Problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Cancer—Tacrolimus can make this condition worse.
- Chickenpox (including recent exposure) or
- Herpes zoster (shingles)—The risk of severe disease affecting other parts of the body may be increased.
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)—Tacrolimus can increase the amount of sugar in the blood.
- Hepatitis or
- Kidney disease or
- Liver disease—Tacrolimus can have harmful effects on the kidney in patients with these conditions; a lower dose of tacrolimus may be needed in patients with these conditions.
- Hyperkalemia (high amount of potassium in the blood) or
- Nervous system problems—Tacrolimus can make these conditions worse.
- Infection—Tacrolimus decreases the body's ability to fight infection.
