home > drugs a-z list > neoral (cyclosporine) drug center > neoral (cyclosporine) drug - patient avoid while taking

In this Article

• What is cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• What are the possible side effects of cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• What is the most important information I should know about cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• What should I discuss with my health care provider before taking cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• How should I take cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• What happens if I miss a dose (Neoral)?
• What happens if I overdose (Neoral)?
• What should I avoid while taking cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• What other drugs will affect cyclosporine (Neoral)?
• Where can I get more information?

What happens if I miss a dose (Neoral)?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to take the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose (Neoral)?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, pain in your upper stomach, loss of appetite, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), and urinating less than usual or not at all.

What should I avoid while taking cyclosporine (Neoral)?

Avoid exposure to sunlight, sunlamps, or tanning beds. Cyclosporine can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, and a sunburn may result. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) when you are outdoors.

If you are being treated for psoriasis, you should not receive light therapy (PUVA or UVB) or radiation treatments while you are receiving cyclosporine. Make sure all doctors involved in your care know you are taking cyclosporine.

Do not receive a "live" vaccine while you are being treated with cyclosporine. The live vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from disease.

Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice. Grapefruit may interact with cyclosporine and increase your blood levels of this medication.

What other drugs will affect cyclosporine (Neoral)?

Many drugs can interact with cyclosporine. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor about all other medications you are using, especially:

• etoposide (VePesid, Etopophos);
• lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);
• methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall);
• nefazodone;
• repaglinide (Prandin);
• St. John's wort;
• an ACE inhibitor such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), or trandolapril (Mavik);
• a heart or blood pressure medication such as candesartan (Atacand), eprosartan (Teveten), irbesartan (Avapro, Avalide), losartan (Cozaar, Hyzaar), valsartan (Diovan), telmisartan (Micardis), or olmesartan (Benicar);
• medicines used to treat ulcerative colitis, such as mesalamine (Pentasa) or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine);
• other medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as sirolimus (Rapamune) or tacrolimus (Prograf);
• pain or arthritis medicines such as aspirin (Anacin, Excedrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), diclofenac (Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and others;
• IV antibiotics such as amphotericin B (Fungizone, AmBisome, Amphotec, Abelcet), amikacin (Amikin), bacitracin (Baci-IM), capreomycin (Capastat), gentamicin (Garamycin), kanamycin (Kantrex), streptomycin, or vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled);
• antiviral medicines such as adefovir (Hepsera), cidofovir (Vistide), or foscarnet (Foscavir); or
• cancer medicine such as aldesleukin (Proleukin), carmustine (BiCNU, Gliadel), cisplatin (Platinol), ifosfamide (Ifex), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), streptozocin (Zanosar), or tretinoin (Vesanoid).

This list is not complete and there are many other medicines that can cause serious medical problems if you take them together with cyclosporine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about cyclosporine.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2010 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 4.01. Revision date: 11/12/2009.

Your use of the content provided in this service indicates that you have read,understood and agree to the End-User License Agreement,which can be accessed by clicking on this link.