What is the dosage and how should it be used?
This medication is given by injection or taken orally.
Take cyclosporin exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist to explain them to you.
Take cyclosporin at the same time(s) each day and in the same relation to meals. For example, take your medication always with a meal, always 1 hour before a meal, or always 1 hour after a meal. Food can alter the amount of cyclosporin that gets absorbed into your body, and it is important to keep your routine as consistent as possible. Take each dose with a full glass of water.
The Sandimmune® oral solution can be mixed with milk, chocolate milk, or orange juice at room temperature. The Neoral® oral solution can be mixed with apple or orange juice at room temperature - it should not be mixed with milk. To regulate your doses, try to mix your medication with the same beverage as often as possible. Measure the required amount with the syringe provided, then transfer it to the beverage. Use a glass container, not a plastic one, to hold the mixture. Stir well, then drink the mixture immediately. Do not allow it to stand. Put some more of the beverage into the same glass, swirl it around, and drink this too. This process will ensure that you get all of the cyclosporin that is prescribed for you.
To ensure that you get a correct dose, measure the liquid form of cyclosporin with the syringe provided. Do not rinse the syringe before or after use. Even the smallest bit of water will alter the dose of cyclosporin that you measure, and variations in the dose could become dangerous. If the syringe needs to be rinsed, be sure that it is completely dried before measuring a dose.
Do not mix Sandimmune® or Neoral® with grapefruit juice unless specifically directed otherwise by your doctor. Cyclosporin can interact with grapefruit and grapefruit juice and the interaction may have dangerous effects. You should discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor.
Furthermore, your doctor will probably want you to have regularly scheduled blood tests and other medical evaluations during treatment with cyclosporin to monitor progress and side effects.
Please note that although Sandimmune® and Neoral® are both brands of cyclosporin, they do not provide equivalent doses. Do not switch brands of this medication without first talking to your doctor. A dosage adjustment is necessary when you switch brands.
Why is this medication prescribed?
What special precautions should I follow?
What should I do if I forget a dose?
What side effects can this medication cause?