Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule

What is Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule?

Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule contains Tacrolimus. It belongs to the group of medicines known as immunosuppressants. It is used with other medications to help prevent organ rejection in adults who had a kidney, liver, or heart transplant. Following an organ transplant, our immune system will try to reject the newly transplanted organ. This medicine controls our body’s immune system and enables it to accept the transplanted organ.

What Tacrolimus drug is used for?

Tacrolimus is sold under the brand name Prograf. It is manufactured in India by Biocon Limited. Tacrolimus is used along with other medications to prevent rejection ( attack of a transplanted organ by the immune system of a person receiving the organ) in people who have a kidney transplant. It is used along with other medicines to prevent rejection in people who have received a liver or heart transplant. It is in a class of medications called immunosuppressants. It works to decrease the activity of the immune system to prevent it from attacking the transplanted organ.

What is transplant rejection?

Rejection is a normal reaction of the body to a foreign object. When a new kidney is placed in a person’s body, the body sees the transplanted organ as a threat and tries to attack it. The immune system makes antibodies to try to kill the new organ, not realizing that the transplanted kidney is beneficial. 

To prevent rejection, medication must be given for the rest of your life to fight rejection. Each person is an individual, and each transplant prefers different medications. The anti-rejection medications are most commonly used to treat the rejection process.

What is a Kidney transplant?

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure that’s done to treat kidney failure. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on each side of the spine just below the rib cage. Each is about the size of a fist. Their main function is to filter and remove waste, minerals, and fluid from the blood by producing urine. 

People whose kidneys have failed may undergo a treatment called dialysis. This treatment filters waste that builds up in the bloodstream when the kidneys stop working. 

Some people whose kidneys have failed may undergo a kidney transplant. In this procedure, one or both kidneys are replaced with donor kidneys from a live or deceased person.

• What are the requirements of a kidney transplant?

Each hospital has its criteria but in general, candidates should have:

End-stage renal failure an be on dialysis

Late-stage chronic kidney disease

A life expectancy of at least five years

A full understanding of postoperative instructions and care.

What is a Liver transplant?

A liver transplant is a surgery to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. A whole liver may be transplanted, or just part of one. In most cases, a healthy liver will come from an organ donor who has just died. Sometimes a healthy living person will donate part of their liver whose blood is a good match. People who donate part of their liver can have a healthy life with the liver that is left.

Your liver is the largest internal organ and performs several critical functions including processing nutrients, producing bile, making proteins, removing bacteria, preventing infection, and regulating immune responses.

• What are the requirements of a liver transplant?

The minimum requirements for liver transplant are:

Signs of liver failure

Surgery and recovery

Risk of alcohol or drug abuse

Liver cancer 

Cirrhosis

What is a heart transplant?

A heart transplant is a surgery to remove the diseased heart from a person and replace it with a healthy one from an organ donor. To remove the heart from the donor, two or more healthcare providers declare the donor brain dead.

• What are the requirements of a heart transplant?

Some causes of heart transplant include:

Heart attack

Viral infection

High blood pressure

Heart valve disease

Irregular heartbeats

Heart defects

Alcoholism or drugs abuse

Chronic lung disease

Low red blood cell count

Heart muscle is enlarged

Taking Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule should take at least an hour before or two hours after a meal. You should take it on an empty stomach to get the most benefit. Take this medicine at around the same time every day. Before taking medicine consult your doctor. Dose and duration will be decided by the necessity and need of the patient. It depends on the treatment and may change from time to time. You should take medicine as per your doctor’s advice. This medicine is strictly not recommended for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. It takes some weeks and months to get a better result. Do not stop taking the medicine before your doctor’s advice.

Common side effects of this medicine include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, and difficulty sleeping. It lowers your immune system so you are more prone to infections. if these side effects become serious. Your doctor can prevent and give you relief from the side effects during the treatment. It makes you feel better.

The benefit of Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule

• In the treatment of prevention of transplantation rejection

Organ rejection occurs when the immune system attacks the organ donated and starts to destroy the transplanted organs. Tacrograf 0.5 mg Capsule is an immunosuppressant that produces its action by decreasing your body’s immune response following an organ transplant like liver, kidney, or heart. The use of this medicine helps your body to accept the new organ.

Side effects of Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule

Here are Some major and minor side effects of this medicine. But not all side effects need a doctor’s attention. If you observe any side effects become serious, You may consult your doctor.

Some of the common side effects of this medicine include:

Headache

Diarrhea

Dizziness

Nausea or vomiting

Swelling of feet or lower legs

Blurred vision

Sweating

Weight loss 

Back pain

Joint pain

Scaly skin

Loss of appetite

How is the Tacrograf 0.5mg Capsule taken?

TakeTacrograf 0.5mg Capsule should take at least an hour before or two hours after a meal. You should take it on an empty stomach to get the most benefit. Take this medicine at around the same time every day. Always take this medicine as per your doctor’s consultation. Dose and duration will decide your doctor. You are not allowed to crush, chew and break the medicine. Swallow it as a whole. Drink plenty of water. Do not miss the dose. If you miss a dose skip the missed dose and follow your schedule regularly on the next day. Do not double the dose. Take medicine every day on time as prescribed by your doctor. Much other medicine can affect this medicine so let your doctor know all medication you are using during the treatment.

How does the Tacrograf 0.5mg mg capsule work?

Tacrograf 0.5 mg Capsule prevents rejection by inhibiting T- lymphocyte cells and cytokines, specific cells of the immune system. This in turn controls our body’s immune response and enables it to accept the transplanted organ.