What class of drug is mycophenolate CellCept?
Asked by: Dr. Antwon Brakus Sr. | Last update: August 19, 2023Score: 4.1/5 (20 votes)
The drug mycophenolate is in a class of medications called immunosuppressive agents. It works by weakening the body's immune system so it will not attack and reject a transplanted organ.
What classification is mycophenolate CellCept?
Mycophenolate (Myfortic) is used with other medications to help prevent the body from rejecting kidney transplants in adults and children 5 years of age and older. Mycophenolate is in a class of medications called immunosuppressive agents.
What drug family is CellCept in?
It belongs to a class of medications called immunosuppressants. It works by weakening your body's defense system (immune system) to help your body accept the new organ as if it were your own.
What category class is mycophenolate mofetil?
Mycophenolate belongs to a group of medicines known as immunosuppressive agents.
Is CellCept a form of chemotherapy?
No, mycophenolate (CellCept) is not chemotherapy. Medications known as chemotherapy work by stopping the growth of fast growing cancer cells. Mycophenolate (CellCept) works on lymphocytes (white blood cells) to lower the activity of your immune system.
Mycophenolic Acid - Mycophenolate (organ transplant and DMARD) - mechanism of action, side effects
How long do you stay on CellCept?
Organ rejection can happen within days or weeks of the transplant. However, it can also happen several years after the transplant. For this reason, it's important to keep taking CellCept and other antirejection drugs for as long as your doctor prescribes them.
Why would someone be on CellCept?
CellCept® (mycophenolate mofetil) is a prescription medicine to prevent rejection (antirejection medicine) in people who have received a kidney, heart or liver transplant. Rejection is when the body's immune system perceives the new organ as a “foreign” threat and attacks it.
What drugs should not be taken with mycophenolate?
Certain products may make it harder for your body to absorb mycophenolate if they are taken at the same time. Do not take this medication at the same time as antacids containing aluminum and/or magnesium, cholestyramine, colestipol, or calcium-free phosphate binders (such as aluminum products, lanthanum, sevelamer).
What is the difference between CellCept and mycophenolate?
Mycophenolate (CellCept) is a medication that works on the immune system to prevent rejection after a kidney, heart, or liver transplant. Mycophenolic acid (Myfortic) is a medication that works on the immune system to prevent rejection after a kidney transplant.
What are the side effects of mycophenolate?
- Black, tarry stools.
- bladder pain.
- bleeding gums.
- bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet.
- blood in the urine or stools.
- bloody or cloudy urine.
- blurred vision.
- burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings.
Does mycophenolate cause memory loss?
Tell your doctor if you experience vision problems, loss of coordination or memory loss, which could be signs Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a potential complication of taking mycophenolate. If you become pregnant, tell your doctor immediately.
What is the difference between prednisone and CellCept?
CellCept and prednisone belong to different drug classes. CellCept is an immunosuppressive agent and prednisone is a glucocorticoid. Side effects of CellCept and prednisone that are similar include nausea, headache, vomiting, and trouble sleeping (insomnia).
Does CellCept make you immunocompromised?
Risk of Serious Infection
They might be more prone to certain infections that would not affect someone with a normal immune system. There is also a risk that a viral infection that had been dormant in the body (like hepatitis B) might become active. These risks are part of taking immunosuppressive medications.
What drugs interact with CellCept?
- acyclovir.
- antacids containing magnesium and aluminum.
- azathioprine.
- baricitinib.
- BCG.
- calcium carbonate.
- cholestyramine.
- cladribine.
Does CellCept cause anxiety?
Common side effects of CellCept include: asthma, herpes simplex infection, infection, metabolic acidosis, oral candidiasis, pleural effusion, respiratory tract infection, systemic cytomegalovirus disease, urinary tract infection, viremia, abdominal pain, acne vulgaris, anemia, anxiety, asthenia, back pain, ...
How safe is CellCept?
People who take CellCept have a higher risk of getting lymphoma, and other cancers, especially skin cancer. Tell your doctor if you have: unexplained fever, prolonged tiredness, weight loss or lymph node swelling. a brown or black skin lesion with uneven borders, or one part of the lesion does not look like the other.
How quickly will CellCept work?
The normal dose of Mycophenolate is between 500 and 1500 mg twice per day. It takes 6 to 12 weeks for the Mycophenolate to start working. It is important for patients starting this medicine to keep taking it as prescribed.
What is the success rate of mycophenolate?
After 3 to 6 months of mycophenolate treatment, 66 of 73 patients had stable (n = 22) or improved (n = 44) disease. After 9 to 12 months of treatment, 47 of 54 patients had stable (n = 14) or improved (n = 33) disease. Twenty-seven patients (35%) achieved disease remission at completion of the study.
Why can't you touch mycophenolate?
Mycophenolate may be absorbed through the skin and cause unwanted effects over time. Wash hands well after coming into contact with mycophenolate.
What is the warning for mycophenolate?
Mycophenolate may cause pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). This is a very rare condition where the body no longer makes red blood cells and the patient has severe anemia. Check with your doctor right away if you have a fever and sore throat, pale skin, unusual bleeding or bruising, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Why can't you take mycophenolate with food?
Food affects how the body absorbs mycophenolate. To keep the blood levels of mycophenolate the same, you should always take mycophenolate the same way, either with food or without food. If you throw up after: less than 30 minutes: repeat the full mycophenolate dose (repeat the dose only once)
Does CellCept affect the brain?
This medication may increase your risk of getting a rare but very serious (possibly fatal) brain infection (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy-PML).
What precautions should be taken while taking CellCept?
Patients should avoid inhalation or contact of the skin or mucous membranes with the powder contained in CELLCEPT capsules and oral suspension. If such contact occurs, they must wash the area of contact thoroughly with soap and water. In case of ocular contact, rinse eyes with plain water.
What symptoms does CellCept treat?
Mycophenolate has been used to treat people with lupus (especially those with symptoms of kidney disease), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), vasculitis, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, inflammatory eye disease (such as uveitis [iritis] and scleritis), and some other kidney and skin disorders.