Cyclosporine

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.At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
To determine the concentration of cyclosporine in your blood in order to establish a dosing regimen, maintain therapeutic levels, and detect toxic levels
When To Get Tested?
As soon as cyclosporine therapy begins, usually daily or 2-3 times a week, and periodically after that as the dose is adjusted or maintained
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm
Test Preparation Needed?
None. Typically a trough level is monitored. A trough level is the lowest concentration reached by a drug before the next dose is administered. For example, if cyclosporine is given twice a day, a blood sample is usually drawn 12 hours after the last dose, before a new dose is given. On mornings when you are scheduled to have your cyclosporine level checked, do not take the medicine until after your blood is drawn.
What is being tested?
Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant drug used to reduce the body’s natural defenses. This test measures the amount of cyclosporine in the blood.
When people undergo an organ transplant, their immune system recognizes the graft as “foreign” and will begin to attack it just as it would any invasive bacteria or virus. Cyclosporine diminishes the ability of certain white blood cells in the immune system to respond to this foreign tissue. The transplanted organ then has a better chance of survival and will not be as easily rejected by the transplant recipient’s immune system. Cyclosporine is used routinely in the transplantation of kidney, heart, liver, and other organs.
The immunosuppressant qualities of cyclosporine have also been found to be useful in treating symptoms of some autoimmune and other disorders. These conditions are characterized by the immune system reacting to the body’s own cells or tissue. Cyclosporine helps to control the immune response in these cases, decreasing the severity of symptoms. Some examples of these conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, aplastic anemia, and Crohn disease.
When the symptoms in these cases are judged to be severe, extensive, and disabling, cyclosporine may be prescribed. Usually, the symptoms have not diminished with other treatments or medications. Cyclosporine is used with caution in these cases and needs to be carefully monitored with blood tests.
Testing cyclosporine levels in the blood can help ensure that drug levels are in a range that will be therapeutic. If the level is too low, organ rejection may occur (in the case of transplantation) or symptoms may reappear (autoimmune cases). It is also important to ensure that the level is not too high and will not result in toxicity.
Common Questions
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
2018 review performed by Hui Li, PhD, DABCC, FACB, FCACB, Clinical Chemist, Dynacare.
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