Mofetil Side Effects

According to Brown University, doctors perform between 2,000 and 3,000 organ transplants each month in the United States. One of the largest risks of organ transplantation is that of organ rejection, where your immune system perceives your new organ as a foreign threat and targets it for destruction. In order to mitigate the effects of organ rejection, doctors frequently rely upon immunosuppressant therapies, including the prescription drug CellCept or mycophenolate mofetil. Despite its effectiveness, mycophenolate mofetil is not for everyone as it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.

Common Side Effects

• Gastrointestinal side effects are common while taking mycophenolate mofetil, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn, constipation and stomach pain. Many patients develop leukopenia or a decreased level of infection-fighting white blood cells due to the immunosuppressive effects of mycophenolate mofetil. This makes patients more susceptible to bacterial, fungal, viral and protozoal infections. Another common side effect of mycophenolate mofetil is a blood infection known as sepsis. Symptoms of sepsis include high fevers, heightened respiration and heart rates, decreased urination and shortness of breath.

Other Side Effects

• Mycophenolate mofetil also has the potential to cause a number of other annoying, but not dangerous, side effects. Neurological and sensory side effects of the drug include agitation, anxiety, confusion, depression, dry mouth, nervousness, nerve pain, drowsiness, dizziness, tingling in your extremities, blurred vision, eye or ear pain and ringing in your ears. Some patients report joint or muscle pain as well as leg cramps or spasms while taking mycophenolate mofetil. It is also possible to develop dermatological side effects like skin rash, itching, hair loss and increased sweating.

Drug Interactions

• There are some medications which produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with mycophenolate mofetil. For example, drugs like azathioprin, cyclosporine, tacrolimus and daclizumab further exacerbate immunosupression causing increased incidences of side effects from mycophenolate mofetil. Taking antibiotics lowers the effectiveness of mycophenolate mofetil, meaning that you may need to take higher doses of the drug. This, in turn, increases your risk of developing serious side effects from mycophenolate mofetil.

Risks

• In addition to minor side effects and the risk of interactions, mycophenolate mofetil has the potential to cause serious medical complications. Because the drug lowers your immune system capabilities, mycophenolate mofetil increases your risk of developing cancers like lymphoma and melanoma. In fact, lymphoma occurs in between .4 and 1 percent of users. Some patients who take mycophenolate mofetil develop a serious neurological condition called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, which is fatal in 50 percent of all cases. Additionally, mycophenolate mofetil sometimes causes diabetes mellitus, kidney or heart failure, angina, liver damage, convulsions, deafness and diseases of the thyroid or parathyroid.

Considerations

• Because mycophenolate mofetil causes toxic effects upon the fetus, doctors rarely prescribe the drops for pregnant women. Additionally, patients who are over 65 years of age are more susceptible to the side effects of mycophenolate mofetil than those who are younger. Because regular blood work plays an important role in detecting harmful side effects of mycophenolate mofetil, be sure to keep all appointments with your physician while taking the drug. Since your immune system becomes compromised while taking mycophenolate mofetil, try to avoid being around people who are sick whenever possible. Due to an increased risk of skin cancer, apply sunscreen and avoid tanning beds while taking mycophenolate mofetil.