Multi-Organ Transplant

Transplant Pharmacy - Managing Your Medications

Why do I need my blood work monitored?

Blood tests help your transplant team to determine the dose of anti-rejection medication that is best for you. Anti-rejection drugs can be absorbed differently by each patient which makes it very difficult to predict what dose you will need. With blood tests, your transplant team will monitor the amount of medication in your body and adjust the dose up or down accordingly.

If your blood level of anti-rejection medication is too high, you may be at increased risk of side effects and your transplant team will lower your dose. If your blood level is too low, you may be at increased risk of rejection and your transplant team will increase your dose. The goal is to find the best dose for you in order to maximize the benefits of these medications while minimizing the side effects. Medications which usually require blood level monitoring include cyclosporine (Neoral^®), tacrolimus (Prograf^®or Advagraf^®) and sirolimus (Rapamune^®).

Regular blood tests are also important to help your transplant team determine if there are any problems with your new organ. As well as checking levels of medication, blood tests can also help your transplant team to look for signs of rejection, infection, dehydration and preventable side effects.

The timing of bloodwork is critical. Blood tests must be done at a specific time of the day in relation to when you take your medication. Bloodwork done at the wrong time will not be helpful and in some cases could even be dangerous if it results in improper dose adjustments or failure to adjust a dose. Always follow the instructions provided to you by your transplant team regarding the timing of your bloodwork.

Your transplant team will leave you a message on Easy Call to let you know if you need to change your dose of medication based on your blood level results.

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