[huntress]

Hi all. Well neuro believes Rituxan did little for me. He is taking me off azathioprine which it has been 15 months for me and its not working. So he has me starting 200mg Cyclosporin. Dropping azathioprine cold turkey. Anyone take cyclosporin and thing I am worried about. Swollen gums what are your experiences with it? Thanks.

[catie]

Originally Posted by huntress

Hi all. Well neuro believes Rituxan did little for me. He is taking me off azathioprine which it has been 15 months for me and its not working. So he has me starting 200mg Cyclosporin. Dropping azathioprine cold turkey. Anyone take cyclosporin and thing I am worried about. Swollen gums what are your experiences with it? Thanks.

Hi,
I've been on Cyclosporine for about 2 1/2 years. It's kept my symptoms to a minimum except for my double vision. I did much better with prednisone added to my cyclosporine, but was successfully weaned off of pred in March and don't really want to go back on it, so I just deal with a few more symptoms.

Blood levels should be checked at least monthly and more often when you first start on Cyclo. It's important for the neuro to especially monitor your kidney function and blood pressure as Cyclosporine has been known to adversely affect both.

I have not had any problems with swollen gums but the list of side effects is long. In fact, my neuro said that Cyclosporine is usually tried after other medication options have been exhausted since there are a lot of side effects and lab values have to be monitored so closely.

I hope you have some success with the Cyclosporine. It sounds like you have been on a few other drugs without much success.

Cate

[AnnieB3]

I haven't had experience with it, but I wanted to wish you well. Make sure you discuss your concerns with both your neuro and internist (who can do those blood tests to check on your immune system and liver/kidneys).

Annie

[huntress]

Thanks. I start them tomorrow. Hoping for good results. Will keep updating on any side effects or such. If this doesn't help thmectomy is next.