Vomiting tacrolimus

The principal adverse reactions of tacrolimus are tremor, headache, diarrhea, hypertension, nausea, and renal dysfunction. Other reactions may include insomnia, paresthesia, constipation, anorexia, vomiting, anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, hyperglycemia, dyspnea, pruritus, rash, abdominal pain, fever, asthenia, back pain,... 

Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant that inhibits T-cell activation, is a useful alternative in severe recalcitrant psoriasis. Although it is not FDA approved for this indication, patients have received oral doses of 0.05 mg/kg daily, with increases up to 0.15 mg/kg daily, depending on results. Adverse effects include diarrhea, nausea, paresthesias, hypertension, tremor, and insomnia. Methotrexate, an antimetabolite, is indicated for moderate to severe psoriasis. It is particularly beneficial for psoriatic arthritis. It is also indicated for patients refractory to topical or UV therapy. Methotrexate can he administered orally, subcutaneously, or intramuscularly. The starting dose is 7.5 to 15 mg per week, increased incrementally by 2.5 mg every 2 to 4 weeks until response maximal doses are approximately 25 mg/wk. Adverse effects include nausea, vomiting, mucosal ulceration, stomatitis, malaise, headache, macrocytic anemia, and hepatic and pulmonary toxicity. Nausea and macrocytic anemia can be ameliorated by giving oral fohc acid 1 to 5 mg/day. Methotrexate should be avoided in patients with active infections and in those with liver disease. It is contraindicated in pregnancy because it is teratogenic. 

One month after transplantation, a 19-year-old man who was taking tacrolimus, azathioprine, and prednisone, developed nausea and vomiting. He reported a 2-week history of painful spontaneous penile erections lasting 2-3 minutes and had had no previous episodes of priapism. An episode of spontaneous erection was confirmed during a medical examination that found no physical abnormalities. The tacrolimus blood concentration was 28 ng/ml. The digestive symptoms and priapism resolved after the tacrolimus concentration had fallen. Sickle cell disease was ruled out. 

The principal toxicities of mycophenolate are gastrointestinal and hematologic. These include leukopenia, diarrhea, and vomiting. There also is an increased incidence of some infections, especially sepsis associated with cytomegalovirus. Tacrolimus in combination with mycophenolate mofetil has been associated with devastating viral infections including polyoma nephritis. 

Observational studies In a retrospective study in 42 patients who took tacrolimus for a mean of 288 days, tacrolimus was withdrawn in 28 patients, because of adverse reactions in 21 cases [72 ]. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common adverse reactions (19/42 patients), followed by infections and hyperglycemia, nausea and vomiting led to withdrawal in seven... 

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