Cyclosporin is a drug which is used in the case of organ transplants. The drug is primarily administered to prevent the body from rejecting the transplanted organ. The drug may also be used to treat patients whose organs have been rejected by the body.
A cyclosporine test is conducted in order to test the amount of the drug present in the blood stream of the patient. The test may be performed in order to ascertain whether the concentration of the drug in the blood stream has reached therapeutic levels or not. Those who show the drug concentrations to be lower than what is required, may need to take more of the drug. For those, whose blood concentration of the drug is more than required, toxicity from the drug may be possible.
If the patient is receiving certain other drugs, the ingested level of cyclosporine may not translate into the concentration of the drug present in the blood stream. A test may be able to make a correlation between the two drugs.
The drug may not be completely metabolized by the body. In this case, the concentrations of the drug in the blood stream may need to be monitored in order to increase or decrease the dose. If there are side effects from the cyclosporine drug, blood levels may have to be monitored closely so that further side effects may be avoided.
The cyclosproin blood test is usually recommended at the beginning of any therapy. At that time, the test may be administered daily so that a dosing regimen can be established. Once the dosage is established, the frequency of the testing may be decreased and eventually the test may be taken only once every 1-2 months.
Immediately after the transplant, the dosage will be rather high. If the therapy is long term, in due course of time, the dosage may be decreased. If the dosage is changed, a fresh test is taken to ascertain the effect of the dosage. This may happen every time the dosage is changed.
There is not particular therapeutic range of the drug. This completely depends on the kind of transplant performed and the method used to measure the drug. Whole blood samples are usually taken for this test. The blood is drawn at least 12 hours after a dose. Blood may also be drawn for the test about 12 hours before the test. In case you are suffering from cyclosporine toxicity, blood tests are done immediately to prevent further delay.