Liver transplant medication education

All patients who get a liver transplant need to take medicine each day for the rest of their life. This change may seem challenging, but it gets easier and becomes part of your daily routine through three key ideas: consistency, compliance, and communication.

Liver rejection and medicine

As a liver transplant patient, your immune system sees your new liver as a foreign object and will try to get rid of it, also called organ rejection. To prevent organ rejection, you must take immunosuppressants (anti-rejection medicine) to lower your immune system. 

A lower immune system means you will also be at higher risk for infections. It is a balance between lowering your immune system to avoid rejection and minimizing the risk for infections.

Your anti-rejection medicine plan will likely change over time, but compliance is key. This includes your medicines, immunizations, and regular appointments. 

Other medicines can interfere with your anti-rejection medicine, including over-the-counter drugs, foods, supplements, and teas. Check your medication teaching sheet for specific dosages, special instructions, and possible side effects or all your medicines.

Most common anti-rejection medicines 

These are generic names of medicines. They may be called by a different brand name. 

• Tacrolimus (Prograf)
• Tacrolimus long acting (Envarsus XR)
• Mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept)
• Mycophenolate sodium (Myfortic)
• Prednisone (Deltasone)

Common side effects

• Shaking and tremors (tacrolimus)
• Diarrhea (mycophenolate)
• Impacts to your mood, blood pressure, or appetite (prednisone)

Immunization compliance

Immunizations are key for your health, but liver transplant patients need to make some changes to how and when they get immunizations.

• Do not get immunizations for at least three to six months post-transplant.
• Avoid all live virus immunizations (i.e., chicken pox vaccine) for as long as you are on anti-rejection medicine.