Purpose: Helps prevent rejection. Administered for the child’s lifetime.
Side effects: High blood pressure, high blood sugar, trembling, shaking hands, kidney dysfunction, headaches, increased susceptibility to infection, nausea, diarrhea, high potassium levels, hair loss, sleep disturbances and lymphoproliferative disorder
Administration: Comes in capsule or liquid form. Must be given within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. Must be given the same way each dose and on an empty stomach. Your child may not eat 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after taking Prograf. If your child is on tube feeding, you must stop the tube feedings one hour before and not resume until one hour after giving Prograf. The medication may not be taken with grapefruit juice, as this interferes with the absorption of the medication. If your child vomits within 30 minutes after the dose, the entire dose must be given again. If your child vomits 30 minutes to one hour after the dose, one half of the dose must be given again. If your child vomits more than one hour after the dose, there is no need to give the dose again.