If you have had an organ transplant, you may take CellCept, the brand name for mycophenolate mofetil, a medication used to prevent organ rejection. Because your immune system recognizes the new organ as a foreign substance, it will reject the new organ unless you take medications that suppress the immune system. Calcium supplements can affect the absorption of CellCept, which could have dangerous consequences after a transplant.
Interactions
Calcium citrate, a form of calcium often taken as an antacid as well as a calcium supplement, interferes with CellCept absorption if you take them within the same time frame. It's not known exactly why this happens, but it could be because the increase in gastric pH caused by decreased acid production may increase the solubility of CellCept, which results in less absorption, the Drugs.com website explains.
Effects
If you don't get your full dose of CellCept, your immune system may start to reject the transplanted organ. You won't notice any effects immediately, but over time you may notice less urine production if you had a kidney transplant, jaundice, tiredness or bleeding problems if you had a liver transplant or extreme fatigue and shortness of breath if you've had a heart transplant. Lung transplant patients may have cough, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Blood tests may indicate signs of kidney, liver or heart damage, depending on what type of transplant you've had. A biopsy, which involves removing a piece of the transplanted organ, can check whether the cells show signs of rejection.
Complications
Getting less CellCept than you need to prevent rejection can lead to cell death in the transplanted organ.If organ rejection progresses to the point where a large number of cells have been damaged, you may need to undergo another transplant to survive. If rejection is diagnosed quickly enough, the organ may be saved by increasing doses of immuno-suppressive medications.
Prevention
To prevent calcium carbonate supplements from interfering with CellCept and decreasing the absorption, take calcium at least one hour before or two hours after your CellCept dose, Brigham and Women's Hospital recommends. Always notify your transplant center promptly if you notice any signs of rejection.
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