What is Cyclosporine?
Cyclosporine is another immunosuppressant drug that was originally and is still used extensively for preventing rejection of organ transplants such as kidney and liver transplants. Though initial hopes were high that it would be a very good drug for severe and complicated CD the results have been somewhat disappointing. In severe CD particularly complicated by fistulas there is data that high dose intravenous cyclosporine may be useful in the short term. Low dose therapy for maintenance of remission does not seem to be effective and has unacceptable side effects. In severe UC, particularly when a patient is on the threshold of requiring urgent surgery there has been some success with cyclosporine in inducing a remission. These patients are generally treated simulataneously with high dose steroids also and are started on 6-MP or azathioprine also. After 3-6 months of therapy, when 6-MP or azathioprine has hopefully become effective, cyclosporine is stopped and simultaneously steroids ar
