Cyclosporine and zinc

[tamirra]

Hi, could anybody please tell me if taking the two medications above will interact with each other, as my daughter has been told by the hospital to take zinc while on cyclosporine but reading online on the interactions website it says not to take them both together as zinc supports the immune system whereas cyclosporine decreases it. Any info appreciated. Thank you

[bednobs]

hi, do you know why she has been told to take zinc? is it because she has low zinc levels?

[rowanwitch]

The immune system is very complex...and it may be that zinc supports a factor that is not supressed by cyclosporine... it may be she has become deficient in which case it might be important to take a small amount for a short while .Perhaps it is worth checking with the hospital and asking them be honest and admit to checking it out... and asking why it has been prescribed

[tamirra]

Morning, yes my daughter suffers from Behcet`s disease and they cant get it into remission like most patients are, when we took her to a and e yesterday the 1st thing the doctor asked was " are you teking zinc " and when she answered no he was very surprised, thats what makes me ask?

[bednobs]

well i would hardly call that being told to take zinc by the hospital.
if your daughter's consultant thinks that zinc would be helpful then she/he will prescribe if for her i would have thought. Given that an A and E docotr is extremely unlikely to be an expert in auto immune diseases, personally i would go for the opinion of the consultant

[tamirra]

Bednobs he knew a lot about the illness unlike most people, all the patients he sees at his normal practice hospital being the Imperial hospital in London, the 1st thing he does is puts them on zinc, he was just at our hospital yesterday as a locem, he told us quite a bit that we didnt know, my daughter is asking her specialist today when she comes round.