I started taking Cellcept 2 years ago during a very bad flare. I had tried taking it once before that, and had decided I didn't want to take it anymore and it was stopped. I got very sick while off of it, and within a year was on it again. At the time I was also on a very high dose of oral Medrol (steroid like Prednisone) and had just had a 3 day infusion of Methylprednisolone. I was very swollen, sick, couldn't walk, ect. I started on 250mg pills of the Cellcept, one in the morning and one at night.
When I first began taking Cellcept the first time this was the plan I followed:
Cellcept:
then take 2 tablets in am and one tablet in pm for one week;
then take two tablets twice a day for one week;
then take 3 tablets in am and 2 tablets in pm for one week;
then take 3 tablets twice a day for one week;
then take 4 tablets in am and 3 tablets in pm for one week;
then 4 tablets twice a day
When I started taking Cellcept the second time this is the plan that I followed:
- Begin cellcept 500 mg twice a day for 5 days;
then two tablets twice a day.
The most troublesome side effects I had while taking Cellcept were the stomach issues, which are very common. My stomach hurt, I felt very nauseous, and I had a lot of diarrhea when I first started taking it. This was especially fun because I was also on 32mg of Medrol and was really hungry! After being able to go down on the Medrol dose, and starting to adjust to the Cellcept things started getting back to "normal" (whatever that word means for us lol).
I want to stress to anyone reading this that its very important to understand all the risks that there are if you become pregnant while on this medication, both to you and the baby. It is important to be on some form of birth control while taking Cellcept, but is also noted that Cellcept can decrease the effectiveness of some birth control. It is suggested to use several forms of birth control on Cellcept, and for up to 6 weeks after you stop taking it.
Here is the website for Cellcept if you have not already visted their website. If you have any bothersome symptoms you should always call and talk to your doctor.
If you have any other information about Cellcept that you would like to add please leave a comment below.