20  Apr 2011

Immune Suppressants: A Self-defeating drug or necessary evil?

Posted by Olivia Brooks

For a while now, I have been a firm believer in not suppressing your thoughts, emotions or words. People love to edit what you say, despite the proverbial right of freedom of speech.

If you cannot use the words that you are most used to to convey your deepest thoughts, then whats the point, really! But then again the absence of censorship can only exist in an ideal world and were a long way from getting there!

Often, suppression of what one desires to express results in disaster, and I mean, an outright revolt that goes viral in no time. Perhaps all the revolutions of the past are a beautiful example of this yet these very acts of violence can often be self-defeating in its purpose, with the only example being Gandhis philosophy of non-violence that worked like magic!

Perhaps, as self-defeating as immune suppressants that are normally used to prevent the immune system from attacking a new organ that is transplanted into ones body.

A Note on Immune Suppressants

Immune Suppressants are nothing but medication that is administered to patients after a surgery (which normally involves an organ transplant) that suppresses the immune system from attacking this new organ as it adjusts to its new environment.

Another reason why these drugs are used is for people who are struggling with auto-immune diseases, and by God, there are a few of these diseases around these days where prevention remains the only cure.

As you should know, the immune systems function is to protect the body from infections but this ability is seriously hampered during this time and is otherwise known as being immunocompromised in medical circles.

This recent story about little Jess fight to live should give you a decent picture of how it usually ends if there is an infection yet theres no option but to deal with such a situation with these really strong drugs that can easily knock your lights out!

And to complicate matters further, these drugs also come with side effects but perhaps, new technology is coming up with ways to deal with predicting adverse side effects. Read this article to find out more

Types Of Immune Suppressants

Immuno-suppressant drugs exist in two forms: internal and external, an example of the former being testosterone produced by the body itself and the latter being drugs that are administered to patients.

1) Glucocorticoids – Used to suppress allergic, anti-inflammatory, auto-immune diseases.

2) Cytostatics – Used for the treatment of malignant diseases.

3) Antibodies – Used as a quick and strong form of immunotherapy in order to prevent acute rejection reactions.

4) Drugs acting on immunophilins – Ciclosporin,Tacrolimus, Voclosporin and Sirolimus are some of the most commonly used drugs as calcineurin inhibitors.

And the funny thing is that if you are any of these drugs, you have to be careful about not taking any other medication that can cause a serious reaction with immunosuppressant drugs. Of course, your doctor will prescribe what is safe to take and what isnt when you are on immune suppressants!

Here is a list of common immune suppressants at this link if you are interested in knowing more about anti-rejection drugs.

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