Cyclosporine Assay
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If a patient is difficult to regulate, or the veterinarian wants to know if it is possible to increase the dose of cyclosporine, they may recommend testing the level of cyclosporine in the blood. Since different pets absorb the drug a little differently, it is a good idea to check the levels of the drug in the blood.
This is also recommended for patients on high doses of cyclosporine to ensure the drug is not at toxic levels.
There are several pharmacies that test the cyclosporine levels including:
If a patient is difficult to regulate, or the veterinarian wants to know if it is possible to increase the dose of cyclosporine, they may recommend testing the level of cyclosporine in the blood. Since different pets absorb the drug a little differently, it is a good idea to check the levels of the drug in the blood.
This is also recommended for patients on high doses of cyclosporine to ensure the drug is not at toxic levels.
There are several pharmacies that test the cyclosporine levels including:
IL-2 testing
list here
Another test is an IL-2 suppression test, or more formally known as the “molecular (PCR-based) assay of activated T-cell mRNA IL-2 expression”. Essentially what this test does is check to see if the immune system is being suppressed.
Currently the laboratory running this test is the Pharmacodynamic Lab at Mississippi State University.
They “have discovered that some dogs are inadequately immunosuppressed despite receiving high dosages of cyclosporine, and that other dogs are markedly immunosuppressed despite receiving low drug dosages that have typically been considered to not be immunosuppressive, thereby establishing the need for pharmacodynamic assays to enable accurate dose adjustments in the individual dog (individualized drug therapy).”[http://www.cvm.msstate.edu/animal-health-center/pharmacodynamic-laboratory]
The reason to do this test is to see if the amount of cyclosporine is adequate to suppress the immune system. It is a good tool to use when tapering the dose to the lowest effective dose.
Another test is an IL-2 suppression test, or more formally known as the “molecular (PCR-based) assay of activated T-cell mRNA IL-2 expression”. Essentially what this test does is check to see if the immune system is being suppressed.
Currently the laboratory running this test is the Pharmacodynamic Lab at Mississippi State University.
They “have discovered that some dogs are inadequately immunosuppressed despite receiving high dosages of cyclosporine, and that other dogs are markedly immunosuppressed despite receiving low drug dosages that have typically been considered to not be immunosuppressive, thereby establishing the need for pharmacodynamic assays to enable accurate dose adjustments in the individual dog (individualized drug therapy).”[http://www.cvm.msstate.edu/animal-health-center/pharmacodynamic-laboratory]
The reason to do this test is to see if the amount of cyclosporine is adequate to suppress the immune system. It is a good tool to use when tapering the dose to the lowest effective dose.