Do not take CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) if you are allergic to mycophenolate mofetil (the active ingredient). Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, if you:
• have any digestive problems, such as ulcers
• have Phenylketonuria (PKU) (aspartame a source of phenylalanine)
• have Lesch-Nyhan or Kelley-Seegmiller syndrome or another rare inherited deficiency hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HGPRT)
• plan to receive any vaccines (live vaccines should not take with this medicine)
Common side effects include:
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• pain
• stomach area pain
• swelling of the lower legs, ankles and feet
• high blood pressure
Side effects that happen more often in children than in adults taking CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) include:
• stomach area pain
• fever
• infection
• pain
• blood infection (sepsis)
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• sore throat
• colds (respiratory tract infections)
• high blood pressure
• low white blood cell count
• low red blood cell count
Your healthcare provider must talk with you about effective birth control methods (contraceptive counseling). You should have a negative pregnancy test within 1 week before you start to take CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg). You must use 2 different types of effective birth control at the same time, for 4 weeks before you start taking it, during your entire therapy, and for 6 weeks after stopping this medicine, unless you choose to avoid sexual intercourse completely (abstinence). Do not stop taking CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) if you get pregnant. Call your healthcare provider right away.
CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) weakens the body's immune system and affects your ability to fight infections. Serious infections can happen with this medicine and can lead to death including a brain infection called Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) and viral infections such as:
• shingles
• other herpes infections
• cytomegalovirus (CMV) which can cause serious tissue and blood infections
• BK virus which can affect how your kidney works and cause your transplanted kidney to fail
In some patients, CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) may cause an infection of the brain that may cause death. You are at risk for this brain infection because you have a weakened immune system. You should tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms:
• weakness on one side of the body
• you do not care about things that you usually care about (apathy)
• you are confused or have problems thinking
• you cannot control your muscles
Yeasts and other types of fungal infections can happen with CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) and can cause serious tissue and blood infections.
Stomach and intestinal bleeding can happen in people who take high doses of CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg). Bleeding can be severe and you may have to be hospitalized for treatment.
People taking high doses of CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) each day may have a decrease in blood counts, including white blood cells, especially neutrophils that fight against bacterial infections. You have a higher chance of getting an infection when your white blood cell count is low. This is most common from 3 months to 6 months after your transplant.
People may also experience a decrease in the red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to your body tissues. You have a higher chance of getting severe anemia when your red blood cell count is low.
A decrease in your blood count may also affect your platelets. The platelets help prevent blood clotting.
Your healthcare provider will do blood tests before you start taking CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) and during treatment with CellCept to check your blood cell counts. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any signs of infection, or any unexpected bruising or bleeding. Also, tell your healthcare provider if you have unusual tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness or fainting.
These are not all of the possible side effects of CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg). Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
FDA pregnancy category C. CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use CellCept by Roche (Mycophenolate Mofetil 500mg) without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
