Heart transplant medicines
Get advice on the medicines you might need after a transplant and common side effects
Key points
- You will need to take powerful medicines after a heart transplant
- It’s very important to take your medicines as prescribed
- Sometimes the medicines may have side effects
- Different transplant centres prescribe slightly different medicines
What medicines will you need?
You will need to take a lot of medicines after a transplant. These medicines will help to give your transplant the best chance of success, but they may have side effects.
Because different heart transplant centres use different medicines to prevent rejection and infection in their patients, it’s not possible to list or explain all possible side effects here. Your own transplant centre will tell you about the medicines they will prescribe after your transplant. They will also talk to you about the most common and most important side effects that you need to know about.
Take your medicines as prescribed
It is very important that you take your medicines exactly as your heart transplant team have prescribed them. If you miss any doses, please tell your heart transplant team.
If you are worried about side effects or you are having problems remembering to take your tablets, please tell the heart transplant team. There may be ways in which they can help, for example by adjusting the timing of your medicines.
In general, medicines for heart transplant patients include:
Common side effects of heart transplant medicines
Discuss your medicines with your care team
Please speak your heart care team about how to take your medicines and the side effects you might experience. If you do have any side effects that you’re worried about, let your care team know.