Immunosuppressants
At a point, when lupus begins to have an adverse effect on other body organs, doctors often prescribe medications to help suppress the body immunity. Let’s take a short look at why there’s a need to prescribe an immunosuppressant: lupus causes the immune system to attack itself unknowingly, and these medications help halt that process from happening. [3]
An example of such medication is Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), which was initially created to be an anticancer drug. It acts as an immunosuppressant and may help attenuate kidney inflammation or nephritis.
However, if cyclophosphamide proves ineffective for people with lupus nephritis, then they can avail themselves of other medication options. For instance, doctors may prescribe Restasis (cyclosporine), Imuran (azathioprine), or CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil). Prograf (tacrolimus) may also be considered for lupus nephritis. Aside from being useful with lupus nephritis, these medications are also prescribed to attenuate inflammation of the lining around the lungs and the heart.
