allopurinol vs cyclosporine
Side-by-side comparison of allopurinol and cyclosporine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Cyclosporine Clinical Impact Concomitant use of allopurinol increases cyclosporine concentrations, which may increase the risk of adverse reactions. Intervention Increase frequency of monitoring cyclosporine concentrations as reflected in its prescribing information and modify the dosage of cyclosporine as appropriate when used concomitantly with allopurinol tablets.
Recommendation: Your doctor should check your blood levels more often and may need to adjust your dose.
Zyloprim
Neoral, Sandimmune, Restasis
Allopurinol is a medicine that lowers uric acid levels in your body. It helps prevent gout attacks and other problems caused by high uric acid.
Vevye eye drops contain cyclosporine. They help treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
This medicine is used to manage gout in adults. Gout causes painful attacks, joint damage, and kidney problems. Allopurinol is also used in adults and children with leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumors who are getting cancer treatment. It helps manage high uric acid caused by the cancer treatment. It can also help adults who get calcium oxalate kidney stones often.
Vevye treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Dry eye can cause discomfort, stinging, and blurred vision. This medicine can help reduce these symptoms.
Allopurinol works by blocking an enzyme called xanthine oxidase. This enzyme helps your body make uric acid. By blocking it, allopurinol reduces the amount of uric acid in your blood and urine.
Vevye contains cyclosporine, which is an immunosuppressant. It works by decreasing inflammation in the eyes. This helps your eyes make more tears.
- • Diarrhea
- • Nausea
- • Increased liver enzyme levels
- • Gout attacks
- • Skin rash
- • Irritation where the drops are applied (8%)
- Diarrhea 8,423
- Tiredness 7,965
- Difficulty breathing 7,659
- Feeling sick to your stomach 7,061
- Death 6,664
- Eye feels irritated 7,786
- Fever 4,066
- Eye ache 3,808
- Feeling sick to your stomach 3,623
- Loose stools 3,562
Allopurinol can cause serious skin reactions that can be deadly. Stop taking this medicine and get medical help right away if you get a skin rash or any other signs of an allergic reaction.
To avoid eye injury or contamination, do not touch the bottle tip to your eye or any other surface. Do not use Vevye while wearing contact lenses. If you wear contacts, remove them before using the drops. You can put them back in 15 minutes after using Vevye.
Allopurinol may harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not recommended to breastfeed while taking this medicine because it can pass into breast milk.
It is not known if Vevye will harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Cyclosporine can pass into breast milk after being taken orally, but it is unknown if it passes into breast milk from eye drops. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
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How to Read This allopurinol vs cyclosporine Comparison
allopurinol is classified in the Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor drug class, while cyclosporine sits within the Calcineurin Inhibitor (Immunosuppressant) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, allopurinol has 37,772 submissions while cyclosporine has 22,845. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to allopurinol slows down how your body gets rid of cyclosporine, leading to higher levels of the drug in your system.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between allopurinol and cyclosporine - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.