Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate commonly lower our white blood cells, which leave us more susceptible to infections. I’ve read that for some individuals, Mycophenolate can especially leave us vulnerable to increased infection risk. I have three autoimmune diseases, one of which leaves me particularly vulnerable to infections. I’ve had several since my transplant, just over a year ago. My transplant doctor has worked with me to lower my Mycophenolate dose specifically for this reason.

This is from the Mayo info on Mycophenolate: This medicine may increase your risk of developing rare and serious virus infections, such as shingles, herpes, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, polyomavirus associated nephropathy (PVAN), and BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN). The BK virus may affect how your kidneys work and cause a transplanted kidney to fail.

It’s ultimately the very nature of our medications that we are all more susceptible to infections, as they work together to suppress our immune systems.