plz help answer (rituximab)

[jodie]

hi all, can any1 help answer my question.....i am waitin on info about rituximab treatment as im not reponding to any other drugs, how long does each session take and how long does the treatment last i also will be on other meds but getting iv steriods too thanks for taking time to read my question

[NeeNaw]

When I got Rituximab it was given one week, a rest for the next week and given the next. All depending on your body mass and the amount that they intend to infuse along with the rate of infusion, but the rituximab iv should take about 6 hours or less. You then have to wait for about an hour afterwards. Good luck with the infusion and I hope it gives you some relief x

[Lewy]

Yeah, that's about right. It's normally given in two pulses (week...couple of weeks intbetween) sometimes along with cyclophosphamide and always with IV steroid. The rate of the infusion can be speeded up depending on your tolerance to the drug (if I remember rightly).

After the two pulses you are often reviewed after around 6 months to see if you have responded well or need another to beat it into submission. Rituximab isn't as faster acting as other chemo drugs it is thought that by the time your iv steroids have started to wear off....you should be experiencing the beneficial effects of the Rituximab so you probably wont know if treatment has been effective for a while (a pain I know!).

It is unfortunately more common to suffer a reaction to Rituximab on your second infusion but that's not to say you will have a bad reaction.

Errrm blood monitoring is by something called a CD20 count..if you google it it will tell you a wee bit more about it but they will look at this to determine whether or not its worked or not.

All in all I think its a good treatment and I've heard loads of people have gone into a remissive state with it. I had a bad turn on my second dose....but the one and a half doses I had have really given me my life back..I've been swimming, gyming, staying up late and all sorts!!!

Anything you need to know drop us a line and I'll have a look into it.

All the best,

Lewy

[Lewy]

None of what I have said is proper hard hitting fact either...it's just what I vaguely remember about it...so don't take anything I say as gospel!