Rituxan - How long until remission after getting treatment?

[aewaustin]

Just curious to find out how long it has taken for folks to get into remission after they start RTX, for those that are lucky enough to get into remission. I have heard the medicine reaches full strength in 4-8 weeks, and I am now at week six since the first dose. I feel absolutely great, but my kidneys are not doing much/if any better. Just trying to get an idea of when I might see a change in my UA's...

Anna

[Sangye]

Anna, it can take longer than that to work fully. The first 2 rounds I started to feel better 6 weeks after the round began. This last time I also felt a bit better at the 6-week point but it didn't go far or last long. I started going downhill within a few days. Dr Seo and I believe this was due to only doing the 2-infusion protocol this time. The first two rounds I did the 4-infusion protocol. Dr Seo wanted to wait until the 3-month mark to assess if the rtx would kick in but it hasn't.

Did you do 2 or 4?

[Jack]

I felt better after a few days, but this was followed by five years of repeated relapses and my kidney function declined beyond saving. The main cause for the feeling of well-being was the steroids. My initial treatment was with cyclophosphamide and pred.

[Sangye]

Jack, you were never on rtx!

[gwenllian111]

I felt really spaced out whilst I was having the Ritix infusions, and quite dizzy and light headed afterwards. My Rheumy used to tell me it takes about 2 months before you see any kind of progress from ritix though.

[aewaustin]

Sangye - I did the four infusions... Gwenllian - thanks, I guess I just need to be more patient.

Just surprised that I feel so much better overall, like night and day, but that my kidneys just do not seem to be much different...

[Sangye]

That does seem odd, Anna. On the other hand, they may be permanently damaged. Have your docs discussed that possibility?

[elephant]

Ann, what is your creatinine?

[aewaustin]

Thankfully my doc's and I are not worried about permanent damage, has not even come up. My kidneys are minimally affected, I don't really even have protein, but just want to get a clear UA and have the pain in my kidneys go away. Part of the problem of this go round for me is that I caught the Wegs so early since I have had it before, which was annoying for getting treatment because my numbers were not that bad, but good for my kidneys as they have not suffered much.