Originally Posted by
savedbygrace
Looks like I'm the only one but I had a bad experience with Rituximab. Sent my heart rate down in the teens, had to stop immediately after the first "push" infusion. Didn't get my heart rate back up for days. Young cavaleir nurses didn't know what they were doing (and didn't care), they did it at night in the pulmonary wing of a hospital. Not sure if it was the large concomitant dose of Benedryl that I reacted to but whatever it was... it was BAD!! My husband had to tell them to stop because in between telling myself to "stay awake!!" and sinking into a creepy slow-heart sleep I managed to tell him "I feel like I'm being put to sleep like a dog." He saved my life. The doctors were shocked that those nurses had allowed it to get that bad. I'm glad I have a strong man to advocate at my side. Otherwise I'd probably be gone!
Sadly the only alternative for me was Cytoxan. It's not the outcome I wanted, especially since I'm 29 and Rituximab showed so much promise for Wegs.
Whether it was Rituxam or Benedryll that made my heart do that... I couldn't tell you. No one knows. But I believe heart failure is one of the warnings on the label. They make you sign a waver that you understand the risks.
(Also, I never had heart trouble before that. And thankfully it was temporary and we stopped it in time!)