All About Rituximab

**Brooke** · 05-06-2010, 08:50 AM

Sangye - I only had benedryl and tylenol prior to the infusion. I did not have IV pred.
I am on 20 mg of pred - I have been on that since October 2009 - there were a few times they would bump my pred up for a week or so if I started feeling ill and also bumped up when in hospital sick.
I will ask dr about slowing down on the taper once I get to 15 mg.

**Sangye** · 05-06-2010, 12:53 PM

Wow-- my Wegs doc said the lowest IV pred he'd go for rtx infusions is 80 mg. The typical dose is 100mg IV pred.

(Actually, IV pred is solumedrol which is stronger than oral pred. 100mg solumedrol is equivalent to 155 mg oral pred.)

**Brooke** · 05-07-2010, 12:21 AM

Ok, I am pretty sure I did not have IV pred. There was another bag hanging by my Rituximab but they told me that was saline. What does the IV Pred do with the Rituxan?

**Sangye** · 05-07-2010, 01:38 AM

They give the IV pred by injecting it straight into your IV, before starting the rtx. It keeps you from having an allergic reaction to the rtx. Without giving you something to prevent it, your body would identify the rtx as a foreign antibody and attack it. Pred and benadryl suppress the immune reaction so your body ignores the rtx.

My Wegs doc said he'd give me rtx without benadryl since I haven't reacted to it, but he can't give it without at least 80 mg pred. The infusion clinic nurses said that's the normal protocol. I had told them how bad I do with pred and they said it was unavoidable.

**Brooke** · 05-07-2010, 02:02 AM

So wouldn't the benedryl help with an allergic reaction?
I don't know why I wasn't given the IV pred? I still take my 20 mg pill everyday - prior to the infusion.

**Sangye** · 05-07-2010, 02:16 AM

Yes, the benadryl definitely helps. I was told it wasn't enough, though.

**Sangye** · 05-07-2010, 02:24 AM

I've been trying to find the RAVE study protocol to see what doses of pred they used. I'm not able to read the full study--only abstracts. (RAVE is the big study from 2009 that compared ctx and rtx)

**Luce** · 05-07-2010, 04:14 AM

I don't have IV Pred with my infusions, I apparently have hydrocortisone according to the nurses. I know this is also a steroid so assume it has similar effects. I also have antihistamines too which make me so sleepy but I'm too self conscious to fall asleep.