Hi again, Randy!
The other drug your doc mentioned that might cause bladder cancer is cyclophosphamide, aka cytoxan. I was on it for 16 months. The key to taking Cytoxan is to stay well hydrated and urinate when the urge occurs rather than holding it. This reduces the time that the metabolites of cytoxan are in your body.
Rituxin has fewer side effects. I had minor fatigue the day after my infusions, but nothing that slowed me down. Rituxin is very expensive. When I had mine, the list price at OSU was almost $20k each! Fortunately, my cost was $20 for my co-pay. You'll need to get authorization from your health insurer.
I'm on methotrexate now. It's a bit hard on the liver, so I've just about given up alcohol. Other drugs used as immunosuppressants are Azathioprine (immuran) and cellcept. All of these drugs are usually used as maintenance drugs to sustain remission.
Pete
dx 1/11
"Every day is a good day. Some are better than others." - unknown
"Take your meds as directed and live your life as fully as you can." - Michael Chacey, MD
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