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← Return to Rituxan infusion concerns
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@pm56 Thank you for this valuable information. I will discuss this with my rheumatologist, cardiologists, and neurologist. I've been on IVIG for two years, but the Rituxin is fairly new. Currently the IVIG infusions are gradually titrated and take about 3 1/2 hours after magnesium and prednisone are done. This may need to be slowed because of the elimination of Eliquis. I do have monthly CBC panels prior to IVIG and Rituxin infusions and watch the numbers carefully. I think perhaps I might also need to do this after the Rituxin infusion. The bleeding started two days after the first infusion. I wonder whether a lower dose of Eliquis could be resumed at some point after the Rituxin infusion, but prior to IVIG. So far I've seen no signs of clotting, but it only takes one. I hate playing roulette with my medications.
Thanks again for the information.
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@jomac I’m not sure what your underlying condition is, but maybe SCIG might be a possibility instead of IVIG. There’s a lower risk for clotting as it’s infused slowly under the skin weekly - rather than in much higher doses monthly directly into a vein. If you are going to continue with IVIG, make sure to hydrate lots and ensure you advocate for a slow infusion rate. I joined an IVIG/SCIG group on Facebook run by a nurse (Beth Duffy Garret) who was an infusion nurse for over 40 years and she’s an amazing resource as are her moderators. It is worth joining and reading the “featured posts” tab in the top left on the home page - I learned so much before I started my first SCIg infusion which was helpful.
There is a geriatric dose as my hematologist referred to it of 2.5 Eliquis. We toyed with lowering my dose since I seemed to be doing so well 4 years since my last DVT but then the CVST happened and that was that lol. Good luck to both of us on Rituxan and IG!