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Repeated Rituxan Treatments

  • RodgerMac
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  • It's not a bug, it's a feature
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14 years 4 months ago #18578 by RodgerMac
Repeated Rituxan Treatments was created by RodgerMac
Yesterday i was taking my second infusion of my second rituxan treatment in a twenty month period. I'm responding unexplainably fast to my first infusion my platelet count shot up to 124 from 30 previously. As i was sitting there getting my infusion I began to think average of two years recovery I'm age 50 if I live to lets say 71 I'm looking at ten more infusions. My doctor says he doesn't know of any studies detailing long term Rituxan use. Has anyone heard of any such studies?

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14 years 4 months ago #18582 by eklein
Replied by eklein on topic Re: Repeated Rituxan Treatments
Somebody just posted a link to a study about repeated Rituxan for people who responded to it once. Check recent rituxan threads.

Personally I had a 9 month remission the first time I had Rituxan and so far a 3.5 year remission from the second time I had it - so you can't assume it will always last the same amount of time.
Erica
And she was!
Diagnosed May 2005, lowest count 8K.
4/22/08: 43K (2nd Rituxan)
10/01/09: 246K, 1/8/10: 111K, 5/21/10: 233K
Latest count: 7/27/2015: 194K

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  • RodgerMac
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14 years 4 months ago #18585 by RodgerMac
Replied by RodgerMac on topic Re: Repeated Rituxan Treatments
Yeah I realize I could get more or less time during some point in these treatments. I could also live longer too. I know rituxan hasn't been out for a long time, but I was wondering how the study of mice given repeated rituxan treatments faired. Rituxan works for me now. Predisone did absolutely nothing but make me crazy and gain weight. We may have to look at other treatments down the road. I couldn't find the link pointing me to a study in the other dozen or so posts about rituxan.

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  • Sandi
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  • Sandi Forum Moderator Diagnosed in 1998, currently in remission. Diagnosed with Lupus in 2006. Last Count - 344k - 6-9-18
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14 years 4 months ago #18600 by Sandi
Replied by Sandi on topic Re: Repeated Rituxan Treatments
Call me old fashioned, but I still believe a person should be treated when the need arises, not out of prevention.

I know you didn't say you wanted to use Rituxan as prevention, Rodger, but I was thinking of the other posts that did. I actually have not known anyone here who had more than 3 rounds of Rituxan. That seems to be the max for ITP.

Rituxan has been around since 1996? I think. If you want to check out the safety of repeated infusions, check out the lymphoma sites. They use it for maintenance.

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14 years 4 months ago #18604 by ananta
Replied by ananta on topic Re: Repeated Rituxan Treatments
Here's the article everyone's talking about RodgerMac:

ash.confex.com/ash/2010/webprogram/Paper28926.html

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  • RodgerMac
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14 years 4 months ago #18611 by RodgerMac
Replied by RodgerMac on topic Re: Repeated Rituxan Treatments
Thanks for the information. Well I'm always hopeful for a long remission, my platelet counts had been falling real rapidly in the past few months. Just when I was started getting use the once every three to four months checkups. So far my insurance has been real nice about the treatment plan my doctor has layed out and hasn't said no to anything. I just got to thinking how many times can I do rituxan, given normal life expectancy etc. Thanks Rodger

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IMPORTANT!

The Platelet Disorder Support Association does not provide medical advice or endorse any medication, vitamins or herbs. The information contained herein is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice and is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment, discontinuing an existing treatment and to discuss any questions you may have regarding your unique medical condition.