{"id":2289,"date":"2026-04-01T20:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/?p=2289"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:47:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:47:55","slug":"%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%83%d8%b3%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%80%d9%80%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%83%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86-rituximab-rituxan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/?p=2289&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"RITUXIMAB (Rituxan)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What is Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rituximab is a biologic agent used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Rituximab works by removing antibody-producing white blood cells called &#8220;B&#8221; cells. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body in response to bacteria, viruses, and other substances considered foreign and dangerous to the body. However, in people with rheumatoid arthritis, some B cells produce harmful autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor. Here, rituximab works by removing these &#8220;B&#8221; cells.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What are the indications for using Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rituximab is used together with methotrexate to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. It is usually used to treat arthritis only when other medications have not been successful. It helps relieve joint pain and swelling. It also works by attaching to certain blood cells in your immune system (B cells) and attempting to destroy them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What is the usual dose of Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rituximab is given by intravenous infusion. The usual dose is 1000 mg per infusion. Your doctor should prescribe other medications (such as acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, methylprednisolone) for you to take half an hour before starting treatment, as they help avoid serious side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>How often should I take Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">You will receive the first dose of Rituximab in the first week of treatment. The second dose is given two weeks later. This cycle can be repeated again at any time after 6 months depending on the body&#8217;s response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What are the side effects of Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">May be accompanied by headache, fever, chills, nausea, heartburn, vomiting, weakness, or dizziness.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Muscle or joint inflammation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Skin rash, blisters, and itching.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">High blood pressure during or shortly after intravenous infusion, which is the most common and often more likely after the first dose.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Severe skin reactions associated with Rituximab.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rarely, it may lead to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Can I receive vaccinations after completing a course of Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If vaccination would be beneficial for you, it is best to receive the vaccine before the Rituximab course or only during the intervals between courses when B cells have recovered. It is recommended not to receive &#8220;live&#8221; vaccines, such as the yellow fever vaccine. Pneumovax and annual influenza vaccines are safe and recommended.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Do I need regular blood tests while taking Rituximab?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Routine blood tests are not required while taking Rituximab. However, you should have blood tests before starting a treatment course and every few months thereafter to check your B cell levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What about the effect of Rituximab on breastfeeding?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rituximab is an artificially produced antibody that is excreted in breast milk. Therefore, Rituximab should not be taken during breastfeeding, and you should not breastfeed for 12 months after completing a course of Rituximab, because your child&#8217;s B cells may be affected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Is taking Rituximab safe during pregnancy?<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rituximab should be avoided during pregnancy. All women who are taking Rituximab and could become pregnant should use reliable contraceptive methods.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Rituximab?<br \/>\nRituximab is a biologic agent used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Rituximab works by removing antibody-producing white blood cells called &#8220;B&#8221; cells. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body in response to bacteria, viruses, and other substances considered foreign and dangerous to the body. However, in people with rheumatoid arthritis, some B cells produce harmful autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor. Here, rituximab works by removing these &#8220;B&#8221; cells.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rheumatism-medications"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Rotaxane.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2289"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2855,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2289\/revisions\/2855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr-yaser.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}