Side Effects
What Are the Side Effects of Rituxan?
The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody Rituxan is effective in treating patients with certain B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas along with a number of other indications.
It does, however, cause a number of side effects. No patient will experience all of the potential side effects of Rituxan; some will experience many, others will experience few.
It is extremely important to notify one's physician or health care team of any side effects upon receiving Rituxan, for some indicate a crisis and require immediate medical attention.
The most immediate and dangerous potential side effect of Rituxan is an allergic reaction.
Potential side effects of Rituxan
- Blood in urine or painful urination
- Low back pain
- Muscle problems: contraction, weakness, tightness
- Breathing problems, or changes in heart rate
- Confusion, dizziness, weakness on one side of the body
- Chest pain
- Nausea, sweating
- Flu symptoms such as fever, chills, body aches
- Bruising easily
- Earaches, mouth ulcers
- Skin rashes or skin sores
- Severe constipation
- Night sweats
Major side effects
- Tumor lysis syndrome, a metabolic crisis in which many cancer cells die en masse, flooding the bloodstream with chemicals.
- Immunosuppression, which makes the patient much more vulnerable to infection than under other circumstances.
- Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal brain virus that has been linked to Rituxan.
- Hepatitis B reactivation
Infusion reactions, which can be mitigated at the time of infusion
- Urticaria
- Hypotension
- Angioedema
- Hypoxia
- Bronchospasm
- Pulmonary infiltrates
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Myocardial infarction
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Cardiogenic shock
An extensive list of all reported side effects of Rituxan can be found via the manufacturer's website.