Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Some Questions for Your Doctor About RITUXAN® (Rituximab) Treatment
If you would like to discuss RITUXAN with your doctor, here are some questions that may help you get started. You can print them in a form that provides space for your doctor's answers next to each question. You may want to take along a relative or friend to take notes while you are talking with your doctor — especially if you are in the process of planning your treatment.
Questions to ask your primary care physician may include:
- What kinds of medical resources can you recommend for me to find out more about my disease?
- Do you need copies of the results of the tests that my oncologist orders?
- How involved will you be in my cancer care team during my treatment and post-treatment?
- Will the disease or potential treatment options prevent me from working or caring for my loved ones?
Questions to ask your oncologist or hematologist may include:
- What kind of treatment will I receive and what will be the length of the treatment?
- When and what tests will you conduct to monitor my cancer and its treatment?
- What are my immediate treatment options?
- How does my response to therapy impact the length of treatment?
- Will the disease or potential treatment options prevent me from working or staying involved with my friends and family?
- What side effects, if any, can I expect to have?
What should I tell my doctor before treatment with RITUXAN?
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- had a severe infusion reaction to RITUXAN in the past.
- have an infection or have an infection that will not go away or that keeps coming back.
- have or had hepatitis (liver) infection. If so, your doctor should check you closely for signs of hepatitis infection during treatment with RITUXAN and for several months after treatment ends.
- are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive live vaccines after you receive RITUXAN.
- have heart or lung problems.
- are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if RITUXAN can harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding. It is not known if RITUXAN passes into human breast milk. You should not breastfeed while being treated with RITUXAN and after finishing treatment, until blood tests show that there is no RITUXAN in your blood.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. If you have RA, especially tell your doctor if you take or have taken another medicine called a TNF inhibitor or a DMARD (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug).
INDICATIONS
RITUXAN® (rituximab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with:
- Relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL as a single agent
- Previously untreated follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL in combination with CVP chemotherapy
- Non-progressing (including stable disease), low-grade, CD20-positive B-cell NHL, as a single agent, after first-line CVP chemotherapy
- Previously untreated diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive NHL in combination with CHOP or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
RITUXAN can cause serious side effects, some of which can be life-threatening, including: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), infusion reactions, Tumor Lysis Syndrome (TLS), and severe skin reactions. Other serious and life-threatening side effects with RITUXAN include: hepatitis B virus reactivation, heart problems, infections, and stomach and bowel problems. Common side effects during RITUXAN infusions include: fever, headache, chills and shakes, nausea, itching, hives, cough, sneezing, and throat irritation or tightness.
Tell your doctor about any side effects that bother you or that do not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects with RITUXAN. Ask your doctor for more information.
Please read the Medication Guide in HTML or PDF versions for more information.
