Effectiveness of Ocrevus: It’s Dosage & Side Effects

You may experience unfriendly side effects when ocrevus medication is being injected, and in the following 24 hours after receiving it. If you experience any unfamiliar discomfort when the medicine is being injected, please notify your caregiver immediately.

Ocrevus is a monoclonal antibody, which are made to seek and destroy specific cells in the body, which affects the body’s immune system’s actions. This may provide help to protect cells from any type of damage.

Ocrevus medicine is effectively used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, whether it may be in relapsing or progressive form.

Contact your physician if you experience any of the following side effects within the first 24 hours after you receive your injection: skin rash, nausea, dizziness, trouble breathing or chest tightness.

If you have an active hepatitis B infection or if you are allergic to ocrevus you should not be treated with this medicine.

Notify your physician if you have been given any vaccine in the last 6 weeks.

To be sure Ocrevus is a safe choice in medication for you, please notify your physician if you have:

• Any active infection.
• A past of taking medication that might have weakened your immune system.
• If you carry the hepatitis B infection.
• If you will be due to be given any vaccines soon.

Taking Ocrevus can put you at a higher risk in developing different kinds of cancer, including breast cancer. Consult with your doctor regarding any specific risk you may face.

Currently, it is unknown if taking ocrevus medicine will harm an unborn child, however inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Be sure to use effective birth control to avoid any chance of pregnancy when you are taking this medicine and for 6 months after you receive your final dosage.

It is also not known if ocrevus medicine can pass through breast milk to the nursing child therefore inform your physician if you are breast feeding your child.

Ocrevus medication is given by your healthcare professional. Using IV it is injected to the vein.

Before starting treatment, your physician may perform additional testing to be ensure you do not have hepatitis B or any other infections.

To avoid certain side effects ocrelizumab may cause, your doctor will also give you other medications.

You will receive your first dosage split into two separate infusions that you will receive two weeks apart. The dosages following must be received one time in every 6 months.

The injection must be administered slowly. Each injection could take up to three-and-a-half hours.

In order or ensure you do not have severe allergic reactions to Ocrevus medicine, you will be observed closely for the first hour after you receive the injection.

If you had been infected with hepatitis B, taking Ocrevus may reason this condition to return or worsen. You will need to undergo various blood test frequently to test the liver function at the time of treatment and even months after you stop using the medicine.

Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis – Regular Adult Dosage

• The initial Ocrevus dosage is 300 mg given by IV followed by a second identical infusion two weeks later.
• Maintenance Ocrevus dosage: 600 mg given by IV every 6 months.

Manufacturer recommended infusion rates (for more information, please contact manufacturer product information:

• Infusions 1 and 2 (300 mg in 250 mL 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection): start by receiving 30 mL/hr, increasing by 30 mL/hr every 30 minutes with a maximum of 180 mL/hr. Duration will be two-and-a half hours or longer.
• Subsequent Infusions (600 mg in 500 mL 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection): start by receiving 40 mL/hr, increasing by 40 mL/hr every 30 minutes with a maximum of 200 mL/hr. Duration will be three-and-a-half hours or longer.
• Patient should be pre-medicated with the drug methylprednisolone, or equivalent corticosteroid, of 100 mg given by IV about 30 minutes before receiving the injection along with an antihistamine (ex: diphenhydramine) about 30 to 60 minutes before receiving the injection. Also adding an antipyretic (ex: acetaminophen) can be considered.
• Patient should be under observation for a minimum of one hour at least after completing infusion.

If the patient misses a planned dosage, it should be administered at the earliest. You should not wait till the following dose. The following dose will need to be reset to be received 6 months after the missed dosage is received. Dosages are to be spread out by at least 5 months.

Its usage is to treatment patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis, primary progressive or in relapsing forms.

In case you experience any side effects to this medicine, please seek emergency medical help. These signs include: difficulty breathing, hives, swelling of your lips, face, throat, tongue.

Certain side effects might happen at the time of injection or in the following 24 hours. Notify your caregiver immediately if you feel any of the following side effects:

Dizziness, fatigue, feverish, nausea, itchy, sweaty, light-headed, if you have chest tightness, red skin rash, fast heartbeats, swelling, difficulty in breathing, or throat irritation.
Immediately call your physician if you experience any of the following severe side effects of Ocrevus:

• Fever, chills, a cough with green or yellow mucus.
• Shortness of breath, wheezing, stabbing chest pains.
• Skin warmth, swelling or redness.
• blisters, Skin sores, oozing or pus.
• Fever blisters/Cold sores around lips.
• Any nerve pain, such as tingling, burning pains, some type of “needles and pins” feeling.
• Any type of variation in your psychological state of mind.
• Weakness on a certain parts of body.
• Problems with your vision, walking, speech

Certain side effects may cause your treatment to be permanently discontinued or delayed

The most common side effects of Ocrevus are:

• Various reactions after the injection is given.
• Respiratory infections (ex: affecting throat, sinuses, nose or lungs).