@LisaB2 

Last reply

LisaB2

Hi all! I was diagnosed just last month with RRMS

I am due to start DMT Ocrevus in 4 weeks, and I’m keen to find out everyone’s opinions. Totally understand we all may have different symptoms and so results can be different but generally, what’s everyone’s thoughts? Positive and negative. 🤔
Leeds, United Kingdom
@Laure

What are the side effects from taking Ocrelizumab? Serious Side Effects Tell your nurse and/or doctor straight away or go to Emergency if you notice any of the following serious side effects: • yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, darker urine than normal or unexplained nausea and vomiting - these may be signs of a liver problem and you will need a blood test  infection - this may include flu (fever or flulike symptoms); sinus or throat infection; urine infection (urinary tract infection or cystitis); infection of the airways or lungs (bronchitis or pneumonia); diarrhoea or being sick (signs of gastroenteritis); cold sores (oral herpes); tooth infection; laryngitis or fungal foot infection, or shingles (zoster)  Pancreatitis: severe pain in upper abdominal area which may spread to back, nausea, vomiting, fever  Severe skin reactions: any combination of itchy skin rash, redness, blistering, or peeling of the skin and/or the inside of the lips, eyes, mouth, nasal passages, or genitals. Very Common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)  Infusion reactions occur more frequently in the first three infusions and may include malaise, headache, chills nausea, fever. These can occur during the infusion or up to 24 hours after the infusion. Please let your physician or nurse know if you are experiencing any of these side effects. We try to reduce infusion reactions with pre-treating with steroids and antihistamines +/- acetaminophen.  Infusion reactions: itching, rash, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, fever, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea and heart palpitations (0.3% of infusion reactions were serious in the studies) Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) • Decreased white blood cells: this can make you prone to infections, feeling unusually tired, fever, aches, pains, and flu like symptoms • Itching, sensation of throat swelling, rash Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people) • Decrease in the number of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) : bruising, bleeding, feeling unusually tired and weak • Increased feeling or sensitivity, especially in the skin; stabbing or throbbing pain along one or more nerves, problems in the nerves of the arms or legs (peripheral neuropathy) Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people) • Inflammation of the lung (interstitial lung disease). • Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). • Severe skin reactions. • An increased risk of malignancy with ocrelizumab is not proven but may exist. Patients are to follow standard breast cancer screening guidelines when on ocrelizumab. • Rare heart attacks have been reported in other drugs similar to ocrelizumab, but not in ocrelizumab itself. The signs of heart attack include shortness of breath, chest pain or heaviness, feeling a rapid heart beat, light-headedness, sweatiness Common side effects, which may show up in your blood or urine tests • Low levels of white blood cells (lymphopenia, leucopenia) in the blood. Reduced white blood cells could mean your body is less able to fight an infection. • Increase in levels of liver enzymes (ALT, AST) in the blood. If you get any side effects, talk to your nurse or neurologist. Who should not take Ocrelizumab Do not use Ocrelizumab, if you have had an allergic reaction (such as welts, hives, swelling of the face, lips, mouth or tongue, or difficulty breathing) to Ocrelizumab Do not use Ocrelizumab if you have active hepatitis B infection or immune system problems or if taking other immune suppressant drugs. Before taking and while you take Ocrelizumab, • Issues with your liver/ liver enzym

@Laure

That is the document they gave me before starting the infusion. But it doesn’t mean you will encounter all of them. But when you notice some of them and it taking too long let the Ms nurse know.