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View Full Version : IVIG and shortness of breath

fred
10-22-2007, 08:07 PM
Anyone ever get shortness of breath and feel like coughing when being infused with IVIG? This has happened a few times to me over the past few months. I think it might be a volume/rate thing and getting too much too quickly. I usually get my ivig over about 4-5 hour period. The other day it happened again and I just reduced the infustion rate and it seemed to help. Took me about 9 hours though.
powder pig russ
10-23-2007, 04:39 PM
I believe it's an alergic reaction and that's why Benadryl is often used as a premedication. If you're able to mitigate the reaction w. a slower rate, you're probably doing the right thing of course the sage words of a medical pro might be merited.
Rae72
10-23-2007, 07:10 PM
My husband use to get that cough your referring to when the infusion rate was faster than usual. Now the nurse has the pump programed to titrate the rate and he no longer gets it. He has not taken benadryl in years, makes him too tired.
fred
10-25-2007, 10:21 PM
I believe it's an alergic reaction and that's why Benadryl is often used as a premedication. If you're able to mitigate the reaction w. a slower rate, you're probably doing the right thing of course the sage words of a medical pro might be merited.

I did mention it to my neuro, but he didn't know what it was. That's why I posted here. I've been getting this stuff for about 12 years and really never had this problem before. I think its some sort of hemodynamic response maybe due to viscosity or something. For now I'm going to just keep the rate lower. I do get quite a bit at one time 90g in 900ml over 4hr...I used to tolerate it well...maybe now that I'm older I need to slow it down.
fred
10-25-2007, 10:23 PM
My husband use to get that cough your referring to when the infusion rate was faster than usual. Now the nurse has the pump programed to titrate the rate and he no longer gets it. He has not taken benadryl in years, makes him too tired.

thanks rae rae. I used to take the benadryl and prednisone also to premed, but it really didn't do much for me other than make me cranky and tired...and I don't like to be a cranky crank.