how to know if ivig NOT working

    • jon swanson
      May 14, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      so at what point after 5 day gammaplex infusions would I know that it is Not working?
      Any feedback would be appreciated. Right now I am 2 weeks past day 1 infusion, and still feel worse than when I started, more pain basically. I was noticeably getting better on my own before the infusions.

    • Jim-LA
      May 14, 2019 at 2:03 pm

      There is no way to answer your question absolutely as CIDP/GBS varies so greatly between patients.

      IVIg stops our autoimmune system from producing antibodies that can attack self. The effects usually last about 2 weeks. If you already have antibodies in your system that can attack self, they will continue to do so until they are depleted. We can speed up the depletion with Plasm Exchange (PE) but it won’t stop us from producing more bad antibodies and will nullify IVIg.

      I suggest 2-4 PE’s before starting IVIg to help accelerate recovery and minimize nerve damage.