Switching From IVIg to SCIg for CIDP: Benefits and How-To
Health ConditionsAutoimmune Diseases

Making the Switch: Moving From IVIg to SCIg for CIDP

Making the Switch: Moving From IVIg to SCIg for CIDP
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Published on June 15, 2026
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Treatment for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) includes IV infusion at a medical clinic, but now you can get a similar treatment through an injection or infusion at home.

 Both therapies give you immunoglobulins (immune system proteins) that slow down your immune system’s attack on your nerves.

Giving yourself subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) injections at home can make treatment more convenient and cause fewer whole-body (systemic) side effects than intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg).

 But not everyone feels comfortable using needles or managing an infusion pump.

Your provider can help you decide if SCIg could offer you more benefits than IVIg. “Both IVIg and SCIg are effective options, and neither is perfect for every patient,” says Kiran Bath, MD, a neurologist with Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California.

“The conversation should focus on what allows a patient to maintain disease control while achieving the best possible quality of life,” says Dr. Bath. If you switch to SCIg, your care team will also set up training and support so you feel confident managing your treatment.

What Is SCIg?

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin is a type of immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement therapy that you give as an injection into the layer of fat under your skin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two SCIg medications for CIDP: Hizentra and HyQvia.

You can give yourself SCIg medications using a syringe or a pump. For “rapid push” SCIg, you use a small syringe and needle to slowly inject fluid into fatty areas of your abdomen or thigh over several minutes.

 Depending on your dosage, you may need to inject SCIg in several sites during each treatment, says Shakti Vadasseri Nayar, MD, a neurologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

To use an infusion pump, you insert a small needle, like you would with a rapid push. This needle is attached to tubing, which goes to your pump. Then, the pump pushes the fluid in for you over about an hour.

Your healthcare team will give you the supplies you need to give yourself SCIg at home. These could include:

  • Bags, bottles, or vials of SCIg
  • A pole or hook to hold a bag
  • Tubing to connect the medication to your pump
  • Pump that will give your medication
  • Syringes and needles
  • Alcohol swabs for cleaning your skin
  • Sharps container to throw away your needles safely
Your provider will tell you how often to give yourself an SCIg injection or infusion, but they are typically given once a week to once a month, depending on which kind you take.

Before you start a HyQvia infusion, you will use your pump to infuse an enzyme (hyaluronidase) that makes it easier for your tissues to absorb more fluid: a process called facilitated SCIg.

 Usually subcutaneous injections are very small — up to 2 milliliters (mL), or about half a teaspoon. But hyaluronidase allows you to get up to 300 mL (1.25 cups) in an hour.

You can give yourself SCIg or you can ask a loved one to do it. If your child needs injections at home, they will need an adult to help.

Benefits of Switching From IVIg to SCIg

Many people say they prefer home SCIg treatments compared to IVIg for several reasons, including its convenience.

 For example, a healthcare professional has to give IVIg in a clinical setting, so you have to travel to an appointment for each treatment and stay for several hours each time.

 But you can have SCIg treatments over a much shorter period.

“If a patient has been on consistent rounds of IVIg to maintain control of their CIDP, with a long-term plan to continue at stable doses, transitioning to SCIg means a patient has an easier route of administration,” says Dr. Nayar. “Many times SCIg can be self-administered at home.”

“[SCIg] doses are more frequent with [a] lower dose at each treatment point making the treatment potentially better tolerated with fewer systemic adverse effects-like headache, nausea, and flu-like symptoms,” says Bath.

Other benefits include:

  • More stable Ig levels (from slower absorption)

  • Better quality of life
  • Lower cost (depending on insurance coverage)

Potential Barriers to Switching From IVIg to SCIg

Not everyone with CIDP can switch to SCIg. For example, some people have an allergy to hyaluronidase or albumin, which is used with HyQvia.

If your dose of SCIg requires you to do multiple injections with each treatment, it can feel challenging and uncomfortable, says Nayar. “Local injection site reactions with skin changes can be bothersome.”

You can’t take SCIg at home if you can’t physically operate your self-infusion equipment or if you don’t have a caregiver to help, says Bath. SCIg may also not work well if your CIDP is progressing fast, and you need closer monitoring or dose adjustments, says Bath.

Besides the medical reasons, you may not want to leave your IVIg routine behind. “I do have patients who prefer IVIg because they enjoy the camaraderie of going to an infusion center,” says Bath.

You may also prefer not to switch for these reasons:

  • Anxiety about the responsibility of self-injection or handling a pump
  • Loved ones are unable to help with injections
  • Lack of storage at home for infusion supplies
  • More frequent injections (once a week vs. once every three or four weeks for some types)

  • Uncomfortable swelling or skin reactions after an infusion

  • Severe muscle weakness preventing self-infusion

Training and Support

Before you give yourself your first injection, a nurse will teach you how. They may show you in a medical office, or you may get home visits.

Over several appointments, your nurse will show you how to use your equipment and safely give SCIg. Once you feel comfortable, they will supervise you while you do your treatments. Even after you start giving yourself SCIg alone, you will have support available if you need it.

You will need to keep an infusion log with information about each infusion. Your log will include:

  • Identifying number (lot number) printed on each infusion vial or bag
  • Where on your body you injected or infused SCIg
  • The date and time you started and finished your infusion
  • Any side effects you noticed
If you notice side effects like a skin reaction that doesn’t get better, call your nurse or provider.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  11. How to Give Yourself a Subcutaneous Injection Using a Prefilled Syringe. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. December 7, 2023.
  12. Family Education Sheet: How to Give a Subcutaneous Injection. Boston Children's Hospital. June 11, 2024.
  13. IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin). Cleveland Clinic. October 2, 2024.
  14. Cocito D et al. Manual Push Technique, an Alternative Route of Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Administration in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy: A Proof-Of-Concept Study. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. November 2020.
  15. Ritchie B et al. Economic Impact of Self-Administered Subcutaneous Versus Clinic-Administered Intravenous Immunoglobulin G Therapy in Alberta, Canada: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology. November 24, 2022.
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