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How long does it take for you to move without pain and stiffness in a.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Mar 30 8:28am | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
I am so glad that you decided go with Kevzara. I am off of Kevzara since mid Feb and am not taking anything except a Tylenol every couple of days. Kevzara was a God send tapering off prednisone.
Stay well, John
Replies to "I am so glad that you decided go with Kevzara. I am off of Kevzara since..."
How long in total were you on Kevzara?
From the time you started Kevzara ... how long did it take to taper off prednisone?
From what dose of prednisone did you start from when Kevzara was started?
How long did you take Kevzara after getting off Prednisone?
I know we are all different so I'm not really doing a comparison. However I was on 10 mg of Prednisone when Actemra was started. I took prednisone for 12 years and never could taper off prednisone completely during those 12 years. The duration of treatment with Prednisone also affects how long it might take a person to taper off prednisone.
After Actemra was started, it took me about 4 months to taper from 10 mg to 3 mg. When I reached 3 mg I was instructed to stay on 3 mg because my cortisol level was low. It took approximately 6 months for my cortisol level to improve while I stayed on 3 mg of prednisone.
When my cortisol level was "adequate," an endocrinologist said it would "probably be safe" to discontinue prednisone --- she implied that I could simply stop prednisone without tapering going from 3 mg to zero. It was probably another month while I tested the water before stopping prednisone completely.
From 10 mg of Prednisone to zero in less than a year after Actemra was started. Tapering off prednisone with an assist from Actemra was much easier that the 12 years that preceded Actemra.
Four years later, I still do a monthly infusion of Actemra. My rheumatologist is very reluctant to stop my treatment with Actemra. I have relapsed when Actemra was stopped so I'm not sure if Actemra will ever be stopped again. Fortunately, I don't seem to have any major side effects from Actemra.
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I am about to do my fourth injection in two days so I’m currently on 5 mg of prednisone, and I’m holding pretty steady with just a few little aches and pains that I can take care of easily with Tylenol. I’ve been wanting to touch base with you to see how you were doing and I’m thrilled to know that you were able to get off of everything, I hope the same will work for me. I’m a little worried about stepping down from the 5 mg to 2.5 which is about the rate my rheumatologist wants me to go but it looks like you did the same with your taper schedule and made out fine so I’ve got my fingers crossed. You are my inspiration and my hero. Thanks for keeping up and staying in touch.