← Return to Prednisone for over a year along with Kevzara for last 5 months

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@dadcue

How did Humira and Enbrel work for you. I assume these TNF-inhibitors were for RA before you were diagnosed with PMR. Did Humira or Embrel ever work for you? Do you think your current symptoms are more like RA symptoms or more like PMR symptoms. It might be hard to know but describe your symptoms with as many details as you can.

Kevzara is an IL-6 inhibitor that is FDA approved for both PMR and RA but it might not work for you.

"If your RA symptoms haven’t improved as much as you’d hoped after three months of taking an IL-6 inhibitor, or the drug is causing problems, your doctor may recommend switching to a different biologic. If you continue to take a treatment for too long, even though it isn’t working, you could develop joint damage caused by uncontrolled inflammation."

https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/what-to-expect-when-starting-an-il-6-inhibitor-to-treat-rheumatoid-arthritis/#:~:text=IL%2D6%20inhibitors%20tend%20to,of%20months%20after%20starting%20treatment.&text=Replay-,IL%2D6%20inhibitors%20are%20a%20type%20of%20biologic%20%E2%80%94%20a%20drug,made%20from%20a%20living%20organism.

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Replies to "How did Humira and Enbrel work for you. I assume these TNF-inhibitors were for RA before..."

In 1998 I was diagnosed with Palindromic Rheumatism and I started taking Plaquinol. My rheumatologist said it could eventually turn into RA, which it did, but it took a while. I added Methotrexate few years later and other than fatigue and a flare once in a while I was doing great. I started to have some more issue an and my doctor put me on Humira and that lasted about 15 years or longer, I can’t even remember. When I had the sudden onset bilateral shoulder pain in February 2023 I started at the a sports medicine doctor, who sent me to my neurologist, who then sent me my neurologist. She thought I was too young for PMR and I had a slew of tests for other autoimmune diseases, including lupus. The only test that was out of range was my CCP antibody which was over 250 and should be under 20, but I was also on Humira and prednisone at the time. She took me off Humira and I started ENBREL for a short time but it didn’t help. She then started me on Kevzara because it’s approved for RA and PMR. I also have inherited high cholesterol and one of the side effects of Kevzara is increased cholesterol.