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Replies to "I was one of the first folks on The Forum to go on Kevzara. I was..."
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Oct 13, 2024 | Replies (19)
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I was one of the first folks on The Forum to go on Kevzara. I was on it from October of last year until February of this year and it worked just great. BUT, one of the known side effects is a lowered WBC and I had to come off. I was initially diagnosed in January of 2023. I am now on meloxacam, a non steroid anti inflammatory. 15 mg daily and at 83 I am just living my life pretty much pain free.
Replies to "I was one of the first folks on The Forum to go on Kevzara. I was..."
@wilmingtonemperor
At one point I was put on Meloxicam (“mobic”) for a bad flare of my inflammatory arthritis. I took it with prednisone and a gastric protector, Carafate(I’m very sensitive to NSAIDS).
This combination worked very well with no bad effects on a short term basis.
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My WBCs decreased temporarily on Actemra too. My rheumatiologist debated about what to do. I think I skipped one injection of Actemra.
My neutrophils were the biggest worry. My percentage of neutrophils was low but my absolute neutrophil count was only borderline. The absolute count is the most important.
WBCs can be expressed as a percentage (relative numbers of each type of WBC in relationship to the total WBC) or as an absolute value (percentage x total WBC). Of these, the absolute value is much more important than the relative value.
There are five basic white blood cell types:
Neutrophils
Eosinophils
Basophils
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
In any case, my rhematologist said I was immunosuppressed but I had a low risk of a serious infection. After a few months on Actemra, my WBCs normalzed.