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Any experiences with Kevzara (sarilumab)?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Aug 24 4:42pm | Replies (30)Comment receiving replies
I just started on Kevzara for PMR. My WBC dropped and now my rheumatologist wants me to go from infusing every two weeks to every three weeks. I’m scared that she will pull the drug from me. I can’t take prednisone. Anyone else taking Kevzara
Replies to "I just started on Kevzara for PMR. My WBC dropped and now my rheumatologist wants me..."
I had what is called a minimally invasive spinal fusion of L3. He did the surgery through my left side, not my back. He removed the disc and inserted rods in my spine. The surgery took less than an hour and was very successful. I did not know I have PMR at the time. My surgeon does not want me to take prednisone because it could interfere with my healing. This is why I am upset if I have to go off the Kevzara because I don't have any other options.
Hi @ginnysiegel, Glad to see that you have already connected with @dadcue for your question. You will notice that we merged your discussion with another one on the same topic and changed the title a little to help others who may have some experience find the discussion - Any experiences with Kevzara (sarilumab)?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/kevzara-experiences/. If you click the link it will take you to the beginning of the discussion where you can read through the other responses to the discussion.
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I'm not taking Kevzara but I have experienced neutropenia on Actemra. The more critical value is the Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) and not pecentage neutrophils. ANC is the crucial measure of infection-fighting white blood cells (neutrophils).
My neutropenia was transient and my ANC wasn't so low that I was at risk of an infection. You just need to wait and see what happens. Your doctor did the right thing going to an injection every 3 weeks. Adjusting the time between injections is sometimes all that is needed.
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The following link provides more details:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7376291/
"Decreased absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is observed within hours following administration of interleukin‐6 receptor (IL‐6R) inhibitors sarilumab and tocilizumab. This decrease is not associated with increased risk of infection. Emerging evidence suggests the effects of IL‐6R inhibitors on ANC are due to margination of circulating neutrophils into a rapidly mobilizable noncirculating pool without loss of function, rather than a decreased overall number of neutrophils in the body."