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How long to take Kevzara and how to taper off Kevzara?
I have been taking Kevzara for 16 months now. It allowed me to taper off Prednisone within about 4 months after the first injection. I have not had a flare since starting Kevzara. I have tolerated Kevzara well. The only side effect is that it has dropped my White Blood Cell Count to the low end of the acceptable range. How long do I need to stay on Kevzara? How do I taper off Kevzara? I'm interested in the experience of others on this topic.
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Thank you for this encouraging news. I've had two Kevzara shots and no noticeable difference thus far, but I remain hopeful. I can't get off prenisone soon enough.
Been on Kevzara about 14 months and no negative reactions. Inflammation markers good. (However I now have osteoarthritis pain🙁) Am also curious about the titrating process. My rheumy said I’ll be going to every 3 weeks soon
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1 Reaction@tweetypie13 Hi. My first Kevzara injection was 8 days ago. The following day I had a follow-up (first time visit) with a hematologist from a blood clot, which I believe was triggered by Prednisone. She did bloodwork and notified me that my WBC dropped drastically after the Kevzara injection and recommended that I notify my rheumatologist, which I did. My rheumatologist said not to take the next Kevzara injection at two weeks and instead to wait one month (my follow-up appointment with her) to reassess my WBC and perhaps stop the Kevzara.
I say all that because you said your WBC was down after Kevzara. I was wondering how low it went, and for how long.
I want to continue with Kevzara and get off of Prednisone as soon as possible,
Your journey is inspirational to me.
@stonewheel
Decreased WBC counts are observed with IL-6 inhibitors like Kevzara and Actemra. I know how disconcerting it can be. However, it is the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) that is the most important.
The following excerpt from the link gelow might ease some of your concern.
"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."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7376291/
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Sometimes the decrease is transient. Holding a dose or two is usually done.
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2 Reactions@stonewheel
Like Mike below, my neutrophils dropped too.
I’m not sure my case is relevant for you.
I was 7 months on Kevzara when low numbers appeared. And, I had/have no other health issues. The Dr. was it alarmed by my numbers.
I bounced back within 6 weeks of reduced dose.
Sorry not to be of more help.
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1 Reaction@tweetypie13 Ahh, ok. If I’m remembering correctly, Is that why your Kevzara injections went from 2 weeks to 3 weeks apart?
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1 Reaction@dadcue Thank you Mike.
I thought I had read similar research results. Perhaps some you had previously shared with me.
I was thinking that it is normal and often expected. Her reply to me about holding off on my second injection, blood testing again in Feb. and perhaps stopping Kevzara permanently is not what I want to hear.
I’m going to my PCP tomorrow to have the bloodwork done a few days sooner (8 days after the Kevzara injection) and all will be available to her before my scheduled second Kevzara self-injection. Hopefully she will tell me to continue with Kevzara as originally planned.
Thank you for your help Mike. I hope the new year is being good to you.