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PMR on Kevzara — Normal CRP but Still in Pain?
I’m curious if anyone with PMR who is taking Kevzara has experienced this. My blood work, including C-reactive protein, is now in the normal range, which suggests the inflammation is under control. Yay! However, I’m still dealing with noticeable pain and stiffness, particularly in my hands. Has anyone else had normal labs while still experiencing symptoms while on Kevzara? I'm also still on 5 mg of prednisone. I’d be interested to hear how common this is and what others’ experiences have been.
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I am in the same boat, on 5mg Of pred and on kevzara. I had taken my 8th shot (so 4 months) and thought I was starting to feel better. Then rheumatologist had me skip 2 shots as my blood work was a little sketchy. But back on now and just put in shot #12 . I still hurt but I believe it's starting to get better again. It's hard to tell as I have had to do a few jobs (like fixing the plumbing under the bathroom sink) and I've started to do leg exercises ( the old man chair type) and the stiffness and achyness does get better through the day. Oh, one other wrench for me , they put me on a statin which gave me very bad muscle pain.. (I stopped that after a couple weeks) so I've had a few extenuating things that could contribute to my aches. , my rheumatologist is considering rinvoq if I don't feel better .
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3 Reactions@ronludington
There are so many things that "contribute" to our overall pain levels. I think Actemra helped me sort out all the different reasons for why I had pain. I was lumping all my pain together and called it PMR until Actemra was started.
I could only assume that Actemra was working for PMR when I was able to decrease my Prednisone dose. I found myself in "uncharted territory" on the lowest doses of Prednisone since my PMR diagnosis. More importantly, I didn't have a PMR relapse when I lowered my Prednisone dose.
I still have residual pain after I stopped Prednisone. I tell my rheumatologist that it doesn't hurt like it used to when PMR was active. I'm still on Actemra. My quality of life has improved substantially since I tapered off prednisone.
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2 ReactionsI have been on Kevzara for 1 1/2 yrs. I was able to taper off Prednisone shortly after starting. My CRP & ESR were very high before starting and have remained very low since I have been on it. I do go through periods when I experience pain in my neck, shoulders & lower back. This pain is nothing compared to what I experienced prior to Kevzara. My rheumatologist has determined that I also have Fibromyalgia. My PMR was brought on by Long Covid. It seems like a "gift" that just keeps giving. Good luck!
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1 Reaction@marci516 Thank you. Best of luck to you, too!
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