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Medications for Temporal Arteritis/Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jun 4 7:35am | Replies (431)Comment receiving replies
@hughebo2
Hi, I am about to start Rinvoq. Have you had side effects? My rheumatologist said it is similar to Actemra.
Replies to "@hughebo2 Hi, I am about to start Rinvoq. Have you had side effects? My rheumatologist said..."
The following discussion might also give you some information.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/fda-approves-rinvoq-upadacitinib-for-gca/
I have not had any side effects at all. Also, I have been in remission since August of last year.
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@emrose
If you start Rinvoq ... please let everyone know how it works. These newer medications are helping many people decrease their reliance on Prednisone.
Rinvoq, a once-daily pill. It is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that works to block certain signals that are thought to cause inflammation.
Actemra is given by a weekly injection under the skin or a monthly IV infusion. It is an IL-6 inhibitor that also blocks inflammation. Actemra is a biologic medication that is expensive. Kevzara is another biologic medication that was FDA approved for PMR.
Both Rinvoq and Actemra are FDA approved treatments for GCA and both will likely help stop the inflammation associated with PMR
The following link contains information about Rinvog. It was FDA approved for GCA in April 2025. There is a risk of certain serious side effects but it doesn't say how much of a risk there is.
https://news.abbvie.com/2025-04-29-RINVOQ-R-upadacitinib-Receives-U-S-FDA-Approval-for-Giant-Cell-Arteritis-GCA).
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I don't have any personal experience with Rinvoq but some people on this forum are being started on it. This forum is great for learning about the experiences that other people have being treated with newer medications for PMR/GCA. Other PMR/GCA forums are dominated with people taking Prednisone who can't seem to taper off Prednisone.
Rinvoq is NOT a "biologic medication" so maybe it won't have the costs associated with biologics
Prednisone also has risks of serious side effects. I was on Prednisone for 12 years until Actemra allowed me to get off Prednisone. I haven't needed any Prednisone in 5 years while only being treated with Actemra. It took me more than a year to get completely off Prednisone after Actemra was started. Comparing my 12 years of Prednisone to my 5 years on Actemra alone -- I'm better off on Actemra.