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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (17)
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@dadcue Hi, I just started using the Kevzara injector pen 3 weeks ago and within a few days, my Occipital Neuralgia has come back full force. I’m using the Kevzara, to help me taper off prednisone, which I’ve been on for Polymyalgia Rheumatica for 4 years. My PMR, came on with Occipital Neuralgia in 2022. I’ve been on 5mg of prednisone and symptom free, until I began the Kevzara. Besides the flare of my ON, I’m having a decent sore throat daily and feel like I’m getting a virus, but no fever. Just intermittent body aches and sweats.
I have a video chat in a week with my Rheumatologist, to discuss all of the is.
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@lori62yb
This is all very interesting to me. Prednisone is sometimes used to treat occipital neuralgia. Doctors may prescribe a short-term "burst" of high dose prednisone to quickly reduce inflammation around the irritated occipital nerves. I only know this because of having trigeminal neuralgia (TN).
I had a terrible time with TN. My case of TN was a "vascular problem" as much as it was a nerve problem. It was "untreated" with the conventional ways of treating TN for many years. I only needed to take a burst of high dose prednisone and TN would stop temporarily until I tried to decrease my prednisone dose again. I took a lot of prednisone trying to control TN but that is one reason why TN isn't treated with prednisone! It is not typically a long-term solution due to potential side effects.
A neurosurgeon was skeptical of how I managed TN for 20 years without any nerve pain medications. When he reviewed my medication list prior to surgery for TN, he asked me what I took for pain. He said the patients he sees usually have "a list of pain medications a mile long" trying to treat TN. He didn't see any pain medications when he looked at my medication list. I had to tell the surgeon that I only took prednisone but he found that hard to believe.
I would suggest that trying to taper off prednisone is causing your flare of occipital neuralgia. I don't think it is a side effect from Kevzara.
Since you feel like you are getting a virus ... I would suggest that is a symptom of prednisone withdrawal and/or adrenal insufficiency. I had that problem and it felt like a bad case of the flu.
https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/prednisone-taper
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Secondary adrenal insufficiency is another lovely side effect from long term prednisone use. I wasn't made aware of this until I got to 7 mg of prednisone and I needed an endocrinologist.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/adrenal-insufficiency-and-tapering-prednisone/
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Kevzara should help with PMR but trying to taper off Prednisone still isn't an easy thing to do.