@eparnold0219 hopefully no…..it’s all abt PMR in remission.

@eparnold0219

Maybe you will need Kevzara "long term" --- but not always.

The general idea is to taper off Prednisone within the first year and then to wean off of Kevzara during the second year.

It didn't work that way for me. I have been on Actemra (tocilizumab) for 7 years. My last dose of Prednisone was more than 5 years ago. My rheumatologist has no current plan to stop Actemra although we have tried in the past.

At least my side effects from Actemra are minimal compared to the side effects I had during my 12 years on Prednisone. After my first year or two on Prednisone, my rheumatologist wanted me to taper off Prednisone except I couldn't.

The nice thing now is that my rheumatologist never tells me I need to taper off Actemra. I could stop Actemra but I'm not dependent on Actemra because it doesn't suppress my adrenal function.

I'm usually asked WHY do I want to discontinue Actemra because it is working well. I don't have any PMR flares anymore AND my adrenals are no longer suppressed.

@eparnold0219
My Rheumatologist told me that after about a year and a half, I will taper off of it. It works very well for me!