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When to taper prednisone when starting kevzara

Posted by ronludington @ronludington, Sep 30, 2025

I have had 2 doses of kevzara, the 3rd going in in 3 days. I was feeling pretty good , thinking maybe this kevzara is kicking in early .. (nope) I was on 10mg of prednisone . My rheumatologist said go down to 7.5 after a month on kevzara. So a week after the 2nd dose, I dropped to 7.5. First 2 days we're no problem, the 3rd day, I woke up to feeling like being run over by a truck. I couldn't wait to get that 7.5 in me. A couple hours later I started to feel better. So, I'm assuming withdrawl. Today (a day later) not so bad, (but not good either) but if kevzara takes 3 months to kick in fully, shouldn't we start our taper a little later into the process, maybe after the 4th shot ? (I'm on the 200 every 14 days protocol)

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stonewheel | @stonewheel | Jul 22 11:56am
In reply to @stonewheel "I’m self injecting 200mg/1.14ml of Kevzara every 2 weeks and just gave myself injection #5. This..." + (show)
Profile picture for stonewheel @stonewheel

I’m self injecting 200mg/1.14ml of Kevzara every 2 weeks and just gave myself injection #5. This means that I have 8 weeks (2 months) of Kevzara in my system as of today.
I started Prednisone 40 mg/day in mid-November 2025, (less than 4 months ago) and have tapered down to, and have been on 10mg for the past two weeks.
(I feel fine.)
I reduced my Prednisone to 8.5mg today.
[So, today I have 2 months on Kevzara and taking 8.5 mg of Prednisone, down from 10mg.]
I’ll keep replying (updating my experience) on this thread to hopefully help answer your question, ronludington and others who, like me, want to know.
I’m going to update with facts and not “plans” or “hope-to’s.”
Of course, we are all different and began this journey differently, and with different treatment plans and amounts.
Hopefully, we are enough alike that this record will help.
Five more variables about me:
Male
5’-7”
177 lbs.
age 69
Strict Mediterranean diet
(4years)

Jump to this post

@stonewheel Update on tapering Prednisone whe on Kevzara (my experience)
As of June 2026,
Quick recap: PMR dx’d November 2025, began Prednisone 40 md/day. Hospitalized with DVT, due to Prednisone induced clotting, side-effect (one of several, me.)

Kevzara injections, now doing 3week intervals instead of the usual 2week. The reason, low Platelet Count and low ANC counts. (Both within the Kevzara acceptable guidelines, but my rheumatologist is, in my opinion, is overly cautious.)
Anyway, over the last 8 weeks, I have only taken two injections. I’ll have another, one week from today.

I’ve steadily continued to taper Prednisone (fairly rapidly) and I’m now down from 8.5 mg/day, in May 2026, to 1.5 mg/day this week, starting 7/20/26.
(10 to 1.5 in 10 weeks)

I have a few pains but attribute them to being Prednisone induced, Prednisone taper withdraw, a decrease in Kevzara, and Adrenal production restart.
Really, I feel that I’m doing pretty well.

Prednisone has taken its toll on me, but with continued exercise (cardio and resistance) I can regain bone, cartilage, and muscle deterioration.

My diet remains strict with supplemental plant protein, vitami D, magnesium and calcium; while food provides the rest inclouding omega-3 and vitamin C.

I still struggle with getting enough (8 hours) sleep. I simply hate to sleep. I always have. I’m strange, I know.
But, I make myself go to bed at night; I even have an alarm on my phone that tells me to go to bed, along with the 7 others that tell me when to take meds (Prednisone and meds to counter the Prednisone side-effects.

In all, I’m doing fine.
Still indending to be off Prednisone by the end of August, and off of the side-effect meds (Eliquis, Valacyclovir, Omeprazole, Temazepam) and supplements (D3, Calcium, and B12) by the end of 2026; and ending the 8 daily phone alarms.

Best wishes to you all.

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