Why was Actemra prescribed for you?

Actemra was prescribed to me for PMR because I needed to take prednisone daily for 12 years. PMR was diagnosed at the age of 52. Other autoimmune disorders were diagnosed starting at the age of 30. My very first dose of prednisone was 35 years ago.

For the first 15 years, I would routinely take 60-100 mg of prednisone followed by a fast taper over a month or two to control flares of one thing or another. My ophthalmologist prescribed high doses to control flares of uveitis. I also needed prednisone for flares of reactive arthritis and some other problems.

After PMR was diagnosed, I started with a 40 mg dose of prednisone daily and never could taper much lower than 10 mg. While doing Actemra injections, I tapered off prednisone in 7 months.

I still take Actemra. Everything has been reasonably quiet from an autoimmune perspective. I have been off prednisone for 4 years. I haven't had any serious side effects from taking Actemra. I don't seem to need any other medications to control inflammation. When I have tried to stop Actemra, the inflammatory pain slowly returns after a couple of months.

I'm currently doing monthly Actemra infusions.