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I'm currently doing Actemra infusions primarily for PMR. I started with Actemra injections and progressed to doing monthly infusions because the infusions work better for me.
I agree with @becsbuddy. I took prednisone for 12 years waiting for PMR to "burn itself out" and go into remission.
PMR never did go into remission. My rheumatologist said Actemra was my best chance of ever getting off prednisone. I was able to taper off prednisone and Actemra is keeping me off prednisone.
It wasn't just PMR because I have multiple autoimmune conditions, They all are currently in remission.
I would not assume that you will have side effects from Actemra. When I was seeking information about Actemra for PMR, I got negative feedback about the risk of Actemra side effects on top of the "manageable side effects" from prednisone. I also read that prednisone was the "only option" for PMR.
I was able to get off prednisone with help from Actemra. My prednisone side effects are improving or have gone away entirely. I was able to discontinue other medications that were being used to treat prednisone side effects.
I don't seem to have any side effects from Actemra.
You will never know if Actemra works or not unless you try it. If Actemra doesn't work, it can be stopped easily ...unlike prednisone which has to be tapered off slowly. Actemra can be stopped easily if it doesn't work or you have side effects.
Replies to "I'm currently doing Actemra infusions primarily for PMR. I started with Actemra injections and progressed to..."
My husband was just given Actemra injections for GCA. We are waiting to confirm he doesn't have an infection (coughing for a few weeks, waiting for results from chest X-ray). Then he'll start the injections. He had to have three 1200 mg IV infusions of methylprednisolone last week (just diagnosed with GCA a week and a half ago, had PMR since last May.) And landed in the hospital for a weekend. He has horrific headaches and his doctor told him no more Tylenol. We've been fighting with his doctor over dosing since the IV infusions. He's on 80 mg of prednisone and if he takes it all at once in the morning the headaches return by 6 am. She would not let us split the dose. Finally, when we asked for a 2nd opinion, we were told by the Chief of Rheumatology that 80 mg is too high a dose to take all at once and we could split it how we want so long as he gets the full 80 mg daily. We then were able to get the Actemra and were definitely worried about the potential side-effects. However, reading these posts on here has eased a lot of those worries. I appreciate everyone who shares their stories here. It really does help people like me who are new to all of this.
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thank you for your insight...