Actemra (tocilizumab) Side Effects, Uses Dosages
Side Effects for Actemra (tocilizumab)
Burning in feet, tingling in hands and feet. Pain in left eye
4th medication tried -- Actemra is wonderful I feel like a different person.
Started with runny/stuffy nose,sore throat, headache then as time went on I was getting dizzy, skin rash on my back shortness of breath and tightness across my chest, severe abdominal pain and nausea terrible joint pain with swelling. It's time to change.
Loads but help my R A. Fatigue sore throat sores on ankle tingling in hands numbness in fingers .low wbc.
Helps my R A but not a miracle as has loads of side effects which really worries me .
I have very dry itchy skin following subcutaneous.weekly injection..My scalp gets extremely sore and itchy in the days following the injection. I find the drug helpful so I tolerate side effects .
I've been taking it on and off for about three years having a break when my white cell count falls below normal parameters.
Not sure about the aches neck and shoulder and headache pretty bad
Terrible joint pain and fatigue worse then what I was being treated for! Mental fog that kept getting worse every week.
Not the drug for me! A week or so after my first sq dose at home my husband commented on how I seemed more tired and grumpy after I started the medication.
I don't experience any noticeable side effects, given I already have a lot of fatigue, stomach issues, brain fog etc. from the RA and my other medical issues. However the most difficult issue i deal with is that the injection itself is extremely painful. If it didn't work so well for me I probably would stop because of it but it's honestly been a godsend for me.
Even though I have a lot of pain with the injection weekly, it goes away within a few hours and I can behave normally very soon. I actually had inflammation levels up around 15-20 on my worst days and could barely move. I had to move to completely online my senior year of high school and missed out on a lot because of the excruciating pain that RA put me through. I had been through just about every single oral arthritis and lupus medication available because we weren't sure whether or not it was RA (seronegative RA). So I was not hopeful starting Actemra, I thought I would have to try a ton of biologics to find the right one. I am beyond blessed to have found the right one on my first try though. My inflammation levels have gone from around 15-20 to 0-3 and it just makes me want to cry. Even though I have to deal with other chronic health issues I feel so much freer now.
Weight gain ( may have been from 14 months of high dose prednisone). Fatigue, headache, stomach pain.
Concerned about Covid vaccine as no one knows reaction
Headache, dizziness, extremely painful mouth ulcers, itchy skin, weight gain, cholesterol increase, abnormal liver test, no reduction in rheumatoid pain.
Had high hopes this medication would be the one (my 4th). So disappointing... and painful.
Extreme sweating and joint pain where I never had it before and nauseous that comes and goes
Tingling numbness in left hand, end of fingers feel on fire, 3 days after infusion in the wrist of left hand. Itchy skin. Light rash over body
Really scared to take another infusion next week is due.
Loosing some hair when combing but not to worriedGet a little bit chilled off and on. Other than that very satisfied!
After this injection I felt extremely dizzy and so tired. This morning I woke up with swelling on my face. So sore I can barely move.
I should have listened to all the other reviews.
Fatigue, intermittent eye pain, jaw pain, mouth sores, weight gain
Was on prednisone for 1.5 years. Started 60 mg got down to 6 mg and inflammatory markers went up. Been on Actemra for 5 months now. Markers normal feeling good
Don't have any that I know about. Was on 60 mg. Predisone for over a yr. before weaning down & have been off for 4 months. Total time on Predisone about 20 months & on Actemra for 14 months - 10 more months to go. I lost vision in right eye, but things are looking good & Actemra makes me feel confident it won't come back. The Predisone was horrible but thank god for it. I think I had an easier wean from using the Actemra. I self inject once a week, takes about 45 seconds. Easy-Peasy!
My knees started to hurt (about a 3-4), but then I could not trust them, my right knees could give out if I tried leading with it. I have fallen twice: once down the stairs (no serious injury), once getting up from the toilet. Is this a stage to be worked through or my future?
Extremely painful joints in morning Panadol and hot showers. Whole body is effected can hardly walk. Suffering UTI at the moment 2nd course of ibilux 500 never had it before actemra. I don’t know what to do. Have suffered RA for 30years
Not as impressed as I hoped to be with this medicine though I was in for al life changing drug.
Face edema rash on chest, lower leg and feet numbness and edema. Body ache and fatigue .
ACTEMRA (TOCILIZUMAB): This medication is used alone or with other medications to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults. It is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in children (such as polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis-PJIA, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis-SJIA). It helps to reduce pain and swelling due to rheumatoid arthritis. Tocilizumab is also used to treat giant cell arteritis. It helps to reduce swelling in your blood vessels so blood can flow more easily. Tocilizumab belongs to a class of drugs known as Interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockers. It works by blocking IL-6, a substance made by the body that causes swelling (inflammation). (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)
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