Anakinra is a medication that treats mild to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) such as joint swelling, pain, exhaustion, and early stiffness. It is prescribed for people who have not improved after receiving one or more RA therapies. Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes are also treated with it. Kineret®, also known as Anakinra, is an IL-1 modulator. It belongs to a family of medicines known as biologics.
How to take this medication?
Anakinra is used to treat RA at a dosage of 100mg per day as an infusion under the skin. Every day, the medication should be injected around the same time. If you skip a dosage, contact your healthcare practitioner to find out when your next injection is due.
You will be shown how to administer shots to yourself. Anakinra should be injected at a fresh spot every day. Before starting this therapy, make sure you completely grasp how to prepare and administer the injection, as well as how to discard the unused needles. Take no more or less medication than prescribed.
Possible Side-Effects
Kineret may cause serious side effects including:
- hives,
- difficulty breathing,
- swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat,
- severe dizziness,
- sweating,
- severe itching,
- wheezing,
- fast or pounding heartbeats,
- fainting,
- fever,
- sweating,
- chills,
- tired feeling,
- shortness of breath,
- cough,
- sore throat,
- sores in your mouth and throat,
- body aches, and
- weight loss
This medication may also produce minor irritability near the injection site. If this occurs, the pain should be minimal. These irritations can last for up to a month. Contact your healthcare practitioner if you experience discomfort, edema, warmth, or discoloration near the injection location.
Inform your doctor if any adverse effect concerns you or does not go away.
These are not the only potential side effects of Kineret. Consult your doctor or medical professional for more details.
Things You Need to Let Your Doctor Know Before Taking This Medication
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Immune system problems
- Infections, such as tuberculosis (TB) or other bacterial, fungal or viral infections
- Kidney disease
- Low white blood cell levels
- Recent or upcoming vaccine
- An unusual allergic reaction to anakinra, or other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
- Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
- Breast-feeding
Interaction With Other Medications
It is critical that your physicians know if you are taking any other medications while taking anakinra. Prescription and non-prescription medications, as well as birth control tablets, vitamins, and herbal remedies, are all included.
Anakinra can be combined with other medicines such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (Celebrex®, ibuprofen, naproxen), prednisone, methotrexate, and plaquenil. It is incompatible with TNF inhibitors such as Enbrel®, Remicade®, and Humira®, as well as other monoclonal medicines.
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Reference:
- https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/drug-information/anakinra-kineret/#:~:text=What%20is%20Anakinra%20(Kineret%C2%AE,more%20treatments%20used%20for%20RA.
- https://www.rxlist.com/kineret-drug.htm
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/20395-anakinra-injection
