I took my first Arava | Arthritis Information

 

I was very scared to take it as i hate any new medicine. I am allergic to somewhere around 30 other meds could be more. Out side of possibly loosing my hair, or you know the possibility of something really bad happening, I had little to loose as all the other side effects i would never even notice as i already have them. I guess i took it about six hours ago i did not want to be alone so a friend came over and watched tv with me for four hours. I think i am alright. I think the only side efects are me returning to my pre flare state. My sinuses are running a bit but that is just me. The very fact that i have salava in my mouth or sinuses to drip is really cool. My eyes seem a bit dry yet but there are a few tears so this good. I have no motivation yet but it did not make me tired. I was exhausted to the point I had no motivation anyway. I think it gave me a little gas so far thats about it. At first when i took it I thought my throat felt a little sore and i coughed a bit, I think it was just things draining. I hope i can continue to show improvement. My skin feels really dry and i had a few shooting pains earlier. But i had been getting shooting pains anyway. Anyway so far so good. I will try to give an update in the future. Anyway this is nerve racking for me as i am allergic to sulfa drugs, and have tryed other meds for inflamatory bowel disease and was allergic to them. So finally i may get a little relief. Keeping my fingers crossed. milly39443.0316550926

Good luck Milly, I'll be thinking of you. Becky is due to start MTX and joint injections in 3 weeks time and the fear of the unknown is awful, isn't it? Take care of yourself

Dee

I will be praying for Becky. The unknown is scary and i am sorry she has to go threw this. I hope it works well for her.

Hi Milly,

I am on Arava and it has been a godsend for me!  I started it out in combo with mtx but mtx made me sick 4 days out of 7 so I decided it just was not for me and have been taking Arava with Chloroquine (a type of Plaquenil) and it works, I am only on 4mg of prednisone and hope to get off prednisone after the New Year.  I am without chloroquine right now because the pharmacy forgot to order and I have to wait 2 weeks because they order it from Austria, so I am testing how much I really need it, maybe I can eliminate it.

Did you start with the loading dose of 100mg?  How much will you be taking every day?  I take 20mg.  Make sure you take lots of folic acid to prevent your hair falling out, I take 5mg per day and take a good multivitamin and calcium with magnesium of course.

I wish you lots of luck!

Mariana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

First post.  I tried Arava in June 2007, starting with a five-fold dose for the first week, then down to the normal once a day dose thereafter.  My RA improved dramatically within a month, but it came at the expense of a mild dry cough initially, which got worse over the next month, and before I knew it I began having breathing problems.  It got to the point where I couldn't take more than ten steps without having to stop and catch my breath.   My doc panicked a little, and I was prescribed charcoal mixed in water, several times a day, to remove the Arava buildup from my body.  The drug has a very long half life, and would have still been a problem now even though I stopped taking it.  The charcoal removed it within two weeks and I can now breath normally again.  However, my RA has gone ballistic once again and I'm searching for the right meds now, currently on sulfasalazine (five years except for the three months on Arava), and now plaquenil.  I'm waiting for the plaquenil to kick in, nothing so far after two weeks.  So that's my tale of woe re Arava - very effective for my joints, but a frightening lung side effect.  Apparently I have a relatively rare lung sensitivity to Arava.

• leflunomide (ARAVA)
  We list this drug as a Do Not Use drug because it may be less effective than other drugs and causes liver damage and high blood pressure.

• Arthritis and Inflammation [hide all summaries]
  At least 31.6 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis. The three most common types are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout. Each has a different cause, treatment, and probable outcome.

• Lung Inflammation (Pneumonitis) with the Arthritis Drug Leflunomide (ARAVA) [hide all summaries]
  (June 2006)
  There is increasing evidence that the arthritis drug leflunomide (ARAVA), taken alone or in combination with another drug, methotrexate, can case serious lung inflammation called pneumonitis. If you are taking leflunomide, either alone or in combination with methotrexate, and you experience difficulty breathing, a dry cough, and dizziness, you should contact your physician immediately.
• Nerve Damage: Another Serious Adverse Effect of Leflunomide (ARAVA): DO NOT USE [hide all summaries]
  (July 2004)
  Worst Pills, Best Pills readers know that we petitioned the FDA to ban this widely-prescribed arthritis drug in March, 2002 because of its liver toxicity, occurring more often than with any other arthritis drug. At the time of our petition, in the two years ending September 30, 2001, leflunomide was associated with at least 130 severe liver reactions including 56 hospitalizations and 22 deaths. Now FDA scientists reviewed 80 patients who developed nerve damage, mostly involving sensation but, in some cases, involving motor function (weakness) in the arms or legs after using ARAVA.
• Arthritis Drug Leflunomide (ARAVA) Linked to Japanese Deaths from Lung Disease: Another Reason Why It is a DO NOT USE Drug [hide all summaries]
  (March 2004)
  Aventis, manufacturer of the widely prescribed arthritis drug leflunomide (ARAVA) said that five Japanese patients have died from a drug-induced lung condition after taking its drug to treat arthritis and that it has asked doctors to take further precautions before prescribing the medication. We have previously urged patients not to use this drug at all.
• DO NOT USE! New Warnings About Fatal Liver Toxicity And Infections For The Arthritis Drug Leflunomide (ARAVA) [hide all summaries]
  (January 2004)
  The maker of the arthritis drug leflunomide (ARAVA), Aventis Pharmaceuticals of Bridgewater, NJ, notified health professionals in October 2003 that new safety warnings concerning life-threatening liver toxicity and infections have been required on the professional product labeling or package insert for the drug.
• Health Research Group Petitions to Ban the Arthitis Drug Leflunomide (ARAVA) [hide all summaries]
  (June 2002)
  Leflunomide (ARAVA) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 1998 for the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis in adults. On March 28, 2002, we petitioned Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to remove leflunomide from the market immediately.
• Do Not Use. Europeans Strengthen Liver Toxicity Warnings on the Arthritis Drug Leflunomide (ARAVA) [hide all summaries]
  (December 2001)
  Leflunomide (ARAVA) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 10, 1998 to reduce signs and symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis in adults and to retard structural damage as evidenced by X-ray erosion and joint space narrowing. The drug is sold by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. If you are now taking leflunomide you should discuss with your doctor the European recommendations for liver testing and strongly consider switching to a less dangerous drug.

• Letter to FDA addressing Dr. Gary Firestein's comments concerning HRG's petition to remove ARAVA from the market (HRG Publication #1644) [hide all summaries]
  It is discouraging that we have a so-called expert in the field of rheumatology who, apparently, has not thoroughly read either our petition or the original label for leflunomide, yet feels free to attack our petition. We tried in our petition to present as much information as was available, to analyze it rigorously, and to provide references so that our statements could be checked; unfortunately, Dr. Firestein failed to do this.

Well i thought my breathing at the moment has improved just from getting all of the fluid off of my chest was my thoughts. I can see and feel my colar bones. Sorry you had this problem. I am not doing the initial big dose. I am taking it slow. 20mg a day at the moment. Thanks for the feed back. It is a bit earliy to get excited but i am showing signs of improvement.

 

 Good luck Milly! Hope you tolerate the Arava well...and that it helps you bunches.

I find when i start something new that i stress about, that i start to breathe different and swell in my right shoulder.  Stress for some reason does that too me.  I thought it was drugs at first.

I took Arava for almost 6 months before (stopped for reasons "not" related to the drug) and i still had all my hair and no side effects which is odd since i am side effect girl with medications.

Even though this drug can stay in your body for quite a long while after you stop it, there are drugs out there that a doctor can give you to eliminate what is left in your system from you which is a good thing.

I took methotrexate and my body swelled up and breathing got bad and took about two weeks for it all to leave me, after the first week i was able to breathe normal, but my swellings were just horrible, there was nothing to take mtx out of my body unfortunately.

I wish you well and hope this is the magic medication for you.

Thanks i am not really to stressed anymore. I was the first night. This is the third and well just adjusting i guess. A lot of peeing it seems and there is a post about hair loss that has set my mind at ease. Today was just strange but in a good way. I woke up feeling pretty good compared to what i had been. And i bent over to throw a towel around my head after i took a bath and about tipped over. I guess i bend a bit easier than i had been. I can scratch my back. And all kinds of little things that just make me say WOW. I have a few problems still of course but i am improving at the moment i needed some improvement. I had been going down hill pretty swiftly the past two weeks and it is nice to be going uphill. Thanks again for the well wishes and the support.

I know the feeling.  When i upped the prednisone my knee kept bending all the way backwards when i walked and would try and lock me.  It had been so long since i was able to put my knee open all the way that it took a few days to get it back on track.

It's also nice to get out of a chair faster than 3min lol.  I am hoping to get back on arava, my rhummy, as usual, has decided not to return my call until after the holidays instead of using all the week before christmas to answer my questions.

But hopefully it will work for both of us.

Have a happy holiday season and enjoy feeling better :)

I just started taking Arava so I don't have much experience yet.  You might find this link helpful regarding side effects.  If you click on table 9 it shows the percentages compared to MTX and placebo (...the last two columns are a direct comparison of Arava and MTX).  The risk of pneumonia is about 2% in both cases.  It really doesn't look like the risk of side effects in most cases is worse than MTX...not sure why it's rated as a "do not use" by that other web site.

Alan

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/leflunomide_ad.htm

Well thanks but i am having an allergic reaction. Could be something else but i doubt it. Pretty sure it is the Arava.
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