currently on MTX...considering Arava... | Arthritis Information
Hello,
I am new to this forum. I have had RA for 27 years…since the age of 5. I have been on a variety of drugs but I am now taking MTX, plaquenil, sulfasalisine, orudis. I restarted MTX after being off of it for nearly two years while trying ot conceive and then during my pregnancy and finally during the period when I wa breastfeeding. I eventually had to stop breastfeeding because I was having a terrible flare-up . I had not had such a bad flare up in years. I had been warned that following childbirth there would be a good chance that my disease would become active. Oh it did. So I have been taking MTX for about 9 month now but it does not seem to be working quite as well as it was before I stopped (although I am 200% better than I was 9 months ago). Plus, this time round I have been losing A LOT of hair. The problem is that it is difficult to know whether it is the MTX causing the hair loss or whether it is simply post-partum hair loss. I started the MTX when the babies (of by the way, I had triplets!) were 2 month and my hair started falling out like crazy when they were three months and it hasen’t gotten any better since.
I saw my rheumatologist the other day. We discussed some options. He mentioned the drug Arava which I have never taken. It would be the next step before the biologics. I am not entirely sure whether I am ready to move on to a new drug yet but I thought I would start doing my research.
Something that I found interesting is that Arava does not have, according to my doc, the same restrictions regarding alcohol. I was actually quite pleased when he told me this. I am by no means someone who drinks a lot but I do enjoy the freedom of being able to drink every now and then. I know that with MTX I can have 2 drinks per week but when I do want to drink, it’s more than that. However, from what I have read on the net, it seems Arava is hard on liver (harder than MTX) which makes me question why Arava would allow for more alcohol consumption. It doesn’t make sense to me.
Also, I read that Arava can also cause hair loss L Is it practically a given that I will continue to lose my hair on Arava given the fact that I am losing them on MTX?
Also, could someone tell me what kind of drug Arava is? I know it is a DMARD but is it kind of like MTX in the sense that it is very low doses of chemotherapy?
Thank you all for reading my long post and if any of you can help me with my numerous questions, I would be very grateful.
Hi
I'm not on Arava, but discussed switching to that from mtx due to some side effects I was having. My doctor also said Arava doesn't have alcohol restriction, yet it seems like it does when you google it. Puzzled on that as well. Sorry, I can't help as to side effects, but I'm sure someone will comment on the hair loss.
Cathy
Arava was the most recent drug I tried and it caused me immense abdominal pain (like hot glass shards moving through my bowels, miserable!) BUT it didn't make my hair fall out.
Welcome to the boards and congratulations on triplets supermom!
ETA - I believe Arava may have been behind my loss of appetite and weight loss, but I can't be sure because I was also having other issues at the time. When I stopped taking the Arava, my weight became stable so I'm guessing it was at least partially to blame.
CO_Mel2009-11-23 07:55:19Thank you for your replies.
CO-Mel : Did MTX make your hair fall out? I'm just wondering if my hair will also fall out on Arava given that it is falling out on MTX?
Is Arava chemotherapy?
Anybody else?
MTX made my hair fall out at first, but I was also taking folic acid and someone suggested biotin so it wasn't bad (just a few extra strands here and there.) Now Plaquenil - whole different story. I called my RD crying about alopecia on that one!
Arava is a DMARD. Not sure if it's a chemo drug. I do know for sure that you cannot get pregnant while you are on this medication. You have to be on a no-fail type of birth control. My RD also warned me that if we decided to have another baby in the future, that the Arava would have to be sucked from my body and added it would not be a pleasant experience.
My advice is to google Arava and read all the info available to you before you choose to try this one.
Hi and welcome to the forum!
I took Arava and had to stop it due to vivid nightmares and excessive menstrual periods. While there are some people on the forum who have successfully tried Arava, it seems there are many more who stopped it due to side effects. I've been on Imuran (azathioprine) for a long time now, which is another DMARD, and have no side effects from it. Perhaps you might discuss that option with your doctor as well.
As far as I know, both Arava and Imuran are low-dose chemotherapy drugs, in that they suppress the immune system. I have not had hair loss, but I was only on mtx and Arava for short periods of time. I don't recall anything about the alcohol restrictions for Arava, but as you said, it doesn't make sense to me that you could use alcohol considering the toll on the liver.
i have never heard of Imuran. I just did a quick search. Interesting. I am just wondering when this drug is prescribed. What I mean by that is...is it only prescribed once methotrexate and arava have both been unsuccessfully tried? My Rheumy never even mentioned this drug. He mentioned Arava as the next step as well as Enbrel if Arava does not work (I would be on Enbrel and MTX). But I wohnder why this was not mentioned? Are there any other drugs I should be aware about?
I guess I should mention to you that following the birth of my thriplets I had major complications that sadly resulted in an emergency hysterectomy. This is why my rheumy has suggested this drug...because he knows that i cannot have another baby (carry another baby I should say). Otherwise, even though I had triplets, I would not be psychologically ready to start this med.
Innerglow, are you on any other meds apart from Imuran?
Where can I purchase Biotin? I did an online3 search and found a few places on the net that sell it but I would much rather avoid purchasing it online? And is Biotin a brand name? What is it exactly...vitamin B
One of the side affects for me while on Avara was bowel frequency, try about ten times a day.
It got that bad that I virtually had to fasten the seat belt to the throne all day long.
Just thought I'd mention that in case you try and start to notice a big change in that area.
I did take myself off the drug and things got back to normal after a week.
Best of luck.
Bodak : oh how nice.
So does anyone have a good experience to share about Arava?
Bumping...just in case anyone missed itWell I was on Arava for about a year and never had any real problems with side effects. On the other hand it didn't help that much and I eventually stopped. I guess I'm surprised you haven't tried a biologic yet...they have worked very well for me.
Alan
Hi,
I'm on Arava and it was a God send. Also on MTX @ 20mg and prednisone @3mg. It wasn't enough and I was still in a lot of pain and making work very difficult. They tried Plaquenil and Sulfasalizine as well but no good. The Arava has worked very well. In fact up to a couple of months ago I was feeling great with just a small amount of pain. Lately it is flaring up but maybe due to stress plus I still have a fair few drinks each week. Have read that drinking can reduce the effects of MTX so may have to cut back. Doc said while Arava was an irritant to the liver drinking would be fine but of course most say not advisable with MTX.
I had no side effects with Arava but a large number with Plaquenil. Hope it works for you if you try it. My liver count didn't go up on Arava but neither has it on MTX so my body is tolerating things pretty well so far, fingers crossed.
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try to visit this website and download the Free eBook there are 7 ingredients that recommences by RA survivors.
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Aticha
Yes I am on quite a few other meds, with the main one being the biologic Simponi. It is still early on in the Simponi so I don't know if that will be helping me yet. The other meds are not for the cause of the RA but for the symptoms (of RA and Fibromyalgia)....Relafen is an anti-inflammatory, Skelaxin is a muscle relaxant, Lyrica is for nerve pain and Fentanyl for pain management. My RA isn't under control, but the Imuran has helped some and as I mentioned, I've had no side effects at all from it. I don't know if the doctors only recommend Imuran after both mtx and Arava have failed, but it's certainly worth asking about. Thank you Innerglow.
Now how about Biotin. What is this? Is it a brand name or is that the actual name of the vitamin. I'd like to try it and if it can control my hair loss I'd be willing to stay on MTX a little longer.
Aticha, you are not being rude but I'm not interested in any of these natural ingredients. I'm not a believer in them...but that is my personal opinion. I dont think people realise the seriousness of RA...the damage it can cause long term. I'd rather not fool around with natural ingredients.
Biotin is a vitamin you can pick up at WalMart for under . :)
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