Does anyone take this drug? Side effects? What has been your experience?When I first started taking arava - I got really really sick (especially had a serious case of the runs) - then rheumy cut the dose in half and I have been doing fine with it since. Have you started it yet? Hugs and good vibes.I just started Arava on Tues.! I haven't noticed any side effects, not even the diarrhea they told me to expect. Arava is suppossed to work faster than Methotrexate, but I haven't noticed much difference as of yet. I was just officially diagnosed on Tues. Mostly my hands and feet. I take Arava 20mg a day. They have a loading dose of 100mg a day x 3 days, but my rheumy didn't recommend it at this point. Keep me posted and good luck![QUOTE=2manyaches]When I first started taking arava - I got really really sick (especially had a serious case of the runs) - then rheumy cut the dose in half and I have been doing fine with it since. Have you started it yet? Hugs and good vibes.[/QUOTE]
I Haven't started but may need to soon and I have to choose between this and metho. The side effects of Metho really scare me. Did you do the loading does? Also, by really, really sick, was it just your tummy?
Hmm..I think if I had to pick between the 2, I'd pick the mtx. But that's just me.At my last app't with my rheumatolagist, she had suggest that maybe we might try the arava with the mtx. So I looked online for some info on arava and I found a few sites that were about lawsuites to do with this drug. That kinda bothered me. I'm sure though that most of my fear of arava comes from too much information. With the mtx I didn't have the web to search...it was mainly books from the library. I'm sure if at the time I had looked online for both drugs, they'd pretty much be about the same.
Anyway...here's something I found the other day that might interest you or others debating which one to try first. I want to say though that we all have this information at our fingertips and I don't want to be accused of posting something that frightens anyone from this drug(also I want to add that I'm sure there are sites that probably say the same things about mtx). In no way am I saying one drug is better than the other or one is safer than the other. This is only MY preference and that others should do what they want and what their doctors think is best for them. Everyone is different and noone responds to one drug the same way.
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=112282 6
Kelly
thanx for the info. I appreciate it. Hi! I have been on Arava for over a year, so far I have had no problems with the drug. I am also taking Mtx 15 mg. with Arava to... Different strokes for different folks!!! LOL[QUOTE=Poof][QUOTE=2manyaches]When I first started taking arava - I got really really sick (especially had a serious case of the runs) - then rheumy cut the dose in half and I have been doing fine with it since. Have you started it yet? Hugs and good vibes.[/QUOTE]
I Haven't started but may need to soon and I have to choose between this and metho. The side effects of Metho really scare me. Did you do the loading does? Also, by really, really sick, was it just your tummy?
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My rheumy didn't have me do the loading dose either - not sure why, but I had been taking mtx and it made my liver enszymes go high so that might have been part of his reasoning. I started the Arava at 20mg. per day and it gave me serious tummy problems and diarrhea (dehydrated and sick, sick, sick) then rheumy had me go down to 10mg per day and so far so good. All these meds are scary so do your research so you can make an informed decision. Remember if any of the meds cause side effects call your rheumy - hey that's what we pay them for. Good luck. Hugs and good vibes.
just my (uneducated) opinion, but I personally prefer to take meds that are tried and true. MTX has been used for RA for a really long time. Arava is newer. That is just where my comfort level is.I can say this for sure from my personal experience the mtx worked better for me - and I wish I could still take it. Hugs and good vibes.