For those of you on Arava or have been on it, how long before you felt it was working? Also, was your hair falling out? My rheumy said it was faster acting than other dmards and since the only effect I got was hair loss, I quit taking it. Mtx also caused major hair falling out for me. My body is very drug resistant. Just curious. Yes, been on it, took about 8 weeks to feel full effect, gave me awful gastro, and hair loss but I tolerated it longer than any other DMARD and really noticed the diff when I stopped it, best of luck. Janie. Thanks Janie. I don't think I took it long enough to feel any results. My rheumy is probably going to put me back on it. How long did you give it? I haven't tried arava but I had about half the hair on my head fall out from mtx and stopped that after 12 weeks when I felt it wasn't helping. Hi Michele. I was only on it for a couple of months. It's just that I lost so much hair when I was on mtx that I didn't want to go through that again. I've only just now grown it back so when it started falling out AGAIN, I stopped it.
I just started ARAVA on Saturday. My rheumy added it to my MTX and Plaquenil mix. I havent' noted any gastro effects yet and probably wont' because I have chronic diarrhea anyway so wouldn't notice any different. I'm hoping that the side effect of weight loss and loss of appetite kick in. The hair loss? well the MTX has done a good job so I'm looking forward to buying myself a really nice wig sometime in the near future if I lose much more hair.
Here's hoping........
Yes, some of these drugs do have side-effects, such as hair loss and upset tummy. Usually they either go away or lessen.
One side-effect of NOT taking your pills is RA.
As we all know that's not good! My experience is go with whatever's prescribed and give it at least a couple of months. It's a big trial and error number, is RA. Finding the right mix of drugs and pain-killers for an individual can take time, but worth it if it works.
Re the Arava, I went on it, along with MTX, for about two months, then when I started to show signs of neuropathy the rheumy dropped the Avara immediately. This happens to a small number of people but its worth keeping an eye on your feet, so to speak.
While on the Avara I felt it was working O.K. The theory is that two drugs working together instead of giving a 1 + 1 result give a 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 result.
Hope you find the mix that works for you - cheers, Des.
i have been on arava now for about 12 months the first 8 months were wonderful.no side effects and it worked really well. then i had to go off it due to a lung infection which i had 3 lots of antibiotics. since going back on it i have had stomach issues, cold sores and no pain relief .Been on Arava 6 weeks and feel so much better it's untrue. I'm on a combo of Arava and Plaquenil. My bloods all show a vast improvement (my ESR is down from 18 to 2!). I was anaemic due to inflammation, had been for the 9 months my RA was uncontrolled while we tried various DMARD's (Was allergic to MTX and it did nothing, Sulfasalazine did nothing either) etc, now my anaemia has gone and my haemoglobin is normal.
Side-effects haven't been major. A bit of stomach upset in the mornings but nothing that has interfered with my day at all. My hair was already thinning and, to tell you the truth, I'd be happy if it all fell out if I continued to feel as good as I do. I've just come back from a trip to Germany, which 6 months a go would have been impossible. For me Arava has been brilliant but I know not everyone has this response.