arava for arthritis

I have an Auto Immune Disorder of the connective tissue as labeled by my Rheumatologist. I take Plaquenil 200mg, and Arava 20mg daily. I have been on the Plaquenil for over a year and the Arava for 5-6 months. I am still having flares and experiencing pain on a daily basis. I'm a 28 year old male. My tested positive for ANA but the doctor hasn't labeled me with Lupus. I see my Rheumatologist on the 18th of December and I'm looking for the next step in my treatment.

I recently started taking Arava for my rheumatoid arthritis. My dr. added this to the Methotrexate and Prednisone I am already taking because I really wasn't getting much relief. Now I am getting a read rash behind my knees, ankles and calfs. has this happened to anyone else? Also, occasional bruises to my stomach area.

Has anyone else taken this drug for arthritis? I started it several months ago and and seem to be getting a large amount of side affects.I have had upset stomachs with lots of reflux.When I exhale the air from my stomach it tastes horrible...like a decaying tooth.There is a horrible metallic smell consistantly with my stools.I have lost weight.I have constant tingling all over my body.I have had many headaches and low grade fevers.

//www.medhelp.org/forums/Arthritis/show/101) Lefora is a brand name for leflunomide. This medication is classified as a DMARD, a disease modifying drug. There are other DMARDs that may be tried in place of Lefora. Examples would include Methotrexate, Imuran, Arava and Plaquenil. Another approach you may want to try is to have the doctor add a medication to protect her stomach and keep her on the Lefora since it is controlling her arthritis.

I have had Hep c and was treated and in remission now for 10 years. I was dagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was put on Plaquinil 200 mgs bid. My pain hasnt been relieved totally with this med and the rheumatologist wants me to start on Arava in combination. Im scared of the hep c coming back with both of these meds. Opinions needed.

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with psoriactic arthritis and the doctor put me on Arava. I've been on it for 4 weeks with no relief. In fact, the pain has increased in all of my joints and my toes have decided to join in on the fun as well. My question is has anyone had any experience with this drug in the amount of time it takes to start working? Is it usually immediate or does it take time to "build up" in your system before it begins to work?

My father has severe rheumatiod arthritis. He has been on a combination of Arava 20 mg ( Hydroxychloroquine) and Plaquenil (Leflunomide) . He has been going severly downhill since January and has lost 40 pounds, has constant mucous drainage that he chokes on especially after meals, and has severe shortness of breath. Can these symptoms be a result of the medications he is taking? Is it safe for him to take two synthetic DMARDS at the same time?

Thanks. I HATE drug side effects stories. My elderly mom's hgb dropped to 8.5 on Arava (for rheumatoid arthritis), I had a personality change on Ambien (so bubbly I couldn't even stand myself). We have to really be on the watch every time we add a new medication. I worry the most about people who require multiple meds. Think I will start taking B-12. Thanks again.

I have been seeing a rhuematologist for 3 years I am 35 yrs old. She diagnosed me with ra strictly from symptoms and xray results. My blood test have all come back negative. She says that I am a sero-negative ra patient. My concern is that I am not totally convinced that I have ra. I know I have all the symptoms and do get worse when I am off of my Arava but I also wonder if I could have Lupus because I have a lot of the symptoms of it and my sister has it.

have some bad autoimmune problems, never R.A.. Put on zovirax for shingles and third day into therapy hugely swollen, in horrible joint pain, could barely walk. Dr. diagnosed me with R.A. by look and touch only, refused to do blood tests. Opthomologist ran cbc for cataract surgery and became alarmed at c-reactive and sed rate. Said R.A. out of control. It also showed up moderately severe in lumbar x-rays. Never had ANY joint pain prior to zovirax treatment. Can R.A.

I have heard that it can cause nodules also. I am now on enbrel,and arava, folic acid for my RA. I have not been able to get my RA under control as of yet. When i have flare up where can't get out of bed, need help dressing i usually take steroids, that is a great drug for giving you your mobility back. I hope you don't end up with them everywhere, they are painful on the bottom of the feet, and palms and fingers, makes it difficult to do anything.

Hello, I am a 51 year old Caucasian female with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. How long after stopping methotrexate (MTX), should I continue folinic acid (Leukovorin)? I was on methotrexate for ~1 1/2 years (last 6 month at 20 mg/ week). I had hair fall, then finally frank alopecia and discontinued the MTX one month ago. During the last month of treatment, I asked that my folic acid be changed to folinic acid (Leukovorin).

I started out on plaquenil but have added methotraxate low dose prednisone and arava to the mix.. My knees still feel like rubber and in the evenings i head to bed early. But it is helping with the pain dring the day. I just pray that the disease will eventually burn it self out.

Prior to that she was on Arava for five months and it almost killed her. She lost 60 lbs, had heart issues, urinary tract infections, had no appetite and was incredibly weak. Her RA doctor said it was not the Arava. It was. I took her to the Lahey Cllinic and they confirmed it. I had taken her off the medication before going to the Lahey Clinic but it was a binding med. so it stayed in her system for months afterwards.

I would absolutely seek a second opinion and try and find a Rheumotolgist (sp) that spends time with you and takes his/her time finding the right combination of meds and physical therapy for you. Your Arthritis seems to be progressing rather rapidly and I can't understand why you are still on basically the same meds with little to no releife. Have you tried, Remicade, Rituxan, Humira, Enbrol, Arava, Cortisone shots and or creams? Theraputic massage? Anything for the pain?

She suffers from bipolar disorder as well as rheumatoid arthritis. She has taken lithium for 30 years, plus prozac with great results and no problems with mood swings. We began noticing mania symptoms about 3 days after beginning first treatment ( Folfuri 46 hours on take home infusion pump). That was almost 3 wks ago. Had her 2nd tx 4 days ago.

Granted, we have different types of arthritis, mine being psoriatic arthritis, but I can tell you that I was on Enbrel alone for atleast three years and I had great results with no side effects. For me it was a wonder drug. You may wonder why I would go off something so great...it was a dollars and cents issue. My husband retired and my lifelong coverage of medication was reduced to $100,000. On a medication like Enbrel, I would go through that within 4 to 5 years.

can anyone advise us on which one would work best for such severe motor and vocal tics. I would really like to hear from anyone who is suffering the same as a parent or sufferer.

I have been having pain in the upper right abdominal area for some time now. Under my ribs and almost on the side. I was taking a lot of Rheumatoid medication due to my doctors thing I had RA. My liver levels were elevated and I had this same pain then. I had a sonogram and a Hida scan (sp?) They told me I had Fatty Liver, to lose weight and to stop taking my Arava. I did and levels went back down. This was maybe a year ago.

A marker called anti-keratin antibodies has been studied to differentiate true RA from HCV related arthritis. In a recent study, 71 patients who were rheumatoid factor positive were tested for anti-keratin antibodies. Anti-keratin antibodies were detected in 20/33 (60.6%) patients with true RA and only 2/25 (8%) patients with HCV-related arthritis (10).

I can honestly say that I have tried almost everying for both illnesses . Remicade worked wonders for my Posriatic Arthritis but I had a side effect that is not common, Muscular Distonia (sp) so I had to stop taking it. I am now on Methortexate, Humira, Arava, prenatals and steriod shots. The Methotrexate makes me sick but seems to help with the rashes. Nothing helps the pain. I am currently not on anything for the Hep C.

hi i have just read your post, i myself was on reacide for 5 years this year in march i woke up with numbness had an mri done a lesion was discovered at c3 area had 5 days of steroids stopped remicide imediately then in july more numbness i couldnt feel my legs at all for 20mins when i woke up 1 morning then the feeling came back another mri discovered another lesion at t11 more 5 days steroids lumbar puncture and diagnosis of ms, before i went on remacide i had to sign a paper in this it stated

Rhuematoid Factor , ANA , CBC and some other standard tests. They just did a CCP blood tests but the results aren't back yet. Hopefully next week. Nothing came from those tests but the pain just keeps getting worse. I have been taking Naproxyn, and now I am on Mobic 15mg a day. The pain is gone from about 7:30 am until 5pm. Then I take some tylenol to try and keep me relaxed so I can sleep.

ve had no energy and felt bad for about 12 hours after the injection. Anyone else have this type of reaction to the injection?

I do get the cramoing sometimes for a day or two after the enjection. With the embrel the cramps do go away. I also take arava so maybe the combination of the drugs. Hope it it gets better.

I have been to alot of doctors and all of them say I have Arthritis. My rheumotologist was really funny. His comments were, if you are in pain SIT and when you feel good WALK. Actually that is what I do. I go in the pool 3X a week and stay at home the rest of the time. I am 73 years old and have had both knee's replaced. One knee still gives me pain and the dr says it's probably nerve damage and nothing can be done.

Arava for arthritis

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