Arava psoriatic arthritis
Common Questions and Answers about Arava psoriatic arthritis
arava
ve been on Enbrel for about 5 years and it has been an extremely good medication for both the psoriasis and the psoriatic arthritis. My concern is what am I going to do now that my husband is retired and my health insurance won't cover the cost. I live in Canada and the cost of this medication is approximately $22,000.00 a year which my husband's company insurance covered but now that he is retired, it will not cover the cost for my lifetime.
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.
psoriatic arthritis and RA can present in very similar fashions. You can have symmetrical PsA. Best site I have found for more info on the various types of PsA is www.spondylitis.org This site is dedicated to the spondylotharapies, a group of autoimmune diseases.
Just to through another wrench in things, it is also possible to have what they call seronegative (tests come back negative) RA.
Better yet, in rare cases, you can get both (hi! I'm rare.
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.
I suffer quite badly from Psoriatic Arthritis. I have no signs of Psoriasis, but my joints are inflammed and very painful. I'm 33, female. I'm taking 25mg of Methotrexate weekly, other anit-inflammatroy drugs. I'm interested in hearing from others who suffer from this and what they are going through, as I've never met anyone who suffers from this.
I was "diagnosed" with psoriatic arthritis severala years ago. I use quotes becasue a doctor looked at my swollen thumb and said "yup, psoriatic arthritis". I've got a doctors appointment (different doctor) because I've developed chronic joint pain in my fingers and left wrist and a wierd splotchy rash on my forearms and shins that doesn't itch, isn't hot to the touch and isn't disseminated any place else on my body.
i take the leflunomide (arava) but also take pills for the reflux, which does help. I take renitidine i believe it is called. I found it worked pretty good for the swelling myself. I am also on the Embrel, but still do not have R.A under control. I just wanted to say that the arava was the best drug i have taken up until i was put on the embrel. I live in B.
From one patient to another, did your doctor just take xrays or did he/she also take blood and send it to the lab? Some psoriasis patients do get psoriatic arthritis. How long ago was your last doc visit and when were the xrays taken? Sometimes the pain comes before there is x-ray evidence of damage in the joints. If your doctor is not working with you, you might consider seeing another GP or a rheumatologist.
I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I have normal blood results, no elevated numbers on test results. I have swelling and edema in right hand fingers and knees, I have some joint pain and some hives at times.No psoriasis on me. I am in my late twenties my doctor wants me to take embrel. I do not have typical back symptoms of this type of arthritis. I need a diagnosis, What could this be? I tend to get stressed and that causessome symptoms to be stronger.
Speaking of hand pain: I also have psoriatic arthritis, [a rare skin lesion only], recently developed dypuytren's contracture, bilaterally. Usually middle fingers, occasionally ring fingers affected, both painfully contract several times a day. I've noticed very painful to the touch 'knots' on palmar surfaces as well. The literature on this condition reports that painful hands are not usually demonstrated. Based on my experience, I would refute that.
He diagnosed me with Psoriatic Arthritis which is an autoimmune disease that he believed was triggered by the interferon. He wanted to start me on Enbrel right away but I opted to wait. I did have some steroid injections though.
Well....slowly but surely the pain started to subside. It took a few months to really notice the difference but Im now 11 months post treatment and all the joint pain is gone. Im glad I didnt start the Enbrel and was patient.
how does one differentiate between the two diseases?
My ANA was 1:800 and 1:640 (tested by two different labs). Is this relevant to the diagnosis?
The RF and CCP were negative.
I used to take a drug for psoriatic arthritis that can induce MS or MS-like symptoms in rare cases. I had tingling and numbness on the left side of my face, extending down through my left arm. I also had burning sensations in my fingertips, and buzzing in my fingertips, along with recurrent uveitis. I was MRIed twice. The first time I had 1 lesion, and the second (one month later) there were 3 more lesions. I was taken off the drug and I didn't have any symptoms.
She saw the rhuematologist who said it was Psoriatic Arthritis and prescribed naprxen whic did not help then feldene which helped a little and now she will start taking methotrexate injections every week.
My daughter is going through severe depression and is unable to attend school on somedays due to severe fatigue. She is on the 504 Plan and is in all honors classes but is so tired. She wants to work part-time for extra money like her friends but is so tired all the time.
//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.
Recommended
