ARAVA Reviews (LEFLUNOMIDE)Average Rating: 2.8 (217 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ARAVA with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on ARAVA: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ARAVA | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | RA | When I mentioned to my rheumatologist about the annoying diarrhea, she immediately said, "Oh! That's dosage related! We can fix that!" She dropped me from 20 mg. to 10 mg. and I have been fine ever since. NO dreadful side effects at all! I did have a mild rash for three months that the cause remained undetermined, but that cleared up on it's own. | Working GREAT! No issues! | F | 61 | 2 years 10mg 1X day | 5/29/2015 | 1 | OSTEOARTHIRITS/PSORIS | WHOLE BODY HAS RED SPOTS AFTER A GASTROINTESTINAL REACTION,MOUTH ULCERS.,URINE INFECTION | I AM VERY AFRAID TO TAKE THIS MEDICATION ANYMORE BECAUSE I CANNOT ACCEPT THIS SIDE EFFECTS | M | 59 | 6 days 10MG 1X day | 5/19/2015 | 3 | rheumatoid arthritis | It's been years since I've taken this med so I started taking it at night because it use to make me really nauseated. I'm wondering if I should continue taking it at night or in the morning to get its full effec. | F | 38 | 5 days | 3/17/2015 | 2 | psoriatic arthritis | I started with 10 mg per day, suffered 2 bouts of bronchitis, asthma was worse. After 2 mos. Rheumatologist decided to up dose to 20mg per day. PA pain under control and felt great for 21 days. Then acute diarrhea. I couldn't leave the house. Urgent care doctor put me on 2 doses of strong antibiotics no relief. I finally made the connection with arava/leflunamide. I have been advised to stop taking it. That was yesterday. Diarrhea is still acute. Hope it ends soon. | I wish I had known more about the side effects. I also experienced brain fog, nausea and gastrointestinal distress. | F | 51 | 4 months 20mg | 2/10/2015 | 1 | Arthritis | Took 5 pills First morning, then 1 a day for 2 days. Though I was going to have a seizure or something, felt like I was trembling all over, couldn't sleep and felt edgy. Called doc, she did't think it was the med, but take a break & try again. Next week, started with one pill, by end of 3 rd day trembling started again...glad I didn't take the bigger dose. Stopped pills again, feeling gone after 24 hours. | Really wanted this to work but the way I felt was scary | F | 59 | 20 days 1X day | 12/9/2014 | 1 | RA | Hair loss started right away. And chest pains and blood pressure was very high. My rheumatologist never told me about the bad side affects. Make sure you know how bad you can feel on this medication. I finally went off of it when I was getting very sharp pains in my chest like I was being stabbed. My blood pressure was high. My primary care physician told me to get off of the drug because of the high blood pressure and chest pains. My rheumatologist said my hair loss would stop when I stopped taking the leflunomide and I should see a dermatologist if my hair loss was still a problem. He sure is not very knowledgeable about it staying in your system for up to 2 years. Got a new rheumatologist. He said it does stay in your system up to 2 years. You have to be your own advocate for your health. | F | 59 | 5 months 20mg 1X day | 12/1/2014 | 4 | RA | mild hair loss, mild diarrhea, tingling and numbness in toes, fatigue | Am taking in combination with Plaquenil. Has made a huge difference in my life. Pain under control day to day with only occasional flares. Am finally able to walk normally and use my hands. Occasional trouble sleeping, however this problem is better on Arava than off it with severe pain. Am grateful this was offered to me. | F | 48 | 5 months 20mg 1X day | 11/25/2014 | 2 | RA | I got off all drugs and apple cider vinegar worked for 3 years. After a flare up nothing worked for long and I had to change my diet; no white rice or bread. I find the best treatment is physical therapy with cold and hot water bathing and some rub on creams with arthritic gloves for the night. It takes time as you have to teach the body not to attack itself when sleeping (the autoimmune). | M | 59 | 30 days 20 mg 1X day | 11/16/2014 Patient History | 1 | RA | headache, nausea, loss of appetite (but not worth death) sweating profusely as in sopping wet on my clothes sheets, extreme weakness in legs and feet, chest pain, vision, confusion or just blah brain, worsening of dry eyes, nose and mouth, dizziness, sleepiness and also sleeplessness, over all feeling of severe side effects started on 4th day of taking the medication. Took for 3 more days and then just had to stop it. After 3 days off side effects are going away and first noticable was sweating and headache thank god. | I have been on just about everything and methatrexate started to make me feel sicker then usual after 12 yrs on it. Very strange that I started to suffer all of the worse side effects after so long. So then the PA said, OH LETS try Arava, wihtout telling me anything about these horrible side effects I now read about. This is insane to take this medication as I have felt I was dying and I still do not feel well at all. I am still on Humera but now hesitate to take this weeks dosage. Anyone is free to contact me about this drug or any other RA information. Do I have to take that other drug to get 7 days of Arava out of my system??? | F | 54 | 7 days 10 1X day | 10/21/2014 | 1 | spondylitis | severe hair loss, cysts/cystic acne, headaches, high blood pressure, rash, itching, chronic yeast infection | I started on the 10 mg dose and was fine, increased to 20 mg after a month and my hair was coming out by the hand fulls. Headaches and cysts in my face followed. I literally have a small hole in my cheek one was so deep. I had bug bites on my legs that grew into what looked like eczema and needed a week or two of rx hydrocortisone to heal. I had a chronic yeast infection-not sure if related, that took numerous OTC treatments, diflucan and finally resorted to coconut oil to control it. I stopped the drug and my hair continues to fall out, and now I am starting to itch all over and am nauseous with cramping. I plan to do the wash out-not sure what is worse the side effects, especially the hair loss, or the stress from all this. I have lost at least half the hair on my head, and it is to the point that I am afraid to brush my hair as I blow dry it as it pulls so much out. This is emotionally devastating. | F | 43 | 3 months 20 1X day | 10/7/2014 | 1 | ra | Got verry ill i got confused memory loss tingling left side went numb frequent urine vomiting severe stomach ache light color stools insomnia and my daughter thought i had a stroke it cause neurological problems stroke symptoms i fell out while at the store this medication almost killed me i wouldnt wish tht on anyone the ra meds they have are dangerous i have tried methotrexate embriel amd now this make sure if ur gonna take tgis medicine do research first they were gonna do surgery cause thwy thought i was suffeeing from gallbladder problems | F | 51 | 7 days 10 | 9/14/2014 | 1 | RA | I took this approximately ten hours ago for the first time ever. I immediately felt nauseous which subsided somewhat after eating. I then began feeling anxious for some reason and then came the nonstop itching. I can't seem to stop. My throat itches, my neck itches, my scalp itches, my torso itches. I should have been to sleep three hours ago, and have had no relief from the itching two hours post-benadryl. I hate this drug. I can't imagine what it is doing to my organs. | I was diagnosed with RA a year ago. Fortunately, I worked at my job for 21 years and received STD and LTD until my SSD was approved. What a ride. I have tried methotrexate, Plaquenil, prednisone, Humira. The drugs for this disease have caused me to be so sick at times I thought I would die. The worst was the methotrexate cough that turned into bronchitis. I literally laid in bed for five weeks taking monstrous antibiotics which seemed to make me more sick. I have a bad feeling about this Arava and will be calling my rheumatologist in the morning to report the annoying itching and anxiousness. This drug isn't for me. | F | 49 | 1 days 20mg 1X day | 9/11/2014 | 1 | arthritis | lethargy, severe hair loss that has not abated. | what a nightmare! I stopped the drug a month ago and my hair's still coming out in clumps (even though I've been taking 10mg biotin, 3mg folic acid, and using Rogaine every day). I started the cholestyramine wash-out a few days ago. Still losing hair in clumps, worried about bald spots on otherwise waist length hair. Arava made me lethargic, the cholestyramine's not slowing the hair loss yet, but it's making me sick and I'm missing work because of this. Horrifying experience. | F | 50 | 2 months 20mg 2X day | 9/10/2014 | 5 | For RA | I have thinning hair, bouts of diarrhea, and weight loss. | F | 64 | 2 years 10 mg | 7/9/2014 | 4 | RA | It worked great for 2 years, and all of a sudden, it's quit working. I wake up with terriblebpain and headaches and nausea every day. I'm sorry to have to say this, but I don't even have the strength to wipe after going to the bathroom. I don't understand why it worked for 2 years and then just quit? | F | 47 | 2 years 20mg | 7/9/2014 | 4 | Rheumatoid Arthritis | In the past 14mos. of being on Arava I have experienced severe weight loss, thinning of hair, diarrhea, occasional sores that do not heal quickly and occasional feelings of tiredness, headaches & body aches. | F | 37 | 1 years 20mg | 6/9/2014 | 3 | RA | I've only been on Arava for 6-7 days, so hard to tell if it will work yet or not. First day, I took right before bed. Made my asthma active. Since, I've been taking around 1pm & that hasn't happened again. Side effects now are mainly just worsened aching and sharp pains in my joints, hands especially. I'm hoping the weight loss side effect will kick in. I could stand to lose about 5-10 lbs! :) | F | 50 | 7 days 20 MG | 5/31/2014 | 2 | RA | frequent nausea and diarrhea | So far, I have not seen the RA get better with leflunomide but it has not gotten worse either. The nausea is really hard to deal with, however, and I wonder if it is self-limiting. | F | 32 | 4 weeks 10mg 1X day | 5/23/2014 | 2 | rheumatoid arthritis | Feverish feeling, fatique, sore eyes, blurriness, light sensitivity, slight itchy rash | F | 61 | 6 weeks 20 mg. | 5/20/2014 | 5 | Rheumatoid arthritis | Doing great. Helped so much!!! | F | 44 | 8 months 10mg | 4/16/2014 |