ARAVA Reviews (LEFLUNOMIDE)

Average Rating: 2.8 (217 Ratings)

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 ANTIARTHRITICS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

ARAVA  (LEFLUNOMIDE):  This medication is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a condition in which the body's defense system (immune system) fails to recognize the body as itself and attacks the healthy tissues around the joints. Leflunomide helps to reduce the joint damage/pain/swelling and helps you to move better. It works by weakening your immune system and decreasing swelling (inflammation).   FDA Approval Date: 1998-09-10 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ARAVACOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 4  RA itchy skin all over but mainly around the sides of my face, neck and scalp. fatigue? not sure if its the RA or arava I was pretty bad before taking arava experiencing intense pain from my skull to the soles of my feet. Even cartilage (nose, ears) and muscle was sore. first tried plaquenil with no success, then steroids with excellent results on the highest dose but did not want to continue due to possible long term side effects. mtx was a failure due to extreme nausea and fatigue. arava came next and it is working great for me at the moment with only occasional stiffness and soreness although they do seem to be increasing of late. F 37 2 years
9/21/2009
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 3  RA Extreme fatigue, racing heart, stomach cramps, headache and loss of appetite I was on methotraxate for 15 months and I experienced extreme nausea (25mg), so my doctor switched me to Arava(20mg). I've been on Arava for about a week now, so it's too soon to tell if it helps for my RA. I'm not nauseus anymore, but I'm very, very tired. F 22 6 days
9/17/2009
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 2  ps arthritis hair loss, itchy scalp, weight loss I found Arava helpful, but not as good as Humira at controlling, but the hair loss is intolerable, I'm going off it. F 60 4 months
8/2/2009
 1  RA After taking this drug for several months I became violently ill. I ended up hospitalized for a MONTH and missed TWO MONTHS of work. Aditionally it seemed to have zero impact on my RA. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!!!!!!! F 32 90 days
7/30/2009
 5  RA with Feltys Syndrome Itching esp on my scalp,itching on limbs, feels like bites,some nausea,slightly elevated LFT, tingling of my hands and feet, occ. fatigue,diarrhea depending on what I eat, seems to have slowed down tho. Got my menstrual cycle again after 2 yrs. RA for 11 yrs with Feltys Syndrome. It has helped me almost more and quicker than MTX did. Have dropped to 7.5 mg Prednisone only for my Feltys to keep my white count up, otherwise I'm sure I'd be off it.I would rather have the annoying side effects I have and be able to get up and go to work, then not be able to move at all and lose my job again. So, its a thumbs up for me. F 46 10 months
7/2/2009
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 4  rheumatoid arthritis I am just beginning to notice some itchy spots at places where the bone is close to the skin and am wondering if this might be a side effect of the drug. I have not experienced any other side effects. I am taking this drug along with Enbrel, and have noticed a decrease fatigue and flu-like symptoms since the doctor added leflunomide to my cocktail. F 62 6 weeks
6/27/2009
 5  psoriatic arthritis gastro only, but had problems before taking Arava. Monthly lab work clean Psoriasis symptoms gone. I couldn't put my weight on my left leg due to psoriatic arthritis in knee. Within days, I was able to do so. After 3 years, I am 90% free of pain and discomfort. Sometimes better. What I do still notice is manageable, but I do miss curling my leg up in the chair before sitting - just can't bend the knee comfortably that far! F 51 4 years
6/16/2009
 2  PSA worse experience ever...now no hair, can't sleep, rash all over my body. Now have psorisis on my face(never had before). Shocking experience. 20mgs with MTX and remicade. F 34 6 months
5/29/2009
 2  Psoriatic Arthritis Tingling in my hands, intermitent diarrhea and today I am being sent to hospital by my local doctor for a CAT scan of my abdomen as she believes I have now developed a stomach ulcer. This meidication has treated my arthritis very well, but the side affects are terrible. My stomach gets upset every time I take the tablet (20mg). I am considering coming off the medication. My Arthritis is aweful, but I am wondering if the side affects of this drug is worth it. M 42 6 months
5/20/2009
 2  RA Upset stomach, only slight relief of pain and high liver numbers, so i had to go off. What i would like to know is if I'm suffering from "withdrawal," feeling flu-like symptoms after four days off, or if I've got N1H1. Can't get the doc to answer that. F 47 4 months
5/4/2009
 2  psoriatic arthritis extreme fatigue, racing/pounding heart, elevated heart rate I have only been on for 8 days and I am hoping that these side effects subside. I will call MD re the pounding and elevated heart rate which is not constant. So far, no noticeable relief. M 50 8 days
4/14/2009
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 3  RA Stomach Pain I have not taken for 4 days due to bad stomach pain. I don't think I have any other side effects. I will restart tomorrow. If the pain reoccurs, I will tell Doctor at my next visit. F 44 5 weeks
4/6/2009
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 3  RA I have been on Arava for 2 months this time, the first time I took it was 2 years ago, I got so sick I lost alot of weight and my hair became very thin.....I decided to try it again after having reaction to humara and MTX no help...I started on 10mg a day , slight diarrhea and hair loss, then I increased to 20mg, I still had the hair loss and stomach upset, but by the end of the second month I had developed a horrible itchy rash, I bruised my skin scratching it is so bad, I am still trying to get rid of the rash... The Arava did seem to help the RA, however the rash is sooo itching I can't stand it and I guess will be back at square one yet again 41 2 months
3/11/2009
 3  RA Have only been taking for 2 days. I have stomach pain about an hour after I take this, it lasts for about 4 hours. I tried MTX for 5 weeks got mouth sores, roof of my mouth felt burnt, hair loss. Also on Plaquenil and Celebrex. F 44 2 days
3/6/2009
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 4  Joint pain from Lupus moderate almost daily headaches, loose stools- but not to the point of diarrhea (Neither od these side effects aew worse than the extrme joint pain I was experiencing-so I am staying on Arava) Diagnosed with Lupus 2 years ago- Initially on Plaquenil and metotrexate- Methotrexate made very nauseous to the point of vomiting two days a week- Switched to 10 mg Avara in combination with the Plaquenil- Good results within a month- Able to walk MILES with no pain! I truly feel like my life has been given back to me and hope the success (and minimal side effects) continue! F 38 80 days
2/25/2009
 1  RA headache, extreme stomach cramping, sore joints and muscles, alot of pain in my kidney area, itchy skin and extreme fatigue and nausea. They all take turns. I am currently taking plaquenil and methotrexate. Spurs are continuiing to form on fingers and hands. Arava has been introduced to try and slow down progression of disease. Only been on the drug for 10 days. Did not take todays dose. And will be making a decision on whether to persevere after a visit to my GP. I think not. any advice??? F 48 10 days
2/9/2009
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 4  Rheumatoid Arthritis So far, the only side effect I have noticed (and I have been taking it for two weeks now) have been mouth sores & now a whopping case of oral thrush. I had to go to the urgent care last night because my tongue was so sore I couldn't eat or drink and I had a thick creamy white patch on my tongue that was growing by leaps and bounds. The doctor at the urgent care stated I shouldn't have waited as long to come in. I have been on MTX since 2005, both pills & shots and would get so debilitated that I can no longer work. My arthritis got bad in my legs and knees, elbows that my 12 hour shift work as a nurse was totally out of the question. The MTX caused severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that I would be in bed for a few days and afraid to venture out of the house. I went to my new rheumy in tears and he switched me to Arava. After two weeks, I've noticed great improvement in my mobility that I am hoping to return to work soon. Now, just to get rid of the thrush!!!! F 38 14 days
2/8/2009
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 5  Rheumatoid arthritis My doctor initially started me on 20mg, but the main side effect that was severe and most noticeable was the diarrhea. She then put me on 10mg. It helped, but not as much as when on 20mg. I started taking the 20mg at night before going to sleep and the diarrhea is not bad. Now I will go about twice in the morning and maybe once or twice throughout the day. Depending on what and how much I eat. Whereas before I remember once going to the restroom about 6 times in one day with diarrhea. I have experienced other side effects such as, hair loss, brittle nails, headaches, tingling of hands and feet, skin tenderness, mouth sores/tenderness, frequent need to go urinate, heart racing, shortness of breath, nausea, occasional dizziness and some weight loss (not much though). I have been on remicade for about 3 - 4 years. I am also on mobic and folic acid. My doctor has also advised me to take two calcium with vitamin D pills a day. I am also taking multi vitamins. In the past I have been on prednisone and methatrexate and neither one of these helped like Arava has. I use to experience frequent flares all over, but mainly in my knees and ankles. I have not had a flare since being on Arava. I have been on Arava for about 7 months - 1 year. I could not go up or down stairs without feeling severe pain and could not move legs to go up or down at the same time. Now my legs can move simultaneously to go up or down. This is the only drug that has helped me a lot. The pain is not severe anymore and I definitely have more mobility. My joints are not as tender anymore. F 33 1 years
1/27/2009
 4  RA Some hair loss in the first few months, bone pain, fatigue, mouth tissues swollen and tender, decrease in Vit D levels. Occ flares of rheumatoid nodules on hands and feet. Have learned not to try to over-do physically and the flares go away in 1-2 days. I have taken Arava 10 mg per day with Mtx for about a year and the early side effects have all but gone away. Occ fatigue spells, must get extra rest for a day or two then am better. Mouth tissues still tender and burning but generally better all around. Taking add'l Vit D with Calcium. Labs are getting better and MD orders liver function studies every other month. I take 1/2 pain pill at night to keep night pain under control so I can get some steady hours of sleep. I've had RA for 10 years and have tried many of the other drugs like Remicade. I either had to stop because my insurance failed to pay or the drugs didn't seem to work for me. I still have constant pain but I can manage it for now with Arava. F 60 360 days
11/26/2008
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 5  RA Extremely brittle nails; some hair loss;occasional mouth sores; intermittent skin tenderness; dizzyness - not sure how many of these are attributed to Arava. Has worked wonders for me in conjunction with MTX; great improvement when added to MTX 2 years ago. 20mg x5 days/week. Would love to come off the drugs, but after reading all the other comments, think it best to stay on as dont want to have all that pain again. Still have some pain but can live with it. Think I'm one of the lucky ones with not too bad s/e. F 50 2 years
11/6/2008

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