Methotrexate used with Arava

[Guest guest]

I found an article that says that using methotrexate with Arava is not

recommended because it can increase the risk of serious liver reactions.

This is not a new article; the date is March 2001.

Kathe, our rheumatologists are using us as guinea pigs, don't you think? I

have read other articles that caution against using the two drugs together.

So I was surprised that my doctor didn't take me off the mtx when he

prescribed the Arava. I can only trust his judgement and hope that even

though he let me get deformed with nodules, he won't let me die from liver

damage. <g>

Are Kathe and I the only ones on the list who take both mtx and Arava?

Here is the URL for the article:

http://arthritis.about.com/library/weekly/aa031501a.ht

Sue in NC, where we are becoming a desert

[Guest guest]

Hi...When I was on Arava, I was also on methotrexate.

Love...

Tess

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue:

Yes, it does seem at times that we are sort of guinea

pigs but to find an effective treatment, our doctors

try different combination of drugs and then we have to

wait and see if it will work. Not everyone responds

to the same drugs in the same way. I, too, was

concerned about using both MTX and Arava - double

whammy to the liver I felt - but the combination is

working for me. I had been on Plaquenil only for over

two years, it stopped working and the RA became

aggressive, MTX was added, that did not help, and then

I was taken off Plaquenil, and Arava was added to the

MTX - that has worked. I would love to get off of

both these medications and hopefully get Embrel (seems

that this won't happen until next year) which my

doctor says would be perfect for me. With the blood

work monitoring every 8 weeks I feel that any rise in

liver enzymes will be spotted soon enough and the

proper steps can be taken to adjust the meds and get

the enzymes back in order. We just have to trust our

doctors that they are doing what they feel is best for

us - I know that my doctor has my best interests at

heart, she is very caring and has been my doctor well

before I was diagnosed with RA so she knows me well

and we have a good rapport. She keeps up on the

latest meds and treatments and I know that if there is

any better way to treat my RA she will bring it up to

me. I think that a few others in the group have also

been on Arava - don't know if it was in conjunction

with MTX or not.

Kathe in CA

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