Guest guest Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi Wilma, I've been on Leflunomide (which is known in the US as Arava) for a year. When I took it alone, it did nothing for me, but it has seemed to work well in combination with Humira, a biologic that is available here. When I first went on leflunomide, I developed serious muscle spasms in my legs. This lasted about a week and then passed completely. I've really had no other side effects. I had to come off MTX due to elevated liver panels. Although leflunomide can cause liver problems, too, I've continued to have my blood tested monthly and have had no issues regarding my liver whatsoever. If you want to research Leflunomide on the internet, try searching under " Arava " instead since that is the way it is marketed in the States. Hope it works for you, Kathy F. Can anyone please tell me if they have heard of this drug or have been on it. This will be the 6th drug i have been on and been allergic to every one. They started me off with Sulphasalazine then Hydroxichloroquine, Penicillamine, Gold, Methotrexate which started me fitting and now the Leflunomide. I start it next week but am a bit worried as never heard of it. Anything would be of help thanks. Wilma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I have been taking leflunomide for five or six months now and I think its good. Its a pill everyday but the side effects are really minimal. I lost a bit of weight because of it, but it was well worth it to start taking it. Methotrexate made me really sick and Leflunomide hasnt had any side effects really so to me that was a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2005 Report Share Posted October 14, 2005 Hi Jan, I don't have personal experience with Arava (leflunomide), but know that it's fairly new. It can affect the liver. It is an immunosuppressive drug, like mtx. is, so there would be higher risk for infection, just like with mtx. also. Arava works through different pathways than mtx. and can be taken in conjunction with mtx. or instead of mtx. I hope you find the right drug to help your son. Stacia and Hunter 9 systemic, uveitis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 hi linda, some months ago, my rheumatologist added arava to the mix of drugs i am taking for rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. shortly thereafter, i experienced " tingling in my feet. " it was like a war was going on there, with neurons or whatever firing cannons at each other across the divide and into my feet, resulting in a stabbing pain here, one there, another one somewhere else 24/7. after a few weeks, the war ended. good news, except for the fact that my feet are basically dead. i have no feeling in most of my toes and parts of my feet and they are swollen. for some five months, i have been trying to get help for the problem from my rheumatologist. she basically blows me off, telling me to see my primary physician or a podiatrist, that the problem has nothing to do with arthritis. two days ago, i saw my primary physician and he said that i have peripheral neuropathy, that the damage done (partly dead feet) may be permanent and will get worse. he said most people who have this condition have diabetes (i recently tested negative for it). my primary physician is having me tested for environmental toxic poison as the cause: toxic as in lead, arsenic poisoning, etc. i came home very discouraged from the dr. visit and yesterday decided to goggle " peripheral neuropathy " and " psoriatic arthritis. " up came several thousand links, many about leflunomide and peripheral neuropathy. bingo. it's now my opinion that i am being " poisoned " not by lead, etc., but by arava, something i will discuss with my NEW rheumatologist in about two weeks. my FORMER rheumatologist should have immediately suspected arava as the cause of my problem, since she prescribed the drug. I am not sure that arava is the culprit, but i have stopped taking the drug, as of today. i sincerely hope i get some feeling back in my feet and that the nerve damage is not permanent. my advice to you is to try the drug, but be on the lookout for any possible side effects. our body chemistries are all different, and a drug that causes a reaction in me, may end up being a wonder drug for you, with no adverse side effects. i do tend to get unusual adverse reactions to some drugs: methatrexate caused me to develop a severe case of pustular psoriasis where my skin literally burned, blistered and fell off over 80 percent of my body. azulfadine is a no-no for me. i developed large blisters under my tongue, a reaction my rheumatologist had never seen before, but was indeed listed as a rare side effect (the drug interfered with my mucus glands). i don't mean to scare you. it's just that i wish i had been warned to be on the lookout for possible side effects of arava, and not relied on my doctor to monitor me, or even realize i was having a possible reaction when the symptoms were right in front of her. beingirish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Hi all, I'm on way too much medicine. Was it Arava/Leflunomide that someone warned about higher blood pressure? Not sure if it is that or the Lyrica, but my blood pressure shot up from my last dr. visit a couple of months ago. Thanks,Tammy _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live Hotmail now works up to 70% faster. http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_faster_1120\ 08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I have been feeling so much better on the leflunomide, that my doctor is putting me on high blood pressure med. This is my regular doctor. NOt sure why my rheumy didn't catch the correaltion between my elevated blood pressure and the leflunomide. Thanks, http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_faster_1120\ 08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Tammy, That was me. It is one of the side effect listed for that drug. Please keep a check on it. Mine kept going up. Shirley > > > Hi all, > I'm on way too much medicine. Was it Arava/Leflunomide that someone warned about higher blood pressure? Not sure if it is that or the Lyrica, but my blood pressure shot up from my last dr. visit a couple of months ago. > > Thanks,Tammy > _________________________________________________________________ > Windows Live Hotmail now works up to 70% faster. > http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail? ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_faster_112008 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 I didn't start on BP meds until after I started the Arava either...strange. Joy Tammy Fredricks <tammyfredricks@...> wrote: I have been feeling so much better on the leflunomide, that my doctor is putting me on high blood pressure med. This is my regular doctor. NOt sure why my rheumy didn't catch the correaltion between my elevated blood pressure and the leflunomide. Thanks, http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_faster_1120\ 08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.