Arava

[Guest guest]

I havent posted since i joined back in Jan or Feb?,

but i read faithfully everyday. It will be a month

taking arava on the 27th, and i dont see any results.

As a matter of fact all of my joints became very

tender since the start of arava, like a non-stop flare

up. Doc said about 4-6 weeks before anything will

show, i see her this friday. However; i don't have

insurance and the social worker got me accepted into

the patient in need program for free meds through the

manufacture. I see my rhumy at the university of

pittsburgh in pennsylvania. I am also in the

reconsideration phase of a ssd claim, and the social

worker gave me the number of the law department and

said interns supervised by law profs will represent me

for no fee, being it is a health related case.

--- vssy <vssy@...> wrote:

> My new rheumy is trying to get me on Arava as the

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

,

I take 30 mg of Arava daily and 50 mg of MTX weekly as a combination. My

insurance has never questioned it.

Amy

[Guest guest]

Hi -

My understanding is that arava is not as difficult to get as Enbrel - however -

it is tough on the liver, so if you are staying on MTX along with the Arava, be

sure you are getting your monthly liver function blood tests.

Good luck - I hope it helps!

[Guest guest]

Judi,

I take Arava and MTX and other medications. Too many to list. I have found

that the mix of Arava and MTX works really well for me overall. Just dealing

with the side effects in the bummer. I can totally relate to the hair loss

thing. When I first started taking the medications, my hair was long and

healthy. Within months I had to have it chopped off into a stylish, but very

short cut. The problem was that I had a really thin patch right in the front

of my head. The cut was great, but hard to work with on bad hand days. Blow

drying, etc. very hard on me. Now, I've grown my hair to shoulder length.

It's doing okay, but it is starting to fall out again. I'm not sure if this

has anything to do with the length being to heavy for the scalp to hold. I

don't have the thick hair I used to have, but I lightened the color. I found

that I look healthier with my hair a lighter color against my very pale skin.

Amy Deel

[Guest guest]

Arava was the answer for me. I tried MTX, but it didn't work. The Arava is

giving me no side effect for the three weeks I've been on it. I feel 10

years younger. The fatigue I had prior to Arava was incredible. I'm much

more energetic and maintain that energy longer than I have in years. It's a

new lease on life. I only hope you have the same results.

[Guest guest]

I've been taking arava since April and doing great! For the first month I

took metro with it but now just arava. I hope your results are as good as

mine it's great one pill a day no more needles. Just blood test to check on

the liver. Good Luck

Elaine-NJ

[ ] Arava

> Hello All,

> Was wondering if anyone is taking Arava, I have been

> put on that , but wasn't able to get Rx filled as Dr.

> hadn't Preauthorized it , now have the ok , should be

> starting on it Saturday, can anyone relate to me on

> how they are doing with Arava, also take MTX, Folic

> Acid , and Voltaren, losing hair here.

> daystar

>

> =====

> Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children:

> And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for

us as an offering and a sacrafice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Ephesians 5: 1,2

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Thank You for your input.

daystar

--- emchif <emchif@...> wrote:

> I've been taking arava since April and doing great!

> For the first month I

> took metro with it but now just arava. I hope your

> results are as good as

> mine it's great one pill a day no more needles.

> Just blood test to check on

> the liver. Good Luck

>

> Elaine-NJ

> [ ] Arava

>

>

> > Hello All,

> > Was wondering if anyone is taking Arava, I have

> been

> > put on that , but wasn't able to get Rx filled as

> Dr.

> > hadn't Preauthorized it , now have the ok , should

> be

> > starting on it Saturday, can anyone relate to me

> on

> > how they are doing with Arava, also take MTX,

> Folic

> > Acid , and Voltaren, losing hair here.

> > daystar

> >

> > =====

> > Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear

> Children:

> > And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,

> and hath given himself for

> us as an offering and a sacrafice to God for a

> sweetsmelling savour.

> Ephesians 5: 1,2

> >

[Guest guest]

Thank You for your input

--- nan7moe@... wrote:

>

> >

>

=====

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children:

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as

an offering and a sacrafice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Ephesians 5: 1,2

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Amy ,

Thanks for the input about the hair Are you saying

that you have side affects with the Arava ? I have

medium long hair and it is easier to work with ,

because usually just let it air dry , the styling

products , kill mr hands , and even this typing at

times , I start on Arava Saturday or Sunday .

DAYSTAR

--- amydeel@... wrote:

>

>

=====

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children:

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as

an offering and a sacrafice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Ephesians 5: 1,2

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I am on both MTX and Arava, approved by my HMO insurance without any problem.

When I mentioned to my Rheumy that I had heard there were problems getting

Arava, he indicated there was not any problems. ??

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the reply. Can you keep me posted as to any improvements?My

doctor has just started working with my insurance company to see if I

can get approved. Are you also on MTX? My doctor wants to stop it and

go with the arava alone. I am on SSDI, but getting ready to come up

for a review. If my insurance will not approve the Arava, I will have

to try to get in a trial or some patient in need program as well.

Thanks,

<Editors note:Arava is a supercharged form of methotrexate that is why the doc

wants you to wait for it to kick in>

zinsmaster wrote:

I havent posted since i joined back in Jan or Feb?,

but i read faithfully everyday. It will be a month

taking arava on the 27th, and i dont see any results.

As a matter of fact all of my joints became very

tender since the start of arava, like a non-stop flare

up. Doc said about 4-6 weeks before anything will

show, i see her this friday. However; i don't have

insurance and the social worker got me accepted into

the patient in need program for free meds through the

manufacture. I see my rhumy at the university of

pittsburgh in pennsylvania. I am also in the

reconsideration phase of a ssd claim, and the social

worker gave me the number of the law department and

said interns supervised by law profs will represent me

for no fee, being it is a health related case.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My doctor is wanting to switch to the Arava alone. There will still be the

tests. My insurance Blue Cross Blue Shield has a approval board which my doctor

must deal with to get me on Arava. I hope she does well as she says if I am MTX

another year, she will want to do a liver biopsy, which I am not wanting to have

to endure!

>

TADEL630@... wrote:

> Hi -

> My understanding is that arava is not as difficult to get as Enbrel - however

- it is tough on the liver, so if you are staying on MTX along with the Arava,

be sure you are getting your monthly liver function blood tests.

> Good luck - I hope it helps!

>

[Guest guest]

I took Arava for 4 months. Made me sick as a dog.

Arava is probably the hardest on the liver of all RA meds. Liver enzyme tests

must be done monthly. Sudden liver failure requiring transplant has been

known to occur to people on Arava. I believe it was a A French study that

showed Arava had high toxicity.

I took Minocin and Arava together for a couple months and my tests came out

ok, I took Milk Thistle at the time. Minocin is not to hard on the liver

especially compared to Arava. What I would do(since you asked) is drop the

Arava and the Doctor, get a good AP doc that can help you.

On Wednesday 07 November 2001 20:23, Kirknjennifer@... wrote:

> Dear group-

> Well I went to the doctor last week, I havent been feeling very good

> at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days when the pain in

> my hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I should not stay on the

> minocycline because she did not want to put to much stress on my liver. Is

> anyone else taking Arava and Minocycline? And does anyone know what happens

> when your liver has had too much? And she said something about liver

> enzymes and I had no clue what she was talking about. But she didn't think

> I should stay on both medications.

> Just wondering what anybody thinks.

> Thanks- Jen

>

> P. S. I had to give up on Dr. Mercola and his diet. Although it did help

> some. It was just not realistic for me and it was depressing. I try to eat

> healthier now- just not to his extreme.

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[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

I have read numerous times that it is well to take Milk Thistle to

help protect and regenerate the liver -- also, that it is helpful in

tolerating medications. I think it is important to have a copy of

your liver test -- and all tests. If there is no real problem found

with the liver, then my strong feeling would be, for myself, onward

with Minocin or other appropriate antibiotic, and to keep taking

probiotics as well.

bg

> >

> > Dear group-

> > Well I went to the doctor last week, I havent been feeling

very

> > good at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days

when

> > the pain in my hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I

should

> > not stay on the minocycline because she did not want to put to

much

> > stress on my liver.

> > Is anyone else taking Arava and Minocycline? And does anyone

> > know what happens when your liver has had too much? And she said

> > something about liver enzymes and I had no clue what she was

talking

> > about. But she didn't think I should stay on both medications.

>

> Hi Jen,

>

> I'm not taking both, but I can tell you that my doctor (an AP

rheum.)

> wanted me to quit the Minocin and go on Arava after I'd had no real

> improvement after 3 months of the Mino. He definitely wasn't going

to

> have me on both meds. But I didn't, and don't, want to go on Arava -

-

> the list of possible side effects scared the heck out of me -- so

for

> now I'm still on the mino. and looking around for another doctor.

>

> I don't know the specifics of what happens if your liver enzymes

get too

> high except that it's not a good thing. Seems like when that

happens,

> people are pulled off whatever meds they were on and switched to

> something else, from what I've read on this and other lists. I

think the

> combination of Arava and mino. can definitely tax your liver; I

think

> the Arava could tax it all by itself, if I'm not mistaken.

>

> What do you have, RA? I have PA (psoriatic arthritis). It's

concentrated

> in my hands, like you; that's hard because if you aren't using your

> hands, you can't do too much, seems like, which is pretty

discouraging.

>

> Wishing you improved health,

> --Louise

[Guest guest]

.....taking into account that there are scores of individuals with inflammatory

disease who have been helped enormously with antibiotics - people who are

a whole lot better and even in total remission - how can anyone submit

to taking drugs that can cause so much harm to your body. You don't have

to go 100% with the AP diet, just keep on the antibiotics and gradually

ease yourself into a more healthful way of eating.

LouiseBodonald wrote:

Kirknjennifer@... wrote:

>

> Dear group-

> Well I went to the doctor

last week, I havent been feeling very

> good at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days

when

> the pain in my hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I

should

> not stay on the minocycline because she did not want to put to

much

> stress on my liver.

> Is anyone else taking Arava

and Minocycline? And does anyone

> know what happens when your liver has had too much? And she said

> something about liver enzymes and I had no clue what she was

talking

> about. But she didn't think I should stay on both medications.

Hi Jen,

I'm not taking both, but I can tell you that my doctor (an AP rheum.)

wanted me to quit the Minocin and go on Arava after I'd had no

real

improvement after 3 months of the Mino. He definitely wasn't going

to

have me on both meds. But I didn't, and don't, want to go on Arava

--

the list of possible side effects scared the heck out of me --

so for

now I'm still on the mino. and looking around for another doctor.

I don't know the specifics of what happens if your liver enzymes

get too

high except that it's not a good thing. Seems like when that happens,

people are pulled off whatever meds they were on and switched to

something else, from what I've read on this and other lists. I

think the

combination of Arava and mino. can definitely tax your liver; I

think

the Arava could tax it all by itself, if I'm not mistaken.

What do you have, RA? I have PA (psoriatic arthritis). It's concentrated

in my hands, like you; that's hard because if you aren't using

your

hands, you can't do too much, seems like, which is pretty discouraging.

Wishing you improved health,

--Louise

To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

[Guest guest]

Hi all, Since contracting dermatomyositis my liver enzymes have nearly

always been elevated somewhat. It seems that it goes with the disease. Also,

at one point I was taking cipro, biaxin, mino, and sulfa all at the same

time. To counteract the effects on the liver, I took 1 capsule of milk

thistle with each meal, and each month for one week drank the lemon/olive

oil liver cleanse. This kept my liver enzymes very close to normal.

HTH

Carol/Piney

Re: rheumatic Arava

>

>

> Kirknjennifer@... wrote:

> >

> > Dear group-

> > Well I went to the doctor last week, I havent been feeling very

> > good at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days when

> > the pain in my hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I should

> > not stay on the minocycline because she did not want to put to much

> > stress on my liver.

> > Is anyone else taking Arava and Minocycline? And does anyone

> > know what happens when your liver has had too much? And she said

> > something about liver enzymes and I had no clue what she was talking

> > about. But she didn't think I should stay on both medications.

>

> Hi Jen,

>

> I'm not taking both, but I can tell you that my doctor (an AP rheum.)

> wanted me to quit the Minocin and go on Arava after I'd had no real

> improvement after 3 months of the Mino. He definitely wasn't going to

> have me on both meds. But I didn't, and don't, want to go on Arava --

> the list of possible side effects scared the heck out of me -- so for

> now I'm still on the mino. and looking around for another doctor.

>

> I don't know the specifics of what happens if your liver enzymes get too

> high except that it's not a good thing. Seems like when that happens,

> people are pulled off whatever meds they were on and switched to

> something else, from what I've read on this and other lists. I think the

> combination of Arava and mino. can definitely tax your liver; I think

> the Arava could tax it all by itself, if I'm not mistaken.

>

> What do you have, RA? I have PA (psoriatic arthritis). It's concentrated

> in my hands, like you; that's hard because if you aren't using your

> hands, you can't do too much, seems like, which is pretty discouraging.

>

> Wishing you improved health,

> --Louise

>

> To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kirknjennifer@... wrote:

> And she said

> something about liver enzymes and I had no clue what she was talking

> about. But she didn't think I should stay on both medications.

I'm not sure if someone else addressed this, but I had a high liver enzyme

count right off the bat...before I started my treatment. From what my doctor

told me, when the liver is ailing it leaves a calling card in our system via

its enzymes. One thing to note however is that the first doctor I went to

said the liver function test pointed to my liver, and the second doctor I

went to looked very closely at the test and said it was more likely my gall

gladder that was ailing (which runs in my family...yippee). So, when having

these function tests done, make sure to ask the doctor more about the test a

be knowledgeable yourself. I think some doctors who don't understand AP

would be more likely to scare people off using the side effects of mino as

an excuse. There are many other options to mino. I am on doxy and have had

great results. It may be helpful for you to go back to your rheumie and

press her on this. If you really want to stay on the AP, you do have

options. (I have heard of people on this list successfully using mino and

anti-inflammatories from the sulfa family for instance.)

A link I used to read up on the exciting world of liver function tests can

be found at: http://www.gastro.com/liverpg/lfts.htm

be well,

deano

[Guest guest]

> Dear group-

> Well I went to the doctor last week, I havent been feeling

very good

> at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days when the

pain in my

> hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I should not stay on

the

> minocycline because she did not want to put to much stress on my

liver.

> Is anyone else taking Arava and Minocycline? And does anyone

know what

> happens when your liver has had too much? And she said something

about liver

> enzymes and I had no clue what she was talking about. But she

didn't think I

> should stay on both medications.

> Just wondering what anybody thinks.

> Thanks- Jen

Everyone is different, so it is hard to tell how Arava might affect

you. Have you had liver problems in the past? Are you older? Do you

drink? If you answer yes to those questions, then I would be

cautious about a drug like Arava. On the other hand if you generally

lead a healthy lifestyle and you monitor your liver enzymes every 6

weeks or so (via a simple blood test) then you shouldn't have a

problem (and you can't drink) You might want to poke your head in at

alt.support.arthritis where you will find a lot of people on Arava

who might be better suited to answer your questions. got sick

as a dog and sometimes people can be sensitive to any kind of drug.

I rarely have side effects, but on the other hand you never know when

that might happen either. That might be something you consider too -

do you generally have side effects from drugs? I really question the

concern about mino and arava - I'm not aware that mino is taxing to

the liver. Yet perhaps in combo they can be - I'd ask my doctor

where she got that information. Remember too that everyone is

different - I'm sure for some that the AP works fantastically well

and I can certainly understand that if it works for someone they are

going to strongly encourage it. But at the same time, it may or may

not work for you and maybe Arava does. The important thing is to keep

damage from occurring in the early years - that is when most of the

activity seems to occur with this disease - if you get through the

first few years, your chances are much better. Just monitor

carefully, ask your doctor lots of questions - maybe if the Arava

calms your hands down, you can slowly taper off of it and get back on

the minocycline. But you do need a doctor who understands both sides

of the fence and believe me, that isn't easy to find.

And I think Dr. Mercola sometimes forgets that we are suffering

through a tough disease, which by itself is hard enough to handle.

His strict regimens can make life even tougher, especially if you are

not the obsessive type. I wonder if that occurs to him?

Mark

[Guest guest]

Carol,

We may have talked about this before, but in addition to the milk thistle

and lemon/olive oil liver cleanses, you might want to look into alpha lipoic

acid. It's a tremendous anti-oxident and a precurser to glutathione which

the liver must have to process the toxins. Unfortunately, glutathione is

found to be low in people with disease and lowers in age. If you elect to

take oral glutathione, it should be taken sublingually as it does not

survive stomach acid well.

Life Extension Foundation - www.lef.org) - has a super alpha lipoic acid in

250 mg. capsules. It is about the best product you can get. This is the one

I use.

Ethel

Re: rheumatic Arava

>

>

> >

> >

> > Kirknjennifer@... wrote:

> > >

> > > Dear group-

> > > Well I went to the doctor last week, I havent been feeling very

> > > good at all this week, and she put me on Arava. There are days when

> > > the pain in my hands is just unbearable. Anyways, she said I should

> > > not stay on the minocycline because she did not want to put to much

> > > stress on my liver.

> > > Is anyone else taking Arava and Minocycline? And does anyone

> > > know what happens when your liver has had too much? And she said

> > > something about liver enzymes and I had no clue what she was talking

> > > about. But she didn't think I should stay on both medications.

> >

> > Hi Jen,

> >

> > I'm not taking both, but I can tell you that my doctor (an AP rheum.)

> > wanted me to quit the Minocin and go on Arava after I'd had no real

> > improvement after 3 months of the Mino. He definitely wasn't going to

> > have me on both meds. But I didn't, and don't, want to go on Arava --

> > the list of possible side effects scared the heck out of me -- so for

> > now I'm still on the mino. and looking around for another doctor.

> >

> > I don't know the specifics of what happens if your liver enzymes get too

> > high except that it's not a good thing. Seems like when that happens,

> > people are pulled off whatever meds they were on and switched to

> > something else, from what I've read on this and other lists. I think the

> > combination of Arava and mino. can definitely tax your liver; I think

> > the Arava could tax it all by itself, if I'm not mistaken.

> >

> > What do you have, RA? I have PA (psoriatic arthritis). It's concentrated

> > in my hands, like you; that's hard because if you aren't using your

> > hands, you can't do too much, seems like, which is pretty discouraging.

> >

> > Wishing you improved health,

> > --Louise

> >

> > To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

> Carol,

>

> Life Extension Foundation - www.lef.org) - has a super alpha lipoic

acid in

> 250 mg. capsules. It is about the best product you can get. This

is the one

> I use.

>

> Ethel

>

Ethel,

What is recommended dosage levels for alpha lipoic acid? I take about

150mg/day through various supplements. Was just curious. Can one

overdo antioxidants? Seems like somewhere I read that was possible,

but can probably never find that now.

Mark

[Guest guest]

rheumatic Re: Arava

>

> > Carol,

> >

> > Life Extension Foundation - www.lef.org) - has a super alpha lipoic

> acid in

> > 250 mg. capsules. It is about the best product you can get. This

> is the one

> > I use.

> >

> > Ethel

> >

>

> Ethel,

> What is recommended dosage levels for alpha lipoic acid? I take about

> 150mg/day through various supplements. Was just curious. Can one

> overdo antioxidants? Seems like somewhere I read that was possible,

> but can probably never find that now.

>

> Mark

>

Mark,

I'm in remission so I just take 250 mg. of the super alpha lipoic acid

daily. When I was fighting lymphomatoid papulosis, I doubled this amount.

I also took glutathione sublingually and , because of my age, still like to

two or three times a week.

Can one overdo antioxidents? More is not always better. Know what you are

taking and why.

Ethel

[Guest guest]

Hi Ron,

I've heard that Arava may be taken off the market due to the high

occurence of liver toxicity, more so that MTX. I think MTX has a

longer list of side-effects because it's an older drug and is well-

known and well-studied.

The side-effects on rxlist may just be the ones that were originally

published. Arava is a much newer drug and side-effects tend to

trickle out over time and with a wider population of users.

Don't know if this helps, but is something to think about.

Best wishes,

Meghan

> Hello All,

>

> I just took my first 100 mg " loading dose " of Arava (leflunomide)

> this evening, following a cortisone injection into my foot earlier

> today to reduce the inflammation and edema in it, and have been

> reading through some of the past forum posts about Arava in the

> archives to see if there is anything in particular I should be

aware

> of. Judging from everything I've read on this forum from people who

> have taken it (or are presently using it), Arava seems to be a very

> safe and innocuous drug with very few side effects. Also, when I

> check the RxList at http://www.rxlist.com/ the only warnings listed

> for Arava are rare reports of bone marrow suppression (reduced

blood

> production) and possibly elevated liver enzymes. There isn't even

any

> mention of avoiding alcohol consumption when on Arava. By

comparison,

> the RxList warnings for Methotrexate are a mile long and the first

> page of it is all in upper case, as in: " SERIOUS TOXIC REACTIONS

> (WHICH CAN BE FATAL). "

>

> What puzzles me, is that when I do a general web search

for " Arava, "

> half of the links are " Health Alerts " and advertisements for " Arava

> liver injury lawyers, " although a similar web search for

Methotrexate

> turns up no such warnings. There's even an " Arava Lawyer Network "

fer

> Christ's sakes! All this because of 12 deaths related to Arava out

> of the more than 1.5 MILLION prescriptions written for Arava since

> 1998 (see http://www.personal-injury-lawyer-

> referral.com/pages/arava_side_effects.html ). There were 15 people

> killed in highway accidents in California alone during this past

> Forth of July holiday weekend

> (http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/1545437/detail.html), and if I

> recall correctly about 90 people are killed from lightening strikes

> each year, so I really don't see what all the fuss is about. I

think

> said it best in her post at

> /message/21189

> To wit:

> " Hey, let's face it, these are serious drugs we are on. They aren't

> without side effects, some of which can probably cause severe

health

> problems. But what's our choice? Without them we couldn't function.

> So basically, it's choosing one evil over another. I wouldn't get

too

> upset just yet. Remember the hysteria over saccharin? Now it's back

> on the market. Yes, there are potentially life threatening side

> effects, but probably 1 in 1,000,000 develops them. I'll take

those

> odds if I can keep on moving. -- "

>

> So far, I haven't experienced any of the nausea that I always used

to

> have for about three days after taking MTX - besides which, MTX

> didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever on my psoriasis or PA

flare-

> ups. My rheumy wants to see me in three weeks, but I didn't ask

> whether I'd have to be coming in for monthly blood tests as I did

> while on MTX (normally I get them every three months because of the

> Sulfasalazine and NSAIDS I'm on).

>

> Just wondering if anyone has any further comments on Arava, or if

> anyone knows whether alcohol is verboten while on Arava as it is

with

> MTX? I don't drink much in any case, but sometimes do like to have

> some nice 12 year old Scotch before bedtime because it helps me get

> to sleep (and even if it didn't, it sounds like a plausible

excuse ;-)

>

> -- Ron

[Guest guest]

Hi Ron,

I took Arava for about two years between March 2000 and March 2002. I had more

positive effects than negative effects, however, I remember there is a

warning that Arava may lead to birth defects among pregnant women who take

Arava when they

become pregnant. I believe that Arava is not to be taken by men who are

trying to

become fathers for the same basic reason.

Sincerely,

Bill Reid in DC now age 59

[Guest guest]

First, Ron, I have been wondering how you have been doing with your

edema and if they have figured out what was causing it. Have you had

any improvement?

Second, I am currently on Enbrel, and we were trying to take me off

the MTX and onto Arava, but Arava didn't work for me. I am under the

impression that Arava is about like MTX in regards to alcohol.

Before I started Arava, the dr had me take a baseline test for my

liver. I get tested every 2-3 mos on a regular basis anyway. But,

we worked a schedule where I took a blood test, 2 wks later started

my Arava, and then 2 wks later, went in for another test, and then a

month later. He stated that if there were any problems with Arava,

it would show up in the first couple of months. Sure enough, after 2

months of Arava, I had VERY elevated liver enzymes, so I immediately

had to stop both the MTX and Arava. He said that he is reluctant to

put me back on MTX now. I had been rather fortunate with MTX in that

I didn't have any severe reactions, but we just didn't think it was

working as well as it could.

When I had to stop both the MTX and Arava (cold turkey), I was really

worried that I would really be in pain, but the weird part is that I

feel better than I have in a long time. I am still awakening every

morning, waiting to see if this is the day that it all falls apart,

but so far, so good. As one of the other people told me--get on that

pony and ride!! Plus, I didn't realize how tired that MTX made me

until I got off it.

But, these meds work differently on each person, so who knows. I

have been off alcohol since I started both MTX and Arava, and I guess

I am over the hump of really, really missing my glass of wine.. I e

miss a nice cool glass of wine in the evening but, oh well, I am

on a diet anyway--empty calories.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ron,

I have been taking Arava since December 1999. Previously I was a

Methotrexate devotee until it just stopped working for me.

On the up side, I have far fewer gastrointestinal bouts with the Arava,

little or no nausea and no more mouth sores.

When I first started taking Arava, my rheumy had me go for liver enzyme

testing every 6 to 8 weeks. Now he has me tested every 4 weeks as they have

more recently found Arava to be associated with hepatitis.

I am no more afraid of the side effects of Arava than I was of MTX. Anything

any of us uses to combat our PA has some wickedly serious side effects, but I

am single, live alone, and need to be able to earn a living. I am doing

better on the Arava than I ever did on MTX

I had been advised not to drink (regularly or excessively) while on Arava so

as not to accelerate any damage that may be caused by Arava alone. I would

occasionally have that glass of wine at a special occasion, but found that

after only one glass, I felt as though I had been boozing all night.

My rheumy explained that while on Arava, my body was now metabolizing alcohol

differently, so I may feel particularly " hung over " after just one drink. He

didn't FORBID me to have an occasional drink--and I will have one from time

to time, but I choose my occasions carefully (I personally have a one drink

limit). I don't want to hurry the damage to my liver. (I've been trying to

explain to my sister, the lush, how I can't sit down and throw a few back

like I used to.) However, If you are using other drugs in combination with

the Avara, you need to consider those precautions as well.

I hope this drug works well for you!

Tammy in Phila