Guest guest Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Hi . I am wondering why I never see Arava discussed. It took a few months for Arava -- a pill -- to kick in after I had to go off Enbrel, but I am doing fine now. The side effects are not as potentially dangerous as for Enbrel. They check my liver every couple of months, but so far everything is fine. Diarrhea is common, but gets better after awhile. One of my friends has had more luck with Arava than he did with Enbrel. When I had to go off Enbrel, due to a severe infection, I was so afraid that nothing would ever make me feel as " normal " as Enbrel had, but Arava does the job! I would just like to let people know more about it. You are probably familiar with this med. It is very expensive, but my VA benefits cover most of the cost. I hope others who take Arava will share their experiences. Sincerely, Patsy  ________________________________ From: <Rheumatoid.Arthritis.Support@...> < > Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2009 4:57:59 PM Subject: [ ] NEWS - FDA updates warnings for TNF blockers and cancer risk FDA Updates Warnings for TNF Blockers and Cancer Risk Emma Hitt Published: 08/04/2009 August 4, 2009 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring stronger warnings regarding the risk for cancer associated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. An alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program, states that the warnings will include an updated boxed warning and highlight the increased risk for cancer in children and adolescents who take TNF blockers for the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and other inflammatory diseases. Today's action represents the completion of an investigation announced by the FDA in June 2008. On average, an increased risk for cancer was reported after 30 months of treatment with TNF blockers. Lymphoma was the most common cancer type, accounting for about half of all cancers. " The current prescribing information for TNF blockers does contain a warning for malignancies, but does not specifically mention leukemia, " the FDA states. In addition to the updated boxed warning, the FDA is requiring an update to the Warning section of the prescribing information describing reported cases of leukemia in adults, adolescents, and children, as well as additional information on malignancies in children and adolescents. Psoriasis is also associated with the use of TNF blockers, and this information will be incorporated into updated prescribing information in the Adverse Events section. The revised medication guide given to patients will include this new safety information. The TNF blockers include infliximab (Remicade, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc), etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen and Wyeth), adalimumab (Humira, Abbott), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB), and golimumab (Simponi, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc and Schering-Plough Corporation). More information is available on the MedWatch Web site. Adverse events related to use of TNF blockers should be communicated to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by telephone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, land 20852-9787. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706973 Not an MD ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Patsy, I take Arava and it does ok for me. It seemed to take forever to kick in though, probably about 5 months which is over what the med sheet said. It isn't working for me as much as I would like but better than when I am not on it. I had to drop my dosage recently due to my white cells getting too low. Maybe we will be able to raise it up again later. I did notice my blood pressure ran a little higher on the 20mg too so maybe its best we dropped to the 10mg. Otherwise I haven't had any ill effects from it. > > Hi . > > I am wondering why I never see Arava discussed. It took a few months for Arava -- a pill -- to kick in after I had to go off Enbrel, but I am doing fine now. The side effects are not as potentially dangerous as for Enbrel. They check my liver every couple of months, but so far everything is fine. Diarrhea is common, but gets better after awhile. One of my friends has had more luck with Arava than he did with Enbrel. When I had to go off Enbrel, due to a severe infection, I was so afraid that nothing would ever make me feel as " normal " as Enbrel had, but Arava does the job! I would just like to let people know more about it. You are probably familiar with this med. It is very expensive, but my VA benefits cover most of the cost. I hope others who take Arava will share their experiences. > > Sincerely, > > Patsy  > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <Rheumatoid.Arthritis.Support@...> > < > > Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2009 4:57:59 PM > Subject: [ ] NEWS - FDA updates warnings for TNF blockers and cancer risk > > FDA Updates Warnings for TNF Blockers and Cancer Risk > > > Emma Hitt > Published: 08/04/2009 > > > August 4, 2009 †" The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is > requiring stronger warnings regarding the risk for cancer associated > with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. > > An alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and > adverse event reporting program, states that the warnings will include > an updated boxed warning and highlight the increased risk for cancer > in children and adolescents who take TNF blockers for the treatment of > juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and other inflammatory > diseases. > > Today's action represents the completion of an investigation announced > by the FDA in June 2008. On average, an increased risk for cancer was > reported after 30 months of treatment with TNF blockers. Lymphoma was > the most common cancer type, accounting for about half of all cancers. > > " The current prescribing information for TNF blockers does contain a > warning for malignancies, but does not specifically mention leukemia, " > the FDA states. > > In addition to the updated boxed warning, the FDA is requiring an > update to the Warning section of the prescribing information > describing reported cases of leukemia in adults, adolescents, and > children, as well as additional information on malignancies in > children and adolescents. Psoriasis is also associated with the use of > TNF blockers, and this information will be incorporated into updated > prescribing information in the Adverse Events section. The revised > medication guide given to patients will include this new safety > information. > > The TNF blockers include infliximab (Remicade, Centocor Ortho Biotech > Inc), etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen and Wyeth), adalimumab (Humira, > Abbott), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB), and golimumab (Simponi, > Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc and Schering-Plough Corporation). > > More information is available on the MedWatch Web site. > > Adverse events related to use of TNF blockers should be communicated > to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by telephone at > 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at > http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, > Rockville, land 20852-9787. > > > http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706973 > > > > Not an MD > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 I took Arava and I agree... It works. However.... The side effect of diarrhea did not get better for me, it got continually worse. I have been off Arava since the beginning of May due to a throat infection. I had stomach issues sooooo bad I decided not to restart. It is only recently that my stomach has returned to normal. I am also on Humira and love love LOVE it! :-) *~ Kami ~* [ ] NEWS - FDA updates warnings for TNF blockers and cancer risk FDA Updates Warnings for TNF Blockers and Cancer Risk Emma Hitt Published: 08/04/2009 August 4, 2009 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring stronger warnings regarding the risk for cancer associated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. An alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program, states that the warnings will include an updated boxed warning and highlight the increased risk for cancer in children and adolescents who take TNF blockers for the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and other inflammatory diseases. Today's action represents the completion of an investigation announced by the FDA in June 2008. On average, an increased risk for cancer was reported after 30 months of treatment with TNF blockers. Lymphoma was the most common cancer type, accounting for about half of all cancers. " The current prescribing information for TNF blockers does contain a warning for malignancies, but does not specifically mention leukemia, " the FDA states. In addition to the updated boxed warning, the FDA is requiring an update to the Warning section of the prescribing information describing reported cases of leukemia in adults, adolescents, and children, as well as additional information on malignancies in children and adolescents. Psoriasis is also associated with the use of TNF blockers, and this information will be incorporated into updated prescribing information in the Adverse Events section. The revised medication guide given to patients will include this new safety information. The TNF blockers include infliximab (Remicade, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc), etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen and Wyeth), adalimumab (Humira, Abbott), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB), and golimumab (Simponi, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc and Schering-Plough Corporation). More information is available on the MedWatch Web site. Adverse events related to use of TNF blockers should be communicated to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by telephone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, land 20852-9787. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706973 Not an MD ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Hi , Arava took a long time to kick in for me too. Enbrel was a godsend for me starting when it was approved by the FDA until summer of 2006 when I got a terrible infection in my lungs that took six months to get over. ENBREL KICKED IN FAST TOO. Thanks for writing. Patsy ________________________________ From: ktandtm <ktandtm@...> Sent: Friday, August 7, 2009 5:53:12 AM Subject: [ ] Re: NEWS - Arava for RA Patsy, I take Arava and it does ok for me. It seemed to take forever to kick in though, probably about 5 months which is over what the med sheet said. It isn't working for me as much as I would like but better than when I am not on it. I had to drop my dosage recently due to my white cells getting too low. Maybe we will be able to raise it up again later. I did notice my blood pressure ran a little higher on the 20mg too so maybe its best we dropped to the 10mg. Otherwise I haven't had any ill effects from it. > > Hi . > > I am wondering why I never see Arava discussed. It took a few months for Arava -- a pill -- to kick in after I had to go off Enbrel, but I am doing fine now. The side effects are not as potentially dangerous as for Enbrel. They check my liver every couple of months, but so far everything is fine. Diarrhea is common, but gets better after awhile. One of my friends has had more luck with Arava than he did with Enbrel. When I had to go off Enbrel, due to a severe infection, I was so afraid that nothing would ever make me feel as " normal " as Enbrel had, but Arava does the job! I would just like to let people know more about it. You are probably familiar with this med. It is very expensive, but my VA benefits cover most of the cost. I hope others who take Arava will share their experiences. > > Sincerely, > > Patsy  > > > > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > From: <Rheumatoid. Arthritis. Support@. ..> > < @gro ups.com> > Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2009 4:57:59 PM > Subject: [ ] NEWS - FDA updates warnings for TNF blockers and cancer risk > > FDA Updates Warnings for TNF Blockers and Cancer Risk > > > Emma Hitt > Published: 08/04/2009 > > > August 4, 2009 †" The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is > requiring stronger warnings regarding the risk for cancer associated > with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. > > An alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and > adverse event reporting program, states that the warnings will include > an updated boxed warning and highlight the increased risk for cancer > in children and adolescents who take TNF blockers for the treatment of > juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and other inflammatory > diseases. > > Today's action represents the completion of an investigation announced > by the FDA in June 2008. On average, an increased risk for cancer was > reported after 30 months of treatment with TNF blockers. Lymphoma was > the most common cancer type, accounting for about half of all cancers. > > " The current prescribing information for TNF blockers does contain a > warning for malignancies, but does not specifically mention leukemia, " > the FDA states. > > In addition to the updated boxed warning, the FDA is requiring an > update to the Warning section of the prescribing information > describing reported cases of leukemia in adults, adolescents, and > children, as well as additional information on malignancies in > children and adolescents. Psoriasis is also associated with the use of > TNF blockers, and this information will be incorporated into updated > prescribing information in the Adverse Events section. The revised > medication guide given to patients will include this new safety > information. > > The TNF blockers include infliximab (Remicade, Centocor Ortho Biotech > Inc), etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen and Wyeth), adalimumab (Humira, > Abbott), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB), and golimumab (Simponi, > Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc and Schering-Plough Corporation) . > > More information is available on the MedWatch Web site. > > Adverse events related to use of TNF blockers should be communicated > to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by telephone at > 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at > http://www.fda. gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, > Rockville, land 20852-9787. > > > http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706973 > > > > Not an MD > > > ------------ --------- --------- ------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 I'm glad to hear that you are doing well, Patsy. We do discuss Arava from time to time here. I also posted a research article on Arava yesterday. Not an MD On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 1:50 AM, Patsy <pab91101@...> wrote: > Hi . > > I am wondering why I never see Arava discussed. It took a few months for Arava -- a pill -- to kick in after I had to go off Enbrel, but I am doing fine now. The side effects are not as potentially dangerous as for Enbrel. They check my liver every couple of months, but so far everything is fine. Diarrhea is common, but gets better after awhile. One of my friends has had more luck with Arava than he did with Enbrel. When I had to go off Enbrel, due to a severe infection, I was so afraid that nothing would ever make me feel as " normal " as Enbrel had, but Arava does the job! I would just like to let people know more about it. You are probably familiar with this med. It is very expensive, but my VA benefits cover most of the cost. I hope others who take Arava will share their experiences. > > Sincerely, > > Patsy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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