Anyone else on Arava??

By tina Tuesday, August 12, 2008

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I have been on Arava for a little over a month...and I don't feel like it's doing a thing to help me!! I'm not as swollen as I had been, but I'm still in pain. I go back to my rheumy at the end of August for follow-up. I'm just wondering if anyone else has been on Arava and if it has helped...if so, how long before you noticed a difference?? I've been through sulfasalazine and methotrexate in the past year; methotrexate helped for a while and then stopped working. (and I had fun telling people I was on "meth"!!...LOL) I'm just tired all the time...tired of hurting and then tired from not sleeping because I am hurting!! I had to go to the grocery store last night and was almost in tears by the time we left...just from walking through the grocery store. I get the feeling that I'm going to be on another medication after my next appointment....

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bon410

8/14/08 10:07am

Hi Tina.

Yes, I was on Arava for 4 years. Have been on almost everything in the past 22 years. It did make me feel better but took a while. Little did I know it was gradually making my blood pressure go up. Each time I went in for a reg. checkup...every 6 months...the BP was a little higher. They blamed it on pain in my shoulder. I and my family have always had low BP. Looked it up on the research web site and found 2% got high BP as a side effect. That is low so most don't have to worry. Give it time and see how you are at the end of the month. I found that Minocyclone plus Relafen and 5 mg Prednisone helped me after the Arava. Rituxan was good which is a 5 hour infusion and to me very relaxing because of the way they give it. It is nice because you only take it twice every 6 months. The effects last and it did help me. I wish you could feel better. All the meds seem to take a few weeks to see if they work unless they give you an immediate side effect except Prednisone which is almost immediate.

Barbara

8/14/08 10:23am

I have just come off ARAVA about 4 months ago. I was on METHOTREXATE 2 or 3 years before that. I am now into my 8th year of being diagnosed with RA and I have been on so much stuff these past years, I don't know what worked and what didn't!! I had allergic reactions to some meds and had to switch. The depression came in about 2 years into the disease. I was put on CELEXA and have been taking it ever since along with the regular RA meds. I take one tab at nite and it is a relaxer for me. Didn't know how much it worked until I stopped taking it. I went back on and stayed on.

I don't know if ARAVA worked. Like I said, I was always on a "combination of stuff". Weight gain? OMG! I have gained 60 lbs +. I don't do it now(ARAVA) because I'm on another "trip" with this disease.

I am now(4 months) doing REMICADE Infusions. I just finished my 4th. I am doing "METH"(lol) along with the infusions. Had some reaction to the 4th treatment(some itching and really tired on the second day) but now, I am doing good. I take 10mg PREDISONE each day and hoping to wean off that as time passes. I also take NAPROXEN (1/day) and have substituted for ALEVE when my perscription ran out. That works fine. There are no easy solutions and quick fixes to this disease we share, ladies, but each day I get out of bed and am able to put one foot in front of the other, I am glad and thank God. Keep sharing and listening to others. I am so glad I got on this website. I felt all alone with RA.

Cindy

8/14/08 3:31pm

I have not personally taken this med, but I can tell you in the past 5 years that I have tried many different meds. None of them work quickly. That is one of the saddest things with this disease. You take something for a month or two only to find out that the med isn't going to work for you. I just started Enbrel injections 4 weeks ago and I can't see where they are working yet. The doctor just ups my prednisone and hopes that it will tide me over until possibly the new med works. In the meanwhile I continue to be in pain on 15 mg of prednisone per day along with 9 methotrexate per week and the Enbrel injections. You do get to feeling like ytou might as well be doing meth. with all the prescribed drugs. Hang in there and hopefully it will start to work and you don't have any side effects. Cindy

Sharte

8/15/08 2:26am

I was on plaquenil and sulfalsalazine for ever, it never really helped my pain and fatigue was horrible. I then went on eth shots for 16 weeks, never helped, made me tired and nauseated for 3 days then shot every wednesday. So then we did Arava pills. Took them for ten days had ever symtom listed and more by 3rd day. Kept takinf them until I could not sleep , bawled with pain and nausea and crawled from bed to bathrom. Lost 10 lbs in 10 days, called RA specialist at home monday morining as I was dying I thought form sure. Was the point to dehydration and thank god for faimily to care for me. She said quit all meds and just do a detox for a few weeks then we will go to the shots. Embrel or humaria not sure yet. And def not looking forward to it.After you are that sick that you want to go to the vet to be put to sleep as the pain was unreal..I am really scared to put any thing in my body. i guess well have to see, I am still detoxing ang very sick, but can walk instead of crawling. We all have dif reactions I truely hope no one has mine..good luck shan

Angie

8/17/08 4:16pm

Hi Tina,

After talking Plaquenil & predinzone, my Rheumy prescribed Arava in Nov. 2006. Within 20 days I noticed a decrease in appetite but kept taking the meds because my disease was at its worse. By the 45 day of taking the drug, I had no appetite, no energy, unable to get out of bed or work, uncontrolled diareahhea, lost a lot of hair, and no decrease in swollen joints! I wanted to believe it would help, but didn't. I immediately contacted my Rheumy and he swictched me to Methorexate injections and have had no side effects to date. Was on Enbrel at the same time, but did not respond, switched to Humira in 2007 but did not respond. Switched to Orencia on January 2, 2008 out of desperation and after 2 infusions (1 month) put my walker that I had to use for 18 months in storage!!!! I have had 10 Orencia infusions and I walked on a treadmill and worked out on weight machines this week!!!! I regret not getting to Orencia sooner !!!!!!

tina

8/22/08 9:51pm

OH WOW! That is great! I go back this Monday, the 25th, to find out what the next step is for me. I've been on Arava for a little over two months now and I've had a decrease in the swelling of my joints, but I'm still hurting like CRAP. And, I've gotten all the lovely side effects of it....the diarrhea, the hair loss, the mouth ulcers, (and I've lost weight since I've been on it, but I won't complain about that!) I've actually had to call the doctor to get some other type of pain medicine because I hurt so much at night. I think it's time for another trip to the massage therapist!! <grin> that's sooo worth the money...

Sue K.

8/21/08 9:53pm

Hello. I have been on Arava for about 5-6 weeks. Prior to that I was on mexotrexate. I like the Arava, my hands are normal and I have no pain in them. Try it a little longer.

Tania

8/23/08 7:06am

Hello,

I'm Tania from France. I've been on Arava some years ago for my severe RA, and it did help me very well during 5 years. I t started working after approx. 3 weeks, and no side effects. Then it started wearing out, and now I'm on Enbrel which is really very very good ! I've the chance that all treatments I got since my RA started 27 years ago, worked well. But I had to change every 5 or 6 years when my body got to used to it.

Apart from treatments, I found out that yoga and tai-chi-chuan helped me very much to get less tired and fitter in everyday life.

Bye

Anyone else on Arava??

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