I was on Arava for a very short time - gave me horrible diarrhea, so I moved on to another drug. However, it's quite common for side effects to simmer down as your body gets used to the medication you're on, but if you're having a really hard time, talk to your doctor about maybe starting on a lower dose and increasing gradually to let your body ease into it.

there are some things you can do to manage side effects. For instance, for the itchy skin, get a really good moisturizer - for me, it's Aveeno all the way - and drink a lot of water. The bladder infection might be a coincidence, but as a preventative measure, drink cranberry juice. Not the blends, but pure cranberry juice usually sold in concentrate to be mixed with water. Is quite sour, so if you don't like the taste, you can also try cranberry capsules to swallow. Check out my post on managing side effects for more tips to keep things down to a dull roar.