I took Arava myself, but only for a short time - I developed some side effects (diarrhea) that made it necessary to change medication. However, I know quite a lot of our users are taking Arava, either alone or in combination with another of the DMARDs and who are having wonderful lives because of it.

like most of the RA medications, Arava takes a couple months or so to really kick in, but you can probably expect to start seeing some changes in another couple of weeks or so. However, if you don't, don't lose hope - sometimes it takes a little longer. In terms of side effects, some of the common ones include various gastrointestinal issues - check out my post on managing side effects for tips on how to cope. keep in mind that everyone reacts differently to different drugs, so you may not get any side effects at all or just experience mild ones.

if you think you have fibromyalgia, as well, check out the fibromyalgia section of our Chronic Pain site for more information.

good luck! Please keep us posted on your progress?