User Reviews for Arava oral

I took Arava for about 4 years. It seemed to work well except for potassium levels going up and down. Which caused my blood pressure to be high,something I've never had problems with,and my moods go haywire.I'll drink cherry juice or some other natural way. Two bad experiences with Ra meds is enough for me. Try to keep those joints moving as much as you can daily!

I have RA, PA, and osteo. I have been on Arava for about 10 years. My doctor monitors me carefully; I have a lot of other medical problems. It has worked well for me. I got very sick from methotrexate--almost died. Glad it went generic.

BE CAREFUL ABOUT ARAVA i used arava for only two mthns. i lost 1/2 of my hair and it didnt do anything for my ra. i am so sorry. i cant go to my work because of my hair. i am so angry to my doctor and also to myself. because he didnt say anything about the side effects also i didnt search the side effects. ohh my god. i lost my hair. and still have pain. i tried to wash out arava but kolestran didnt help. i will try kolestran again because ihave no other choice

I have only recently started with this drug. Unfortunately it seems to cause insomnia for me. Even though I am pain free. I am cracking up from tiredness. My heart rate is also up and I have fever like symptoms. I also aeem to be extremly aggitated ( If this is due to lack of sleep I don't know) . The label on the bottle says avoid alcohol. I did have 3 drinks on one night - to help me sleep. I got four hours - was delighted.

Does not work. Did not aid in joint swelling

I have been taking Arava for 5 months. I have daily headaches and have been noticing hair loss. My recent lab tests showed my white blood cell count is low. I also feel like I have no energy and am tired all the time.

I've been through everything but the biologics, which I can't take due to MS. This was the only thing that has helped, though I am still in a decline. -- As an added benefit, it is almost the exact same drug as one of the oral MS drugs and I take this for both. My MS has been under control quite well.

I have been taking Arava since about 1997 and have stopped a few times but always go back...is the only med that eases the pain with no allergy reaction.

arava took away my joint pain by 10 weeks, but I also started loosing my hair at around 5-6 months with an increase in shortness of breath. myhair has thinned to about 75% and sob so bad that md stopped medication.

Stomach pain out weights any benefits.

After 2 1/2 years of taking arava I started getting severe headaches and lost 28 lbs. and was tired all the time. It took my Doc 3 months to figure out the the arava could be causing that so I stopped taking it for 2 weeks and the headaches stopped and after another week I started eating some. I am now reducing the dose from 20 mg to 10mg and if that works I will reduce to 5mg and hope for the best. I am fightin flares with Tylenol 3 and predisone. Hope this helps some one else in my condition. It was great untill 4 months ago.... jRead More Read Less

I have been on Arava for about 13 years, and it works GREAT for me. The generic form of the drug doesn't work as well as the brand name. It is very expensive, but since being on this drug, my blood tests have been very good, so much so that my doctor thought that I may have been in remission at one time and took me off of the drug. The pain and stiffness came back, so I quickly returned to taking Arava again. I don't have any noticeable side effects. It is a God-send for me.

I have been using this for 10 weeks with little relief for the pain I have.

I have been on Arava since 2001. The first 10 yrs. my psorasis and P arthritis seemed to be under control. the last 2 yrs my arthritis has advanced a little but the psorasis is still gone. I have had problems with my BP the last 18 month but I'm not sure that it can be blamed on the arava.

I have been taking Arava for over a year now.My Doctor and I have had to adjust the dosage. ..I now take 10mg 3 times a week. I was taking it every day but had side affects.I also take Sulphasalizine every day..I have Psoriatic Arthritis and my pain, and stifness was so bad I got to the point where I could not bath or dress myself or walk without hurting.Every thing I did was exhausting. I have to say I became so much better taking both medications and listening to my body.I still get very tired if I do too much, and I use Lidocain patches when needed on joints, and areas that become inflamed.When the joints in my hands become really painful I put rubber gloves on and keep them under hot running water 'till they feel better, and OH! yes a hot shower is my best friend(can't get into the tub any more!)I hope this has helped someone out there . Being in pain 24/7 is not a good thing.Keep looking for help and trying new things.Read More Read Less

I have been taking Arava for about 4-5 months now and haven't seen any results! I have tried so many others and have had bad side affects with them except Enbrel. But my doctor dosen't want me taking Enbrel because I had skin rashes but I don't think the Enbrel had anything to do with the reashes. I am so tired of hurting and not being able to enjoy life. Any ideas would be appreciated! I am to the point of just giving up.

it is like taking a sugar pill no affect at all.

since I started arava, I've started to have a sore throat. Is this a bad side effect and can it lead to something more serious?

Did not seem to have much effect if any. Since my symptoms vary in intensity, it is hard to tell if there is any improvement, but over the long term there seems to be little or none. As far as preventing the progression of the RA there is no way for me to judge what hasn't happened. There are other factors that must be considered as to how I feel at any given time. The weather for instance makes a lot of difference as to how much I hurt. Since I don't see any noticeable improvement, is it worth losing my hair for what may not even be effecting the progression of the RA? Is it worth spending the money and not seeing (or feeling) any results?Read More Read Less