Leflunomide for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• October 4, 2009

"I had high hopes for this medicine, but aside from not helping my inflammation or pain. I'm experiencing itching, red skin, blisters on my tongue, and a lot of my hair falling out. Not sure I can stand the itching 'til my blood work up in November. Here's hoping the side effects will decrease."

• Nea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2022

"Diagnosed with RA in Sept of 2021 after ultrasounds of hands and feet, as blood work had not shown RA. Took prednisone with methotrexate for a month. Taken off due to feet and ankle swelling. Took either acetaminophen or ibuprofen for continuing pain and trouble sleeping. Taking 10 mg of leflunomide once daily for the past week but no relief yet. Hands and feet throbbing and burning. Experiencing nausea and headache in the mornings. Assume it’s side effects but going to try to continue until the next rheumatologist appointment in 2 weeks. Worried about possible increase in blood pressure, poor liver function, and hair loss. I take 20 mg (recently upped from 10 mg) lisinopril for moderate high blood pressure. Diagnosed with morphia since I was 12 years old, fibromyalgia at 33, and RA at 69. At 70 now and wondering if I should go to Johns Hopkins for a complete workup. I am surprised and worried that this drug stays in your system so long and often needs another drug to remove from the system."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 7, 2022

"I have rheumatoid arthritis, and my doctor prescribed me leflunomide and 2.5 mg of prednisone, and I take it every other day because I feel like I'm better without this medicine. I told my doctor I don't feel good with this drug, and I feel worse. She told me it's not leflunomide that makes you feel bad and said I had better take something. But this drug I feel is not good, and it has a black box warning. Why are they still prescribing this drug?"

• Anonymous
• June 22, 2016

"Stopped the doxycycline because of blue spots on my face and legs, upped the Arava from 10 to 20 mg daily now, am experiencing back pain and stomach pain, some headaches also. I think I'll be able to handle all this, nothing left for treatment that insurance will cover, very little arthritis pain."

• mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2023

"My mother has been taking this drug for some time. At first, she had great results and all the pain went away, then, all of a sudden, she suffered from some massive side effects and ended up in A&E. She has lost blood and is now in the intensive care unit. After days of tests, we were told her symptoms are related to this drug. It should be put on the blacklist."

• 03m...
• April 20, 2017

"After taking Leflunomide for 5 weeks, I broke out with a skin rash under my arms and around my waist, stomach, and my arms. My doctor advised me to discontinue the meds. I see him today to see what I do next. I took prednisone the first 4 weeks with it and had no problems. I also woke up in the mornings with a slight headache that went away shortly after getting up."

• RAS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 23, 2022

"Leflunomide made me extremely tired, and it made my beautiful hair fall out. It has taken so long for it to grow back. Also, I got pneumonia after I started taking it with Humira. My hands were less swollen, but I was still in a lot of pain from swollen joints."

• Rak...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 14, 2022

"On a leflunomide daily dosage of 20 mg. It caused chronic GI upset: diarrhea and gastritis. It did relieve RA symptoms, but I felt sick for 8 months. Endoscopy revealed gastritis. I would not recommend this drug."

• Sal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2014

Leflunomide "Not ONLY the pain from rheumatoid arthritis - Arava made my hair fall out, lump in esophagus, and chronic throat infection."

• Het...
• July 22, 2011

Leflunomide "I have been taking Arava for almost 2 years. I have recently developed very high blood pressure and I'm not sure if Arava is the cause of it. We have picked up that it increased my cholesterol."

• ced...
• September 8, 2011

Leflunomide "It worked wonderfully for several years until I got a tooth infection. I had to go off Arava for the antibiotics to kill the infection. Sadly, when I returned to Arava, it no longer worked for me."

• Anonymous
• March 2, 2009

Leflunomide "This medicine gave me very bad indigestion, acid reflux, and severe nausea. My doctor cut me down to one pill every other day and it did cut all of these effects basically out."

• Anonymous
• January 13, 2010

Leflunomide "I have been on Arava for three years now. I have not had any adverse side effects. Every so often my thumb hurts, and I have to use a pain cream, but that is my only complaint."

• JNN...
• April 18, 2015

"I am 61 years old. Took this medicine for 8 days. Kept getting weaker and weaker. Then, barely breathing. Spent 4 days in the hospital."

• Bib...
• November 20, 2015

Leflunomide "I could not take it, stomach problems and barfing. I am very allergic to sulfa, penicillin, and Bioxen, do not know if that had something to do with it."

• Bob...
• February 1, 2021

"I’ve been on leflunomide for over three weeks, and I have massive hair loss. However, it is effective in helping control the pain of my fingers, hand, and right hip."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2019

"Experienced hair loss at 30 is really hard from this drug. Been off for 3 days. Flu-like symptoms, dizzy."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2021

"It works well for some, but I developed severe pain in the buttock area, awful achiness, and could not lift my pets when needed."

• chl...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2021

"Can someone share what they did when blood pressure was high? Like, did you stop leflunomide or just take blood pressure meds for it?"