Leflunomide for Rheumatoid Arthritis User Reviews (Page 4)

• Neat
• 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 past week but no relief yet. Hands and feet throbbing and burning. Experiencing nausea and headache in mornings. Assume it’s side effects but going to try to continue until 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 ) lisonopril for moderate high blood pressure. Diagnosed with morphia since I was 12 yrs old, fibromyalgia at 33, and RA at 69. At 70 now and wondering if I should go to John Hopkins for a complete work up. I am surprised and worried that this drug stays in your system so long and often needs another drug to remove from system."

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

"I have rheumatoid arthritis and my doctor prescribe me leflunmide and 2.5mg of Prednisone and I take every other day because I feel like I'm better without this medicine. I told my doctor I don't feel good with this but drug and I feel worse she told me it not leflunmide make you feel bad and say I had better take something. But this drug I feel is not good, and it has a black box warning. Why are they still prescribe this drug?"

• TX Gal
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 9, 2023

"Be aware of any symptoms that you may have while on this medication. Report them to your doctor as soon as you can and pay attention to your body. My rheumatologist prescribed leflunomide after no success with MTX, Sulfasalazine, Plaquenil, and Humira. While on this drug, I developed terrible side effects including tingling/numbness in my feet and hands, high blood pressure (never experienced before), extreme weakness and fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, ringing in the ears, increased back pain (which lead to another surgery), 2 ruptured Achilles tendons (surgeries pending) and continuous tearing/shredding feeling at joints, loss of sensation and motor function in my lower extremities including sexual dysfunction and incontinence, severe hair loss, heart palpitations (diagnosed as SVTs), severe muscle cramps, difficulty swallowing, vision changes, and diarrhea/stomach issues among other things. Once it was discovered I had leflunomide toxicity, I did a cholestyramine flush. It's over 2 years and I have had minimal improvement."

• 03mom...
• April 20, 2017

"After taking Leflunomide for 5 weeks I broke out with a skin rash under my arms & 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."

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

"Lefluminide 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."

• RakshaB
• 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"

• Saltio
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2014

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

• Hettiel
• July 22, 2011

Arava (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."

• Anonymous
• March 2, 2009

Arava (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."

• cedic...
• September 8, 2011

Arava (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
• January 13, 2010

Arava (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."

• Bibi
• November 20, 2015

Arava (leflunomide) "I I could not take it stomach problems and barfing I am very allergist to sulfa penicillin bioxen do not know if that had something to do with it"

• JNN
• April 18, 2015

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

• 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 day flu like symptoms dizzy"

• Nicky
• 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."

• chloe
• 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?"