Arava and increasing pain and exhaustion

[Someonesmother]

I have been on arava for a week now and wondered if anyone else experienced increasing levels of pain and more exhaustion and tiredness when they first started taking it? I am on leave and doing hardly anything so I can't even blame it on work.

[Hidden]

I flared a lot for the first 3 months of taking MTX - and my RA seemed to get worse for a while until the drug finally started taking the edge off. Nothing properly improved until I was switched to injections 10 months later though. I think it can get worse for a while - perhaps the stress to the body of adjusting to a new drug or all the psyching up you've had to do to get to this stage maybe? Are you off other forms of pain relief and NSAIDs perhaps? Hope things improve soon. X

[Someonesmother]

Thanks Tilda, no I am still taking panadol osteo or I would be even worse. It is weird but the pain has increased phenomenally in the last 2 days to the point I can hardly walk or hold anything or pick anything up and extreme tiredness like I have never had before just bizarre and as I said I am on leave so I cannot even blame work. Can' take NASAIDS or steroids so that hasn't changed.Just wondered if anyone else had had a similar experience on arava

[Hidden]

I take Leflunomide (Arava), and I get extremely tired, from experience it's more to do with the disease rather than the tablets. It sounds to me that although you are on leave from work that you are finally relaxing and are noticing that your disease has increased it's hold on you.

As Tilda mentions, you have not been taking this for too long and it needs to get into the body. After a couple of weeks if it's still the same I would contact your team and see if they suggest taking another Dmard alongside, or they may increase the dosage as I have read on this site of people taking more than 10mgs of this drug.

Take care and sleep when you can. xxx