Methotrexate and leflunimide

[Jenkins80]

My boyfriend was prescribed leflunimide today for his pshoratic arthritis. He's currently taking methotrexate injection once a week. I'm nervous about the side effects from this new drug as he currently gets nauseaus several times a week with methotrexate. The pharmacist says this new med will also make him nauseaus. Anyone else on this mix of meds with some advice?

[ruth_p]

I used to be on leflunomide and I didn’t get any side effects. How much folic acid does he take, you can take it up to 6 days a week.

[Jenkins80 in reply to ruth_p]

I forgot to mention the folic acid. He's been taking methotrexate injections for about 8 months now along with folic acid 6 days a week.

[nomoreheels]

I had slight nausea in the first few weeks on MTX but it soon passed. You don't say how often he's to take his folic acid, this very often helps ease or it even goes if he gets the amount right. I'm prescribed 5mg every day except the day I inject. That's another option, if he's still on tablets, changing to injections usually helps as with tablets which go through the digestive system injections go straight into the blood stream so nausea rarely continues. With leflunomide I didn't have any nausea but did with another DMARD sulfasalazine. GP prescribed an antiemetic, maybe your boyfriend could ask his GP if it's appropriate if he's taking maximum dose of folic acid.

Hope this helps.

Just as an aside, apols if this has been explained by his Rheumy, is your boyfriend aware with leflunomide he, or you, need to be extra careful re contraception? This explains arthritisresearchuk.org/art...

[medway-lady]

I've been taking it for 3 years never felt any side effects after the first couple of weeks. Its great !

[Kai--]

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Lucky 🍀 boyfriend, Jenkins80, to have such a concerned & caring sweetheart ❣️

If you’d like to pass along to him, Nicole’s Psoriatic Arthritis experience ( healthunlocked.com/cure-art... ), it might be of interest/ curiosity? 🤔 Maybe something you’d both sit down & watch together? 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♀️

A bit more on the Methotrexate 💉 & Leflunomide 💊 he’s taking: healthunlocked.com/cure-art... , healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...

Very best wishes to you & your sweetheart, Jenkins80. 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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Oh . . . If interested in a bit of a long-term view on disease/ pain management, kindly see ‘Kai’ replies here ( healthunlocked.com/nras/pos... ). 😌

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[Jenkins80 in reply to Kai--]

Thank you so much for the info! This has definitely been a learning curve. He was diagnosed and started methotrexate injections about 8 months ago. He's also taking folic acid 6 days a week. This new med kinda threw us for a loop and was a bit discouraging.

[Kai-- in reply to Jenkins80]

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Very welcome, Jenkins80. 🙏 😌

Yes, yes . . . a continual learning curve 〰️〰️. 😯 ☺️

Hoping unwanted side effects 🤢 calm down soon. 🙏

Yes, please 🙏 keep researching 🕵️‍♀️ 🔎 & consider multi-pronged 🍴approach to manage overall pain & disease progression. 🤔

Abundant realistic hope he can nip it in the bud ( giphy.com/gifs/2rXPbTgLFEob... ) & become ‘well managed’ — reducing unwanted effects 🤢 & pain 😩 while minimising disease progression.

🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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[Cattledog]

I used to be on oral MTX and Leflunomide in combination. Neither made me nauseous. However, the Leflunomide did raise my blood pressure despite being put on anti hypertensive drugs. It continued to rise to quite dangerous levels so they obviously stopped the Leflunomide. I was then changed to injectable MTX and that has worked very well. Apparently the body can absorb up to a third more of the drug compared to the oral tablets.

[Hidden]

I take this combination and although MTX makes me feel nauseous for a few hours, Leflunomide gives me no problems at all. I take Folic Acid 6 days for MTX side effects.

[Jenkins80 in reply to Hidden]

Sounds like the same treatment he's on.

[Beaches2]

Hi, I am on mtx and leflunomide ( plus a biologic). All these complicated drugs take a lot of getting used to! I had nausea with the mtx for the first few months, better now thank goodness, but no nausea with leflunomide. The main side effect with leflunomide for me has been a pretty active bowel! But it's been totally manageable. I was also told to regularly take my blood pressure and so far, after 3 years on it, no problem there. I hope the combination works well for him.

[Jenkins80 in reply to Beaches2]

Good to know...thank you!