Leflunomide

[auldreekie2]

Morning everyone, hope everyone is doing ok.

What it is, does leflunomide come in a injection that you take every fortnight, or is it a tablet you take every day?

Thank you for any help. X

[Mmrr]

I take leflunomide as a daily tablet, it is regarded as a conventional DMARD. Apart from it raising my cholesterol, I've had no side effects.

Are you starting leflunomide?

[rounder]

Not on lef now, but I did take it in tablet form.

[rounder]

Not on lef now, but I did take it in tablet form.

[oldtimer]

You can find out about treatments for Rheumatoid Disease on the NRAS website pages on treatments. It will give you information in a balanced way to help you decide whether that treatment is for you or not. You can't take the decisions necessary for collaborative care in a long term illness without having information.

[auldreekie2]

The hospital have taken me off tofacitinib citrate, not doing any good, so the consultant said i was going on leflunomide, I told her I’ve been on it before, and I had to stop it ,because my BP was high and I had a rash, she said there was no record of me being on it before, well I have the leaflet on it and it does say on my history letter I’ve been on it. So I don’t know. I go or phone call appointment in Nov with my own consultant, and then we’ll see what happens then, I think they are running out of options, I have been on 14 different medications, and nothing working.

[Hidden]

auldreekie2 if you have a copy of being on lefluomide surely you can email it over to them. That is like treating you as if you don’t know anything about the drugs you have been on. Plus you had side effects so again maybe you need to challenge this? Just my view but feel what is the point if already tried waste of time and drugs surely.

[nomoreheels]

Hiya auldreekie2. Leflunomide isn't available in injection form unfortunately. They are 10mg, 15mg, 20mg & 100mg tablets only. Typical doses as monotherapy for RD are 10-20mg once daily though sometimes if used as double therapy, usually with MTX, the lower dose is prescribed due to possible liver issues. Sometimes a loading dose of 100mg for 3 days is given, this can cause tum problems though. For the first blood tests BP should be taken. My normally bob on BP rose for the first 6 weeks. I was also asked to have the flu vaccine (which I already have) & the pneumococcal vaccine (which I hadn't but did arrange) before starting it. LEF stays in your system a long time but should you have a serious adverse effect or have need to come off it for a specific reason there is a washout procedure to aid med elimination, either colestyramine or activated charcoal.

I did have to halt & then come off LEF unfortunately but it had started to work.

[turtlemom2]

I take the pill form. I switched from MtX to this medication and it worked like a miracle for me for the first 6 months. Now I'm taking it with xeljanz. I don't see a difference adding xeljanz. Leflunomide however is a must for me. Now I have to have pain meds with it.

[AbbieJ55]

Its a tablet I hated it . Docs took me off if ...high liver function side effects ....good luck .