hi full moon,

i've taken arava for years. i had bad cramping/diarrhea in the
beginning and still have some problem with it, but most people have no
trouble at all. it definitely helps.

good luck,

diane

Anytime you are worried about side effects (or have any other concerns) you
should always discuss them with your doctor. A good doctor will want you to
feel confident in your medicines and treatment. You can also have your RD
discuss the the treatment with your Primary doc or any other doctor whose
treatments and meds might interact with his prescription.

Hi,,,, Arava can have much the same side effects that Methx does but attacks
inflam.arth. in a slightly different way than Methx.  For loss of hair there
is folic acid, grapeseed extract, and Biotin.  I do not know what a person
can do for the side effect of lower distress with your digestive system but
it does go away after awhile with some people and not having this problem
for myself.  The thing is that your doctor is noticing more going on than
Humira by itself is handling.   Please,,, just remember that controlling
your immune system is most important and if your doctor says RA/Lupus,,,,
even more so.
    I took Arava by itself for about a year coming off of Methx which had
stopped working for me and it did a good job.   My problems was that my
stomach became inflamed and I had to cut back on the amount of Arava to ease
that problem and it stopped working all together.  I moved on to Enbrel from
there and have done well.   I have good memories of my time on Arava.  It
was the first time in about 5 years that I was able to do normal things like
long walks or painting on my house.
Good luck with it.
Harv

You really need to discuss the alcohol intake with your doc. Your liver
will have to be carefully monitored on Arava as it can be harsh. I know
for some alcohol is a complete NO/NO while taking Arava and for some
its okay in moderation. Again, it is Important to monitor this with
your RD closely. Get your 'blood' work done once a month.( at least for
the first few months)

johnie

I had severe joint pain (all over my body) for many years. I then found
out that I had some hidden food sensitivities to corn (High Fructose
Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, distilled vinegar, etc.) and dairy products.
Food sensitivities can trigger migraines, acne, eczema, psoriasis,
asthma, ADD, sleep disorders, joint pain, fatigue, diarrhea, and many
other health problems. A naturopathic doctor (Yellow Pages) or an
alternative doctor (www.acam.org) can help you find out if this is the
problem, or if the problem is related to something else.

    Brad_Chad