Leflunomide Question
I have just switched Rheumatolgist because I had to travel 2 hours to see mine and we now have our first Rheumatolgist in our town. It took me four months to get in to see him, as you can imagine how overbooked and busy his practice is (and little staff too). My previous Rheumatolgist has had me on hydroxychloroquine and prednisone for last 4 years with no results! He switched me to 20 mg of Leflunomide for my RA. Today is day ten with gastrointestinal issues being the only side effect so far. I had never heard of this drug before and while googling(which I don’t trust my googling skills), it said I should have blood work done often when starting this drug. My question and concern is that he scheduled me to come back for blood work in 3 months. I would greatly appreciate any information on frequency of lab work from anyone who has been on this drug. Thanks in advance! ~Cara
Hi,
! First off, my apologies that you didn't receive a reply earlier! I'm so sorry your post flew under the radar! I do hope other community members familiar with leflunomide see your post and can offer some helpful insight for you. If you have concerns about the frequency of bloodwork, you can definitely talk to your doctor about that. You could request a baseline blood draw so you and your physician know where you are starting from, if that makes sense. It appears that blood draws every three months is pretty standard, unless you start experiencing serious side effects. Here's some basic information on leflunomide (and potential side effects) -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/arava.
Gastrointestinal issues are not unusual with the medication, so you can decide if it's worth riding those out for a bit. Here's one community member's thoughts on leflunomide -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/stories/leflunomide.
Really, it's up to you to decide what medications go into your body. I know you said this new rheumatologist is pretty booked up, so it may be a challenge to have a meaningful discussion with him. But, you are the patient and the expert on your own body, so he should be open to talking with you about his treatment suggestions.
I hope the gastrointestinal issues start settling down for you and that you start seeing some positive changes in your RA symptoms very soon!
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.thanks for the info!!
I took Arava (leflunomide) for years. It is a powerful drug, yes, but it can certainly help with RA. I got blood test once every six months or so when I would see my rheumatologist, but I was pretty stable on it. It's good that your new rheumatologist is taking an active interest and trying to get your illness under control. there are some that don't! In the meantime if you need anything else please let us know! Keep on keepin' on, DPM Thank you!
