Would treatment be a problem for pregnancy?
My wife is suffering from RA for past 1 year. Her age is 25. We shown her to ortho doctor and he gave lefra10 tablet and calcium vitamin tablets. My wife continued these tablets for 1 month. After consulting with Rheumatologist, doctor advised to stop lefra10. And she advised to have opposite tablet to remove lefra10 content from blood. It is necessary to have opposite tablet to clean lefra10 tablet content in blood..? May it give problem in pregnancy?
Hi Franklin. The technical name for the drug you are referring to is leflunomide. It was originally marketed under the name Arava. Pregnancy can be an issue with this drug and one of the warnings is that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should not take it. This article from our editorial team takes a closer look at leflunomide, including warnings and side effects:
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/arava/.
I am not sure what the "opposite" tablet the doctor advised might be and the doctor should clarify this for you. One medication that could be prescribed, if it was not already, would be folic acid. Leflunomide can affect the liver and folic acid is often prescribed for use in conjunction with medications that do this to help clear the liver.
Has the rheumatolgist suggested a new treatment regimen? This article from our editorial team looks at various treatment possibilities, with links to more specifics: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/.
I hope this information proves useful. Please know that you and your wife can always come here for information and support. Keep us posted on how things progress. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
Hi Franklin, Thank you for reaching out. Lefra10 is also known as Leflunomide. It's a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It is not indicated for use while pregnant or if planning to become pregnant. I'm assuming your wife must have had some side effects from the medication or she is pregnant or planning to become pregnant as they stopped the med so soon. Typically it can take 6-12 weeks to take full effect. In addition to speaking with your wife's doctor, this article may be helpful to you both: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/arava/. Wishing you both the best as she pursues other treatment options to find a plan that she can tolerate safely. Please reach out with any questions, we're here to help. Kelly, Rheumatoidarthritis.net Team Member
