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Leflunomide

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gemma83759
gemma83759

Can anyone advise on how long leflunomide takes to start working? I'm currently on sulfazalazine and recently started leflunomide about 4 weeks ago. So far symptoms are still bad, particularly wrists and hands. I'm desperate for this to work, I've had ra for 6 years and feel is still not under property control. The constant pain and fatigue are getting me down and I can't plan anything as I never know how I'll be from one week to the next!! Thanx in advance.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • C2Anna
    C2Anna gemma83759

    Posted

    Are you currently taking prednisone (prednisone pack?) with this to get the pain and inflammation down? Strongly needed. Will not get high inflammation rates without prednisone help and watching high inflammation causing foods...whivh are dairy, gluten, soy, sugar, coffee, many grains etc. Magnesium glycinate is miraculous in helping with many symptoms of RA.
    • gemma83759
      gemma83759 C2Anna

      Posted

      Hi thanks for ur replies, I've had steroid injection into my hip a few times ( think that's a form of prednisone) and it really improved my symptoms. Although in desperation I tried to get one about 4 weeks ago and was told that I'd have to wait till October !! I was extremely annoyed as my last one was the beginning of April. My rheumatologist doesn't support the food theory at all but I'm currently writing a food diary to see if any particular foods trigger the symptoms worse. Thanks for ur advice.
    • C2Anna
      C2Anna gemma83759

      Posted

      Normally only 3 to 4 months is needed in between steroid injections, and food allergies (contributing to one of RA caused by leaky gut condition brought on by allergies) is huge contributor. You may want to consider a much more open minded and moving forward helpful RA doctor...very seriously.
    • gemma83759
      gemma83759 C2Anna

      Posted

      Yeh is really like to change my ra doctor but unsure how to go about it. She always rushes me and regularly turns get back on me to type and tells me to carry on speaking!! I don't feel supported at all. She sees me once ,usually cos my own gp had referred me then discharges me so when I need to see her again I need to wait up to 19 weeks then treats new ad a new patient, it's crazy, I don't understand the logic behind it. I spoke to my gp bout the protocol for seeing the rheumatologist and he said it's nothing to do with the gp and we've to take the ra doc lead!!
  • C2Anna
    C2Anna gemma83759

    Posted

    Very important also is very good dental hygiene and no dental infection, or low grade infection from previous dental work (extractions or root canals...root canals strongly not recommended..can even trigger RA diagnosis) as this kind of bacteria contributes greatly to RA distress and other conditions of low immunity and pain.
  • slm222
    slm222 gemma83759

    Posted

    Hi Gemma

    I've been on Leflunomide since last November. (I went off it, off and on, as they put me on Methotrexate for a few months which I *hated*). Anyway, my feet felt the relief almost immediately on it (within the first month), but the wrists and hands took about 4 months and because I use them every day at work, they never really feel 'great'. 

    I know the feeling of not knowing how to plan. The fatigue is probably worse for me than the pain is, although when I have a flare up, it's really ugly. I'm just coming off of a 90 day flare up. I do believe it was cause by diet. I went off course and ate more refined sugar than I ever do and man, did I pay for it.

    I have made a decision to not go on the biologics as they take the immune system down even more than the RA and the DMARDS already do, and I work in a hosptial and simply do not want to trade pain for sick.

    Give the Leflunomide at least 3 months. If it still isn't working for you, let your doctor know and they can try another med. Everyone has a different body chemistry, so all of these drugs react differently in each individual.

    Good luck!!

     

    • gemma83759
      gemma83759 slm222

      Posted

      Hi suelmc I get ur point about using ur hands, my hands are imperative to my job and more recently my job is becoming impossible because my hands and wrists are so painful. I've just increased the leflunomide to 20mg per day. I'll keep going for a few months yet in the hope it'll kick in. I'm vegetarian so my diet is good anyway but I'm doing my own food diary to see which foods aggravate my symptoms. Methotrexate didn't do anything for me except make me really ill!! Thanks again. G.
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