Arava
Generic Name: Leflunomide
Brand Name: Arava
Indications
Arava is indicated in adults to reduce the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Dosage and Administration
Arava is available as 10mg, 20mg and 100mg tablets.
Normal dose: Daily dosing of 20 mg is recommended for treatment of patients with RA. Doses higher than 20 mg/day are not recommended. If dosing at 20 mg/day is not well tolerated clinically, the dose may be decreased to 10 mg daily.
Overdose?
The over dosage of medicine has leads to diarrhea, abdominal pain, leucopenia, anemia and elevated liver function tests.
Drug Description
Arava (leflunomide) is a pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor. The chemical name for leflunomide is N- (4´-trifluoromethylphenyl)-5-methylisoxazole-4-carboxamide. It has an empirical formula C12H9F3N2O2, a molecular weight of 270.2 and the following structural formula:
Arava is available for oral administration as tablets containing 10, 20, or 100 mg of active drug. Combined with leflunomide are the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, crospovidone, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol, povidone, starch, talc, titanium dioxide, and yellow ferric oxide (20 mg tablet only).
Side Effects
The noted side effects occurred in patients administering Arava are fever, neck pain, pelvic pain, migraine, palpitation, varicose vein, gastrointestinal discomforts, anxiety, depression, asthma and so on.
Precautions
- This medication can lower the activity of the immune system making you more susceptible to infection, and avoid contact with individuals who have recently been vaccinated with a live virus.
- Avoid alcohol during the treatment because consumption of alcohol may reduce the effectiveness of this drug.
- Before taking Arava medication, tell your doctor if you have liver disease or a history of hepatitis, a history of significant alcohol use, kidney disease, an immune system disease, recently received a live vaccine, poor bone marrow function
Drug Interactions
Care should be taken with the following drugs while using this medicine:
- cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite, LoCHOLEST)
- methotrexate (Rheumatrex)
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
