I started Arava, 10 mg, 7 days ago. Last night I started feeling numb and tingly all over. Over a few hours it turned into what felt like severe freezer burns all over my body. There are no visible symptoms on my skin but the pain is severe. My rhumetologist told me to stop taking it. I wasn’t going to take anymore anyway. I now have the burn sensations all over and my head feels very spacey. I’m sore all over. I wish I never tried this stuff because this is the worst reaction I’ve had to a PsA drug.
Wow! That’s quite a reaction!
The biggest issue with a reaction to a medication like Arava is that it has a long half-life. I don’t remember exactly how long, but I wouldn’t expect to feel completely better immediately after stopping the med.
I’m glad that you were able to reach out to your doctor and get such a rapid response.
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That’s a terrible reaction. Sorry for you. I had a terrible reaction to Arava but not as rapid as yours. I found that I didn’t get better straight away but I did start to improve once I stopped the meds. I hope this happens for you. I don’t know if this will help you but I found drinking lots of water, hardly any coffee and a liver friendly diet seemed to help. Also cold backs on the burning areas of my skin. I couldn’t stand ice at first…too cold. But with such an intense reaction a dr visit might be better. I hope it eases soon.
Today the burning sensations are starting to fade. I’ve been guzzling water and found some relief from covering my exposed skin with a light blanket. Something about keeping the air off my skin seems to help. I’ve been reading up on Arava and found that estrogen and nsaids both interact with Arava, both of which I take. My rhumetologist should have known this as she claimed to be aware of my chart. I feel like she made a bad call on starting me on this medicine. Thank you, my friends, for your support and understanding. Just knowing I’m not alone helps.
After I finally got rid of my mouth sores that I got from arava someone told me there’s a drug you can use to flush the arava out of your system… maybe ask your doctor about that? I don’t remember what it was though…
Good point Cynthia, I read about it too. I think you can find it on google, which ican be really useful if you have an open minded conversation with your health professional and are willing to listen 
I was just about to mention getting it flushed out. At least discuss with your doctor. The drug is called cholestyramine and it says you take it for 11 days. I so hope you feel better soon.