• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center

Show Search
Hide Search
  • Disease Information
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Psoriatic Arthritis
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Gout
    • Osteoporosis
  • Patient Corner
    • Drug Information Sheets
    • Managing Your Arthritis
    • RheumTV – Patient Education Video Library
  • Our Research
    • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
    • Current Research Studies
    • The Camille Julia Morgan Arthritis Research and Education Fund
  • About Us
    • Appointment Information
    • Contact Us
    • Our Faculty
    • Our Staff
    • Rheumatology Specialty Centers
    • News & Updates
  • Donate
Home / Ask the Expert / Concerns about Arava

Concerns about Arava

April 3, 2007 By Arthritis Center

Question

I have been taking this drug for about 4 months now. I am having side effects that i didn’t have before. My other meds (celebrex, prednisone) i have been on for over a year. Anyway, my gynacologist and family doctor both agree that my problems are due to arava. These problems are: 1) heavy menstraul bleeding that won’t stop (day 23) 2) Asthma breathing with brochitis 3) Diarea Now, i talked with Arava company and they said all symptoms can come from their med and to get off this drug now. I talked with my rhummy, the only one here in houma louisiana and she said that these are “not” symptoms. So i know i have a dumb doctor because my other docs even knew that these were on the list. So, in order to get the drug that stops it all, she said my liver would have to be bad in order to do so. “Why?” Why can’t she give me it so i can get on with my life and stop saying that it isn’t causing everything? I have had EKG done among tons and tons of blood work etc. Not to mention my D-Dimer test was positive and wasn’t before i started Arava. It’s driving me nuts and I don’t know what to do. Is there a natural way to detox myself to get it out of my system or an over the counter item that will help?

Answer

Diarrhea is a particularly common side effect of Arava. Usually stopping the Arava is enough to get rid of the side effects. Arava does stay in the body a long time (long half life) and thus you need to take a medication called cholestyramine to help eliminate the drug quickly from the body (most commonly in women pregnant or wanting to become pregnant since Arava can harm the fetus). To my knowledge there is no over the counter method. You should discuss with your doctors.

Arthritis Center

Founded in 1998, the Arthritis Center at Johns Hopkins is dedicated to providing quality education to patients and healthcare providers alike.

Primary Sidebar

Ask The Expert Topics

  • Alternative Therapies
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Associated With Other Illnesses
  • Bursitis and Tendinitis
  • Corticosteroids
  • Diet and Exercise
  • Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)
  • Enteropathic Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • General Arthritis
  • Gout, Pseudogout, Other
  • Infectious Arthritis
  • Myositis
  • Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteonecrosis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Reactive Arthritis
  • Regional Pain: Back and Neck
  • Rehabilitation
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Surgical Therapy
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
  • Systemic Sclerosis
  • Vasculitis
RheumTV Logo

Rheum.TV is an informational platform created to educate patients living with a rheumatic disease. With over 100 disease education videos produced by the team at Johns Hopkins Rheumatology.

Visit Rheum.TV

Footer

Johns Hopkins Rheumatology

  • Johns Hopkins Rheumatology
  • Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
  • Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center
  • Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
  • Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center
  • Johns Hopkins Sjögren’s Syndrome Center
  • Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Johns Hopkins Medicine

© 2025 Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center
Patient Privacy