Rosferris wrote: ... had Leflunomide added 3 weeks ago ... This new pain seems to have flared since taking Leflunomide. I have decided to stop taking it and will get back to my Consultant ... am thinking of adding Devils Claw myself as I have read good things about it working.. It is also fine alongside MTX.
I agree with Stewart, it is unlikely to be the Leflunomide in such a short space of time. It's barely had time to get into your system let alone wreak havoc!
Before stopping the meds you need to speak with rheumatology. Failure of the drug would have shown up in your blood tests and you should have been alerted to a problem. Sounds more like a flare of RA to be honest from the pain you describe.
Also, Devil's Claw, testing is preliminary, and the largest most well-designed studies show only marginal benefits at best. The studies have been statistically too small to provide valid results. Mtx is a very toxic drug hence the reason kidney and liver tests are performed regularly in blood tests. Be very careful when mixing untested 'natural' products with highly toxic RA Meds; they can have a habit of causing gastric problems at least and sometimes impair the function of the prescribed medication. From my experience it is unwise to add to prescribed drugs until their performance has been assessed; you could end up with inaccurate results leading to the possibility of incorrect therapy.
Hope you get some relief from your problems very soon. Take care,
Lyn x
