Leflunomide 20mg Tablet
Prescription Required
Product introduction
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It helps in slowing down the progression of the disease and provide relief from pain, swelling, and redness.
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is used to treat joint diseases leading to severe painful swelling and redness of the joints that can lead to difficulty in movement.
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is used to treat joint diseases leading to severe painful swelling and redness of the joints that can lead to difficulty in movement.
Uses of Leflunomide Tablet
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
Benefits of Leflunomide Tablet
In Rheumatoid arthritis
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet reduces pain, stiffness, and swelling in your joints and slows down the progression of bone and joint damage. This will help you do normal daily activities more easily and thus improve your quality of life. This medicine should be taken at the same time each day to get maximum benefits. Keep taking it even if you feel well because it is preventing future harm as well as improving your symptoms.
In Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis, a condition where the skin cells in the body grow too quickly and form scales and dry patches. Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis. Symptoms include joint pain, stiffness and swelling, which may flare and subside. Leflunomide 20mg Tablet helps reduce pain, stiffness and swelling in your spine and joints. It helps improve flexibility and prevents disease progression. This will help you lead a better and active life.
Side effects of Leflunomide Tablet
Most side effects do not require any medical attention and disappear as your body adjusts to the medicine. Consult your doctor if they persist or if you’re worried about them
Common side effects of Leflunomide
- Nausea
- Headache
- Rash
- Diarrhea
- Increased liver enzymes
- Dyspepsia
- Dizziness
- Loss of appetite
- Hair loss
- Weight loss
- Bronchitis (inflammation of the airways)
How to use Leflunomide Tablet
Take this medicine in the dose and duration as advised by your doctor. Swallow it as a whole. Do not chew, crush or break it. Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may be taken with or without food, but it is better to take it at a fixed time.
How Leflunomide Tablet works
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet blocks the action of certain chemical messengers that are responsible for inflammation, swelling and redness associated with certain autoimmune diseases.
It suppresses the underlying disease process, rather than simply treating the disease.
Safety advice
Alcohol
UNSAFE
It is unsafe to consume alcohol with Leflunomide 20mg Tablet.
Pregnancy
UNSAFE
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is highly unsafe to use during pregnancy. Seek your doctor's advice as studies on pregnant women and animals have shown significant harmful effects to the developing baby.
Breast feeding
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is probably unsafe to use during breastfeeding. Limited human data suggests that the drug may pass into the breastmilk and harm the baby.
Driving
UNSAFE
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may decrease alertness, affect your vision or make you feel sleepy and dizzy. Do not drive if these symptoms occur.
Kidney
CAUTION
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet should be used with caution in patients with kidney disease. Dose adjustment of Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may be needed. Please consult your doctor.
Liver
UNSAFE
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is probably unsafe to use in patients with liver disease and should be avoided. Please consult your doctor.
All substitutes
For informational purposes only. Consult a doctor before taking any medicines.
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet
₹27.12/Tablet
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Rumalef 20 Tablet
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Arava 20mg Tablet
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Lefumide 20 Tablet
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Quick tips
- You have been prescribed Leflunomide 20mg Tablet to control the symptoms and slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
- It will take 6-8 weeks for Leflunomide 20mg Tablet to work. Hence, keep taking the medicine.
- Get blood tests done every 4 weeks. This is to make sure that Leflunomide 20mg Tablet is not harming your liver or blood counts.
- Avoid alcohol when taking Leflunomide 20mg Tablet as it could harm your liver.
- Do not take it during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking Leflunomide 20mg Tablet.
- Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may increase the risk of infection. Avoid being close to people with cold, flu or other contagious illnesses.
- Tell your doctor if you experience nausea or diarrhea.
Fact Box
Chemical Class
Isoxazole Derivative
Habit Forming
No
Therapeutic Class
PAIN ANALGESICS
Action Class
Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatoid Drugs (DMARDs)- Non biologics
Patient concerns
User feedback
Patients taking Leflunomide 20mg Tablet
Once A Day
91%
Alternate Day
9%
FAQs
Q. Can Leflunomide 20mg Tablet cause weight loss?
Yes, Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may cause weight loss as a common side effect. However, weight loss due to this medicine is usually insignificant. The reason for this reduction in weight could be due to accompanying loss of appetite. Consult your doctor if your weight loss is significant.
Q. When should patients notify their doctor?
The doctor should be informed if one has lung problems like cough, shortness of breath or if one observes symptoms of infection like fever, weakens, and flu-like symptoms. Along with that, if a person experiences allergic reactions like hives rashes and liver problems like yellowing of skin, loss of appetite then it should be consulted with the doctor. One should also inform the doctor if there is a decrease in blood cell count causing easy bruising and recurrent infections. In addition to that, the doctor should be informed if one becomes pregnant during the course of treatment.
Q. Can I plan pregnancy after stopping Leflunomide 20mg Tablet?
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet takes fairly long time to get flushed out of your system. Hence, you should not plan pregnancy for at least 2 years after stopping Leflunomide 20mg Tablet. This extensive time duration may be reduced to a few weeks by taking certain medicines which can help speed up the removal of Leflunomide 20mg Tablet from your body.
Q. How long does it take to see improvement after starting Leflunomide 20mg Tablet?
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may take about 4 weeks or longer to show improvement in the condition. It may even take 4-6 months to show full benefits. Hence, the medicine should not be stopped if there is no significant improvement. For any further query consult your doctor who will analyze the condition.
Q. Can Leflunomide 20mg Tablet cause cancer?
Leflunomide 20mg Tablet may increase your chances of cancer especially of lymph system, but this is very rare. The reason could be decreased strength of the immune system caused by Leflunomide 20mg Tablet. Discuss with your doctor if you have concerns regarding it.
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Disclaimer:
Tata 1mg's sole intention is to ensure that its consumers get information that is expert-reviewed, accurate and trustworthy. However, the information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of a qualified physician. The information provided here is for informational purposes only. This may not cover everything about particular health conditions, lab tests, medicines, all possible side effects, drug interactions, warnings, alerts, etc. Please consult your doctor and discuss all your queries related to any disease or medicine. We intend to support, not replace, the doctor-patient relationship.References
- Furst DE, Ulrich RW, Varkey-Altamirano C. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs, Nonopioids Analgesics, & Drugs Used in Gout. In: Katzung BG, Masters SB, Trevor AJ, editors. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. 11th ed. New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited; 2009. p. 631.
- Briggs GG, Freeman RK, editors. A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk: Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2015. pp. 781-84.
- Leflunomide. Bridgewater, New Jersey: Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC; 1998 [Aug. 2015]. [Accessed 24 Jan. 2019] (online) Available from:
- Leflunomide. Bridgewater, New Jersey: sanofi-aventis U.S; 2010. [Accessed 02 Apr. 2019] (online) Available from:
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. Leflunomide. [Accessed 08 Jul. 2023]. (online) Available from:
- CiplaMed. Leflunomide [Prescribing Information]. [Last Revised: 13 May 2020]. [Accessed 08 Jul. 2023]. (online) Available from:
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Leflunomide. [last Updated: 12 Dec. 2022]. [Accessed 08 Jul. 2023]. (online) Available from:
Marketer details
Name: Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd
Address: SUN HOUSE, CTS No. 201 B/1, Western Express Highway, Goregaon (E), Mumbai 400063
Country of origin: India
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