If you are prescribed Folic Acid, please select the o... - NRAS
If you are prescribed Folic Acid, please select the option that best applies to how you were advised to take it by your hospital? (If none of these apply, please go to the results and leave a comment)
136 VotersPlease select one:
I take 5mg Folic Acid the day before taking MTX and the day after. It was 12 months before I was told to take the Folic Acid at lunch time because of the interaction with Sulfasalazine and steroids, which I take every evening.
As well as the tablet once a week, I also drink pomegranate juice and eat some leafy green veg every day to try to keep my levels up naturally. Who knows whether that helps, but I reckon anything that might help keep side effects of methotrexate at bay is worth a try.
I started on one folic acid the day after mtx but when my mtx dose was increased I suffered from nausea and was told to increase to one every day except mtx day.
I was told to take it daily. Nobody said anything about not taking it the day I take the mtx. Could that be causing the gas and bloating for the four days when and after I take the mtx?
Hi Jane, I take folic acid every day, and have never been told not to take it on my Mtx day. I do not get bloating as you describe, but after reading these replies I shall alter my habit. Anne x
Worth checking this with your consultant, as it's unusual to take it on the day of the MTX, as it can make the MTX less effective, but there doesn't seem to be a set rule on how to take it, as evidenced by the pie chart!
When I had my folic acid increased I was told to take it everyday by my consultant. I told him I thought you could not take it on MTX day and he replied it didn't make any difference.
When I first started on MTX I was prescribed one Folic Acid a week but due to hair loss I was told to 'up' the folic dose to 4 a week.I take MTX on a Sat and one Folic on Mon. Tues. Wed. and Thurs.Thank goodness the hair loss has stopped so the extra folic must have helped.
Hi Brenda
I lost all my hair within a month of starting MTX, over the last 2 years it has grown and you can tell its strong and healthy in the photo. I think my body just got used to taking it, though I did change to the injections rather than the tablets. By the waymy hair grew back curly to start with but now wavy.
best wishes
tricia
I think this is an area where there should be a standard practise across the board, apart from people who are having specific problems. People seem to be told different things, even at the same hospital, It's a shame as it might make a huge difference to the way we feel.
I take 5mg every day including MTX day. I started on 4 days a week but was increased because of problems with mouth ulcers
I was told one tablet, once a week but not on MTX day. I never did take them as they made me feel ill anyway (tried just before getting pregnant years ago) - and MTX didn't work so I'm not on it anymore.
I was told to take one every day except mtx day, but when I found out some people only take one a week I asked my (then) rheumy nurse why and he flippantly said "you can just take one if you want, we tell you to take 6 in case you forget". So I did my own research and the most consistent advice I found was to leave 48 hours either side of the mtx. I now take mtx on Monday, 5mg folic acid on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat.
I am confused because I thought I was supposed to be taking it 3 days after methotrexate - now I think ive got it wrong. Gonna ask my Rheumatologist again to check.
Don't think you have got it wrong as that's how I took mine, 3 days after MTX. I now take it every day except MTX day as the nausea and headaches were terrible, still get them but not as bad.
mand xx
I was told to take one folic acid tablet 24hours before taking methotrexate! There is so much differing advise it is confusing
this is so bad !!!and think this needs adressing, folic acid should be standardsied, typically day before AND the day after the methotrexate, no wonder we all get so many problems!!, at higher doses ie 12.5mg OR ABOVE, think it is safer to take folic acid on every day EXCEPT the methotrexate day hope this clarithys...., If my rheumy lot had been a bit better with their prescribing/ adVICE, might not have had two months of nausea and stomach pain before crashing off the drug and having an endsocopy...
When I was originally perscribed 15mg methotrexate tablets I was told to take 10mg folic acid 4 days after taking the MXT. however after the first couple of weeks I felt so sick and bloated I phoned the helpline and they advised me to start taking 5 mg everyday except MXT day. This helped considerably but I was still felling very sick and exhausted for 48 hours so I have now changed to injections. The Rheumy nurse that once I am sure that I am tolerating the injections better to start cutting the folic acid back. I have not felt sick at all since being on the injections and have now cut it back to 5mg 4 times a week.
I take 20mg on a Friday, and take my folic 5mg on a Tuesday. Is this not right. Only change I notice is I always had straight hair and now its wavy when wet, which I quite like! When I started i used to just pop meth & folic together and only found out after a year this was incorrect.
Hello everybody, I was advised by my rheumatologist to take 5 days a week/Monday to Friday, rest Saturday and not taking on Sunday as well as it is the day I take Mxt.
Last year, I tried take it just once a week, however, without success because my mouth will be full of ulcers. Very painful as all of you may know.
Best wishes
T.
never take it on the methotrexate days.... going to try and explain why the methotrexate works in a certain way using pathways, by its action it depletes b vit stores in partcular folic acid,( trying to explain simply so bear with me..) hence ulcers in mouth and even else were like gut if you take no folic acid at all!, so by taking folic ON the methotrexate day you will stop the methotrxate being. absorbed/ working so WELL, it is taken on the other days to reduce nausea and vomiting symptoms as well as mouth ulcers....,It must be remembered that methotrexate it self is a ONCE WEEKLY DRUG( sorry thats in caps but we all know this important!!, I use caps to emphasise facts!, we must remember that methotrexate is in fact a chemotherapy drug, when used at doses above 20mg.........., hence hair loss and ulcers, its suppresses ....
I take two 5mg Folic Acid tablets on a Sunday morning having taken my MTX just before bed on Friday nights.
I was originally told to take one 5mg folic acid tablet 48 hours after taking MTX. This did not relieve the nausea and mouth ulcers so I now take one 5mg tablet every day except MTX day. This does relieve the nausea and most of the mouth ulcers.
hmm looking at this chart would say ??% of consultants know the safest way to prescribe....
I take folic acid 3 days after ive taken my MTX on a Thursday so I take mine once on a Sunday.x.
i take my MTX on a mon morning after breckie, & folic acid on a wed after breckie still get mouth ulcers, & cold sores, sore gums,
Lordy what a conglomeration....
I take mine every day except the MX day. I took on the MX day once and when I told the doctor she said it doesn't matter! I does sound like it is used as a counteracter... because MX destroys folic acid, which makes you deficient you take it the rest of the week to make it up. Depending on your diet I suppose depends on how much you need? Mouth ulcers are a bugger and used to suffer on and off before RA, but since I have been on MX and taken Folic acid the other 6 days I have not had ulcers!
I take the folic acid three days after the methotrexate.
i take mtx on sun and 5mg*2 on mon
I take 1 x 5mg on a Sunday, after injecting 10mg MTX on a Friday, after work. Cannot believe how much better I feel now on injections, felt 'hung over' on tablets.
I've been taking folic acid (2x5mg) for a number of years now,always on a Sunday with my cereals, having taken 20mg of MTX the previous day( Sat) again at breakfast time with my cereals. I have never had any after effects taking these tablets, I have always taken my tablets this way having been instructed to by a former Nurse practitioner.
Not on MTX due to renal Transplant, take folic acid seven days a week x 5mg daily.
just thought NRAS do a publication on methotrexate.. I did a survey for them on it use... can some computer geniud do a link or could Emma or any NRAS person read this and do a link to the document please.........?
I have taken 5mg folic acid Monday and Wednesday evenings and Mtx. 7.5 on Friday evenings for the last (something like) 10 years.
Regarding mouth ulcers - when I had a problem I rang my rheumy nurse who told me to take a vit. C tablet. As I was already taking the standard dose daily she told me to increase the dose for 2 days. This worked for me.
I take my folic acid on a friday (one tablet) having taken my methotrexate on thursday. Never had problems with mouth ulcers thankfully Kath Gallagher
Hi i take my folic acid on a monday (5mg) after taking mtx on a friday.
I was originally told to take folic acied 5mg 3 days before the MTX. I now take it the day before as that seems to reduce the MTX nausea. I have soemtimes been advised to take it on 4 or 5 days a week to reduce the nausea but I never remember!
Oh My God!
I was told to take my folic acid on a wednesday, originally in the evening, and then on fridays I took my MTX in the evening - the reason I was given was so I could sleep off the side effects.
In may I changed to weekly injections, and inject in the morning, so I now take my folic acid on weds morning.
Reading this has made mw worry a bit, and I intend to ask a few questions at my next appointment!
Pen
My prescription just says to take one daily. If mouth sores occur take two.
I take 1 mg of Folic Acid daily (including MTX day) plus 5 mg of Leucovor 24 hours after MTX.
I take Folic Acid 6 days a week and not not MTX day. I am on 20mg of MTX but
want to reduce it to 17.5 just to see any difference! anyone else done this??
cheers,
i have supported to take 1 folic tablet once a week ( mtx Monday folic Wednesday) i forget to used folic acid tablets and see no side effects
ive been told to take my MTX on thursdays then take folic acid on mondays 4 days apart
I have been told to take 5mg each day in the morning. I then take my MTX 5 tablets on a Monday night and 5 on a Thursday night. This was advised in order to reduce the nausea that taking the full 25 mg weekly dose in one go had.
Every day except MTX day
Only started taking folic acid 2 weeks ago when i started on mtx ( 15mg) am also on hydro been on that for 6months told to take every day but mtx day but not when take mtx befor go to bed and folic acid teatime been in bad flare since novem took till last visit 2 weeks ago to start on mtx had 2 lots of steroid injections since september, just seem to keep it at bay abit
Had Rheumy appointment today, was told to increase Folic acid to 4 times a week because of the MTX making me feel sick. so I take MTX on a Monday and was told to take Folic acid Wed, Thurs,Fri Sat. I agree with Summer I thought Folic acid inhibited the MTX working if you took it on the say day.
Used to take 5mg f/acid every day but not MTX day,now increased by rheumy to every day to help with hair loss ( hopefully ) .I'm on metoject 25mg !!
The only thing that helped me with nausea was switching to injections which more or less stopped it and just get a bit of a headache now 
I thought the main reason for taking F/A was that MTX can deplete the body of it and by coincidence it was found to help some people with nausea etc.
I take folic acid every day. If I start to get mouth sores then I take two.
I take 10mg 2 days after taking mxt
