Methotrexate Injected ??????????

[mickyb]

I have been taking methotrexate 25m 10 tablets weekly for a year now... sometimes the side affects are really bad...Im beginning to dread Saturdays.... my rumey has suggested injections may reduce these side affects....Has anyone out there had any experiences with this ??????????????? ??????????

[jellisk]

Yes! For me the side effects were worse, so I'm back on the tablets! Sorry! I think I'm in the minority though and a lot of people do get on better with them. Good luck, I know how you feel as it's my Mtx day today and I'm feeling ropey. Will be better tomorrow!

[Itallica]

Hello. I had terrible side effects when I took mtx tablets from February to the beginning of May - overwhelming tiredness and nausea that reminded me of being pregnant. The minute I started on a weekly injection all the side effects stopped. It is so easy to administer; think "pin prick" rather than "injection".

I would say to take a pen and paper to jot down how to do it when you are shown because there are no instructions on how to administer it within the packaging of the injection. I found my memory was attrocious when I came to do it a week later!

[Hidden]

Hi - Yes I've been taking MTX by injection for 6 months. I have found that it's far more effective for my RA (rheumy told me that 15mg injectable = 25mg oral) so you may get away with a much lower dose too. Unfortunately the nausea is as bad for me and seems to worsen in same way as tablets did for me so I am quitting MTX after 18 months of trying to put up with side effects. It has really turned my RA round so it's a big shame but I hope you do far better on it than me re side effects and I found injecting very easy. Tilda x

[Hidden]

Oops I meant i've been injecting for 9 months.

[micky40]

hi, I had a lot of trouble with the tablets, but much better with the injection, hope it works for you

[jellisk]

TildaT, that interesting what you say about the dosage. After my failed months trial with the injections my rheumy told me that I should have been given a lower dose because the injections are more effective and 'get straight to the point' rather than having to go through the digestive system first. I take 15mg of tablets and had the same on injections, so maybe that's why I had such a bad month on them? I really wish it had worked as well as it appears to with everybody else as I can write off every Thursday due to the nausea/headaches etc

[melonious]

Best move I ever made! I was diagnosed with lupus in 1972. ( I was !! years old). Since then I've done many many medications! In the early 80's I started "gold shots", once a week for 3 years until I moved to a more comfortable climate.Before long, I felt good and decided to end the gold injections. When I returned home,after 11 years, my RA returned with a vengeance,and gold shots were not nearly as effective as they once had been.So...6 years ago, i was prescribed Methotrexate pills- 8 pills once a week and Plaquenil- NOT GOOD!! I then started methotrexate injections-8* mg once a week and one tablet of leflunomide a day ...Now its 3 mg aweek and one leflunomide every second day. I feel pretty damn good...also changed my diet to lots of fresh veg and fruit......The climate still sucks up here in Northern Ontario....nothing I can do about that!.

[mickyb]

Thank you everyone for their replys x

[maxb]

I started on the MTX tablets but found i couldnt even manage one dose, had terrible nausea and didnt eat for 4 days, so i was then put on sulfasalazine, that stopped working so ive now started on the MTX injections and i much prefer them to th tablets (im useless at swallowing pills!). I started off on 15mg but that dose hasnt really worked for me so im now on the 20mg, havent seen any results as yet but i have my fingers crossed as well as i can! Hope everything works out for you

Maxine