methotrexate stopped working

[johnhulme]

good morning , i have a hospital appointment today as my methotrexate has stopped working, can anyone advise me on a different medication ?

I will also be trying for a baby soon and i have been told that methotrexate can damage a baby so i would like to come of it.

thanks for looking, john

[Hidden]

Hi John,

I guess the only person who can really advise on the next step for you specifically is your rheumy. Mtx stopped working for me too (I think it does help at a sort of background level, but my inflammation had started to rise again) & my Rheumy added in Sulfasalazine. I think that going for a combination is often the next step & I believe combining DMARDs is what NICE advises.

I would imagine that your rheumy will be thinking in terms of another DMARD on its own as I believe that there are others that are safer for those trying to conceive. So if you've got time it might be a good idea to google DMARDs to get an idea of the general pros & cons of each. But it's difficult to pick & choose as each of us responds so differently to these drugs.

Good luck with both appointment & trying for baby!

Luce x

[mille]

Hi John, They usually add another drug when the mtx isn't working so well, i take mtx, sulph & plaquenil. As you are thinking of trying for a baby then you would need to tell them that and they would then probably stop the mtx and give you another that doesn't cause any harm to a baby. Good luck x