HELP......

[kerry25]

Hi everyone. Hope your all well. I'm going back to see my consultant today she has given me 4 months to think about going on methatroxine (rubbish at spelling) ive decided I really don't want to as I'm only 27 I don't have any family yet. Is anyone on a medication that they can recommend I've already tried tablet forms and they just don't agree with me my body isn't good at accepting tablets thanks for reading.

[Hidden]

I understand about not wanting to start Methotrexate when you are perhaps wanting to start a family. You don't say how bad your RA is just now or how soon you plan to start trying for kids but, as with many people here, I know it's a balancing act between taking these drugs and their side effects and the damage and pain of RA. I took MTX for 18 months and it worked very well for my RA with minimal side effects for the first six months and then they kind of got to me. If I felt my RA was becoming very aggressive again then I would consider an equivalent drug or anti-tnfs if they are advised (I've tried and failed three DMARDs now) but currently I'm off all meds and waiting for other neuropathic/ neurological stuff to go away.

I am now 50 and am glad I didn't have to think about these drugs when I was your age, but being older brings other complications to add to the mix too such as menopause and other types of degenerative arthritis so it's not all roses either

I wish you luck making your decision and I hope you get other responses from people of your age and stage re the different options. Tilda x

[Kittykatxxxxx]

I am 23 and on methotrexate. If you want a child you have to have a wash out period of 3-6 months. So I guess if you want kids in the near near future it isn't ideal but it all depends on how bad the ra is. Personally I need to sort my health out now+ I don't even have a partner lol. If you have a baby soon the arthritis may go into remission. Tablet wise I am not sure I know some take some stuff when pregnant.

[kerry25]

Thank you both for your replys and both been helpful and have def helped me with my decision. Xx

[Kittykatxxxxx]

some people take sulfasalazine in pregnancy so if you havn't tried that maybe you could :)but it is a tablet so you prob have x

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

Hi Kerry

As Kittykatt has said, you would have to be off methotrexate for 3-6 months before starting a family, so that certainly has to be factored in, but if you're not ready to start a family soon it might still be worth trying it, as it is considered the most effective of the standard disease modifying drugs (DMARDs).

Another point to consider is the issues you have with tablets. Though normally given as a tablet, methotrexate is also available by injection, whereas the other standard disease modifying drugs (such as sulfasalazine, leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine) are all in tablet form. The newer drugs, known as biologics are available either by injection or infusion, but you have to meet certain criteria to get onto these. Part of this criteria is dependent on the severity of your disease, and the other part is that you have to have tried at least 2 standard DMARDs and that one of this HAS TO have been methotrexate, so these will not be an option until you have tried this drug.

If you are looking to start a family quite soon, you may find our article on pregnancy and RA helpful, as it looks at the relative safety of different RA medications during pregnancy and while trying to get pregnant:

nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

I hope this information will be helpful to you.

KInd regards

Victoria

(NRAS Helpline)

[allanah]

hi, cant add much to Victorias as usual brilliant advice apart from if you need to talk the NRAS helpline is amazing. Also I know our midwifes at our hospital, would be very happy to see you for preconception advice and to discuss your drugs and health before a pregnancy. Then usually can support and advise you throught the pregnancy too . And good luck, and hope you get the inflammation down very quickly then! Axx