why do i go a while with no side effects then they come back for a few weeks ive got constant nausea and

[flowers89]

a dull stomach ache am on 12mg methotrexate and hydrox think things are getting better they bang its back again

[Jacki08]

Hi chick--'was only thinking about you the other day. How much folic acid do you take as that can make a difference to side effects. Sorry you're feeling grotty xx

[flowers89 in reply to Jacki08]

hi hun take 2 folic acid tabs once a week,,,ive got a nasty taste in mouth nausea belly ache went a couple of wks without iy then it came back last tues its just constant apart from when im sleeping,xx

[Jacki08 in reply to flowers89]

Every consultant is different but mine always prescribes every day apart from mthx day. Drinking lots of water helps too. Is the mthx helping with your RA? XX

[flowers89 in reply to Jacki08]

touch wood its seems to be helping i dont know whats worst painful joints or feeling so ill all the time ,how are you doing hun,xx

[lornaisobel]

me to when you find out post the answer - I take mtx 25mg and folic acid daily (except the day I inject) but I get dreadful stomach pains but not all the time and appalling wind ( can be very embarrassing !!) let me know or anyone else what helps xx

[Jacki08]

Was off mthx for 5 weeks as was going down the biologic route-- couldn't cope with the pain and swelling- working was very difficult , so I'm back on a lower dose of mthx to see if my stomach can handle 15 mgs as it reacted badly to 25 mgs. The drug gave me my life back though. So disappointing. X

[nomoreheels]

Hiya! I'm with Jacki, you may need to supplement with more folic acid. I'm on 20mg & take 5mg each day except the day I inject. MTX is a folate antagonist & the body doesn't store it so the folic acid replaces what's lost. Your Rheumy nurse will be the one to ask though some Rheumy's do prefer to keep their patients on lower doses.

You could also try including more folate rich foods, broccoli, most all beans, lentils etc if you don't already, this may help nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-...

It can also help if you split your dose. I didn't take either HCQ or MTX tablets in one dose so it wasn't so hard on my tum. (I take it 12mg was a typo?!)

[flowers89]

i take my hydrox every evening and MTX on tues night,,cant understand why it goes then comes back again ,,not eating very well at the moment where i feel sick i tend to go for carbs,x

[flow4 in reply to flowers89]

Could it be the carbs? Before I was diagnosed and put on hydroxy, I developed a horrible response to bread-based products, especially supermarket sliced bread and anything made with white flour, which made me nauseous and bloated, and then caused some more dramatic stomach problems. I've cut right back, and feel much better - though hydroxy does make me feel constantly slightly sick and dizzy...

[helixhelix]

Hard to know whether this is the drugs or the disease...as sometimes RA does go up and down in phases. And it can take a long time to get adjusted to the drugs - Sulpha was the worst one for me as it took months of awful stomach problems before it settled down.

But dull ache & nausea does sound like something that needs to be checked out - can you at least see your GP?