Coming off methatrexate

[Mcdive40]

Hi people well I went back to see my consultant and because I'm still getting pain being on methatrexate she wants me to come off them slowly she can't up the dose because my liver test keeps coming back to high so I'm a bit stuck has anyone else been in this situation if so did your doctor offer any other medication

[oldtimer]

Have a look at the NRAS site - that will give you the list of Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) and you can see which one would be an option for you.

[Kate23]

I wonder why you have to come of MTX slowly? When I was on it last year my liver numbers went high and she just switched me straight on to Hydrochloquine and then added in Sulphasalazine 6 mths later.

[Mcdive40 in reply to Kate23]

I don't no she just said you have to come off it slowly but she didn't say about putting me on something else at the momma she wants to see how I am off it but I still think I will be getting the pains it's just so hard to try and find the right drug for me I have been on a few different types now.

[Kate23 in reply to Mcdive40]

Are you still having regular blood tests? Maybe she wants to see if your liver tests go down on a lower dose, it's all a balancing act isn't it? What's effective without getting bad side effects...

[Mcdive40 in reply to Kate23]

Yeah she wants to see what my liver test is on a lower dose but she wants me to come right off them completely and see what my bloods are when I'm off them completely

[Hidden in reply to Mcdive40]

Hi Mcdive - just keep in mind that just as it takes a while to be effective, it can take a while to clear out of your system - I researched this last year at this time and found a wide range of answers from 2 - 3 days to 4 - 5 months, but no "official" answer (even from my pharmacist). I switched directly with no "ramp down", (my doctors suggestion), but I think I held onto some of my symptoms for around 3 months afterwards.

I hope your pain decreases soon. I know this disease is no fun

[Joy_1]

Yes I too was going to say that perhaps your Rheumatologist is looking to see if your bloods go back to what they should be if the dose is lowered.

I was on Azathioprine, it stopped working for me and I moved to MTX. The Azathioprine was stopped suddenly, I was not weened off them in anyway and because MTX was going to take 3 to 12 weeks to kick in I was given Pred to tied me over.

I would be really interested to know how you move forward. I am beginning to feel that MTX is now starting to not work for me either.

[Mcdive40 in reply to Joy_1]

Thank you for your reply but I don't no what she has planned for me till I come of the MTX completely I think once my bloods. Are back to normal she may offer me something else

[Amy_Lee]

I was/am on mtx and arava. After about 16 months later, my liver marker went up double the normal reading. My rheumy did not do anything merely asked if I took any additional supplement or herbs beside what I had been taking? I told her no. She said she needed to monitor my liver marker to see what happened the next blood work.

I started to take a piece of south african leave a day after breakfast in the morning, my next blood work showed that my liver marker went back to normal. I was not sure if that helped?

For some reason, I stopped taking the leave, my next blood work showed that my liver mark went up 3 times higher than the normal. My rheumy again asked me what did I eat? In fact, I did not eat anything extra but just stopped taking the leave. Not sure if that the leave really helped?

Then I started to juice cucumber and celery in the morning before breakfast. I also started to drink a glass of turmeric golden paste. My next blood work showed that my liver marker went back to normal again.

Recently blood work again showed that my liver marker went up a little bit beyond the normal range. In fact, I stopped juicing the cucumber and celery and took the turmeric golden paste not as often only.

Since my ESR and SRP were very low, so my rheumy said that my disease is very much under control now, he wanted to reduce the mtx for me from 15 mg to 12.5 mg a week to see how my liver marker went. I did the blood work 2 weeks after that but the hospital did not call me, I will know the marker only in Jan 17 went I visit him again.

If the marker still no good, I am going to start the south african leave again to see how it goes.

[Hidden in reply to Amy_Lee]

What is the south aftrican leave? How do you take it?

[Amy_Lee in reply to Hidden]

Suzannedale,

The Google translation is horrible but I still can understand what it said. I planted it, it is very easy to grow. Apparently it helps to protect our liver. I stopped taken it because it is planted outside and I was being robbed a few times when I was outside the gate hence I stopped to be outside the gate alone. Malaysia is not a safe country to live in. There is a lot of robbers around even around the gardens that we live in.

I just plucked a leave each morning and just ate it raw. It was very bitter though. It is a very cooling leave hence I took it after breakfast and I just took 1 piece of the leave each day, not too much of it.

translate.googleusercontent...

"People believe that it can cure liver cancer, he believes that patients can not rely solely on it, sick or should find a regular doctor, not hearsay.

South Africa, the liver is good for the liver, the liver and the eyes have a relationship, it is also helpful for eye diseases, if to cure, eat three to five tablets a day. "

translate.google.com/transl...

[Simba1992 in reply to Amy_Lee]

There are herbs and supplements that can protect your liver when on the RA meds. L-Argenine has also been shown in studies to protect the liver when on Mtx. You seemed to have found supplements that help you👍🏻

[Amy_Lee in reply to Simba1992]

Not really sure yet though it did help me for cataract problem earlier. I remember many years ago when my mother saw something yellowish white layer growing on my eye, she alerted me and told me to boil the leaves to drink it. She dried a lot of the leave for me to take home. Since she always did that for me whenever I when to visit her.

After many months later, the yellowish white layer disappeared from my eyes. 3 of my children had short sighted issue, they short sighted degree reduced too. I used to boil a big pot for the whole family to drink and they did not like to drink though because it was biter.

When I was sicked, I started to plant it because it did read that it is also protected our liver and many other. When my liver reading was high, I started to pluck it and eat it raw because it can be ate raw and it seem to be better.

I planted it on the ground hence I could not move it inside the compound.