1st dose and time to take

[sunnieD136]

Hello All,,,,Newly Dx'd and today will be my first dose of Methotrexate,,,I am reading here that night time before you go to bed is the best time to take it. Can you take it earlier and if so is the side effects worse?

[Ali_H]

I take mine at breakfast time. Initially I took it with porridge and fresh ginger root. I still take it at breakfast but simply drop them in a pot of natural yoghurt.

I hope it goes well for you.

Ali

[nomoreheels]

Hiya sunnieD, welcome. Sorry you've received the diagnosis but hopefully being here will help.

When I started tablets my Consultant recommended I took my 15mg with meals so I took 2 with breakfast, lunch & dinner which was ok but better when my folic acid was increased to 2 days rather than one. Some do take it at night though I was advised against that. So yes, you can take it earlier, there's no specific time of day you should take it, unlike some meds such as statins. I'm on injections now (7 years) because I needed a dose increase & I wasn't doing too well on tablets. The difference with this route is MTX doesn't go through the digestive system as tablets do so often if side effects are troublesome & if you're otherwise showing good results injections are prescribed. My new Rheumy increased folic acid to 6 a week & I'm back on 17.5mg & doing quite well along with leflunomide & the usual add-ons.

I hope that MTX brings you good results. In case it wasn't explained you won't see immediate results, in common with other DMARDs it takes a while to build up, up to 12 weeks or longer, though you may notice improvements before then. If you have any other questions just ask, no matter how daft if may seem, there's not much we've not covered! 😀

[AgedCrone]

I took Mtx for 7 years...I took it any time after dinner with a large glass of water, I reckoned if I did feel sick I'd be asleep &'wouldn't know it.

Worked for me! I took it like Smarties & had no nausea at all!

[Leonwp]

We can only take advice and roll the dice, some people have few issues and early results, some get more insistant symptoms and a much slower improvement, certainly things should improve for you as the meds begin to work and your body once again adjusts to change. Im sure most would say that slow steady progress is preferable. You may be certsin that every one of us has our fingers crossed for you and please remember how important you soon become to anyone following behind you who will gain from your input and your recent experience, the one thing we all have is an understanding which we can use to help others.

Blessings

[ruth_p]

I've always taken mine with breakfast and still do that now even though I'm on the injections. Make sure you take the folic acid as that will help the side effects. X

[Gnarli]

Hi SunnieD136

So, not an expert but I had my dx last November and have just taken my 5th dose of MTX. I take 20mg of tablets with my evening meal and a large glass of water and ... nothing. Apart from feeling slightly icky next day I feel fine. I'm also on folic acid 5mg a day 6 days a week (not on MTX day).

Before starting MTX I was so scared I was a quivering wreck. Sleepless nights, the lot. The lovely people on this forum were so supportive, kind and helpful just as they are and will be for you.

I wish you all the very best. Huge hugs

Jan

[Moomin8]

Hi- sorry you've had to join us, but welcome 🙂I took mine in the morning with my breakfast - no problems. Don't worry too much; we all react differently but I wasn't too bad- just a little tired at first.

[Mall]

I've been taking methotrexate for many years, I took my tablets after my evening meal and didn't really have any problems. I now take it by injection, again in the evenings, not because of any side effect, due to more of the drug entering the blood stream this way. I have experienced some minor and fairly common side effects of slight hair thinning and slightly looser bowel movements about 30 hrs after taking the drug. This drug gave me my life back as I know it does for many others. Unfortunately a few folk react badly to it and it is their stories that are often reported. It is a powerful drug, you need to have your blood regularly checked and limit alcohol intake. it does not take effect instantly it needs time to build up in your body. Hopefully it will work well for you too.

[fusedesigns]

Hi there. I have just taken my second dose and doing ok! Slightly fluey and fairly tired the next day but no stomach issues which was what I was dreading. For what it's worth I take my cookie acid the day before

[fusedesigns in reply to fusedesigns]

Oops - fat fingers! Folic acid ( not cookie!) the day before and the methotrexate after a nice big evening meal. I had some fairly wild dreams and was aware of sweating quite a lot but I can deal with that! Best of luck with it and really hope it's a breeze for you xxxx ness