From MTX pills to MTX injections

[Chickenkeeper2015]

Hi all

You may remember from a post a week or so ago that OH, after appearing to respond well to MTX two months in, went sharply downhill. It seemed like it had just stopped working. The joint pain, fatigue, flu type symptoms etc came back as bad as pre treatment and have just been getting worse.

After speaking to the rheumatology nurse, he's going to be switched to MTX injections. I thought this was only done if you got digestive problems on the pills, but apparently in some people it can just work better. Does anyone have this experience?

[helixhelix]

It is a more efficient delivery route, as don't loose some of the drug in digestive system. Since moving to injections I have dropped from 20mg to 17.5mg and find this has same effect with no side effects. So the opposite is also true that if you have same dose via injection rather than pills you actually "get" more of it. Hope it works for him.

[Moomin8]

I agree with helixhelix - I was changed to injections as more went into my system. I am, however, still on 20mg.

[ER19]

He has my sympathy I did exactly the same. 3 months into MTX injections now- much better. He will have to be patient though they don't work over night.

[PFKAAde]

What the others have said and also it might be that after 2 months the MTX had not started working yet (took 16 weeks for me and at 2 months I was as bad as when I started), but he was just having a slightly better spell which has now passed. Not saying that is the case, but it is certainly possible.

Maybe the combination of switching to injections and more time will do the trick.

Good luck (to both of you).

[Chickenkeeper2015]

They've actually increased the dose from 20mg of pills to 25mg injections.

[nomoreheels]

Definitely. I changed to injections back in 2009 when I needed an increase from 15mg to 20mg, it helped but my liver objected. As has already been explained because of it's route through the system injections are generally better tolerated, a lower dose can be prescribed. So, I have the same response on 17.5mg injections as I did on 20mg tablets & my liver is happy. I hope your husband finds an improvement too when he changes over.

[Les50]

I take MTX and I take humira injections once every 2weeks x