Help!

[Gayle1969]

When is the best time to take methatrixate? I’m always thirsty, is this normal?

[Jarme]

Hi Gayle,

I’ve been taking Methotrexate for the last 5 years and I’ve never had an issue with thirst! I usually take it before I go to bed! It has really helped me! I have the injection! Best wishes!

[Gayle1969 in reply to Jarme]

I take it am so will try and take it a night instead! I have been very thirsty and have a water infection now and ulcers😓

[purl]

Hi,

I take methotrexate after dinner, I do drink a lot more water than I used to as my rheumy nurse told me to stay hydrated. Yes I have been slightly more thirsty since started taking it.

[AgedCrone]

If you are always thirsty ask you Rheumy nurse to check you glucose levels.

I always took Mtx after dinner with lots of water & had no side effects,

[Mmrr]

I am always SO thirsty after MTX, it takes around 2 days to settle to normal drinking. I can easily drink 3 and a half litres a day.

I get very hungry too and only carbohydrates will take the hunger away.

I inject around 6 pm with my evening meal and usually feel a bit hung over the next morning, but it passes by lunchtime.

[calamityjane1971]

Having a thirst is a sign of diabetes type 1 or 2. I’d suggest going to your GP to get a blood sugar test. When I was on methotrexate, I did not have a thirst at all.

[nomoreheels]

MTX doesn't make me thirsty but other meds can, amitriptyline is what makes mine worst.

I used to take MTX with meals, eg 15mg was 2 tablets with breakfast, lunch & evening meal & never had any problems. The day is whichever is best for you. I've been injecting for years now & do it Wednesday morning.

[Mandalou]

Hi Gayle,

As the others say thirst can be a sign of high glucose.

Ask your surgery for a test. Its an important thing to have checked.

Good luck.

Mx

[EricaN]

Thirsty? Sounds like you are going into a flare. I always get dehydrated feeling when I get sick. It doesnt hurt to ask your doctor to check for underlying ailments, but for me it's normal and happens all the time and if the meds dont make you feel better stop taking them and ask your doctor for something else. All methotextrate did to me was make me sick. I was so used to being sick I thought it was my new normal. Well, I had a doctor tell me it's not normal and to stop taking meds that do nothing or don't make me feel significantly better.

[munchkin]

I take methotrexate on a Friday in tablet form 7 tablets, 4 in the morning with my breakfast and 3 at lunchtime

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

Hi Gayle

I manage the helpline here at NRAS. I've never come across thirst as a side effect to MTX. If it coincides with when you take it, it could still be a side effect, but worth asking your GP to rule out other possible causes of extreme thirst, such as diabetes.

Thought it might be worth adding that you can take MTX at any time of day, but a lot of people we speak to take it shortly before bed, particularly if they have problems with nausea and other side effects, as in many cases they can then sleep through the worst of it.

Hope you find a solution to the thirst issue. If it is the MTX, it may pass with time, as your body gets used to the drug, as I know that often happens with other side effects.

Kind regards

Victoria

(NRAS)