How long before MTX starts to work?

[Hildestj]

I have been on MTX for 2 months and, and my blood work are much better then it used to be. But I still have a lot of pain and swelling in one ancle, and both wrists. And it is really hard to bend them. I am afraid MTX will not work properly. What is your experience? I am on dosage 15 mg, and benepali. ( sorry for my poor english, I am from Norway 😊)

[helixhelix]

MTX started to work for me after 9 weeks, but it was another 4 months before it really took hold and the pain got better. Until then I was having steroid injections. (And it was anther 6 months for extra drugs to work..)

And when I started on biologics it took over 3 months to work.

So if your blood results are improving then things could still change as 8 weeks is not long at all.

[oldtimer]

It always seems to take a long time to discover whether a treatment is going to work for you. Have you had any steroids to help with this period of trial?

If your blood tests are improving that's a good sign, but you also need to feel able to do more things as well!

Make sure that you keep your own records of what is happening to you (it is difficult to remember when you go for an appointment with the specialist) and also that you don't tell them that you are OK when you are not. Complain! We are so programmed to minimise our complaints that it is often difficult to be honest when we need to be.

[pd118]

I stretch head to toes daily massaging hand to hand use of hot water every morning helps I too inject once a week took me out of flare

[kkminton]

3-6 months but you can still have flares here and there until you figure out what triggers you. Could be foods, activities, lack of sleep stress or illness.

Take care of you ! Eat good things, rest, find ways to move and be active that don’t aggravate your body, drink lots of water, lay off too much caffeine/ alcohol (good-bye red wine😢) . Those are things that have helped for me.

I wish you the best

[Celebrant]

I have been on this for 4 months and while things are getting better, it is going very slowly. My inflamation bloodwork is not improving and I am very tired but there is some light shining in the tunnel now.