Metojet pen, off it for 3weeks, can I go back on it?

Hi, just need some help regarding metojet. I was on it for 6 months, 25mg solution. I found it was making me feel so ill, with no obvious signs that it was actually helping me or working, so I decided to just stop it without consulting anyone. So I haven't used it for 3 weeks, if I decide to start using it again, can I just go straight to it, or do I need to start the dosage from lower to higher again?

Also I have woken up today with pain in my left jaw and struggling to open my mouth, so not sure if this is r/a now starting in my jaw as well.

Any advice would be welcome, thank you.

[KittyJ]

You need to speak to your rheumy, if you don’t tell them you’re having problems then they won’t be able to help. They’ll just think you’re doing ok. We can’t tell you whether you can just restart it, give them a call to discuss everything. 😊

[Hidden in reply to KittyJ]

Ok thank you

[helixhelix]

I agree with Kitty, you would really do best to talk to you rheumy. If it was making you feel so ill before, it will probably make you feel the same!

But I do suspect that it was doing something for you as if you are now getting new pain in your jaw it could be the RA kicking off.. So contact then now before it gets worse!

[nomoreheels]

Hay Caridad. I really think it's better to discuss your situation with your Rheumy. As you've not had jaw involvement previously it could be an indication that the disease is progressing, or simply due to stopping the MTX, not something we could confirm though. You may not have known the jaw issue had you stopped it because the MTX was keeping it in check, no different to any other joint. We all make mistakes though.

With anything regarding your RD meds the best person to ask is your Rheumy. As it was making you ill he/she was the best person to discuss this with so please do, if you re-start the MTX you may find yourself back at square one. It could be an increase in folic acid may help, or he/she may have other ideas, but he/she needs to know otherwise they assume all is fine with you, they don't want you to be ill on any meds they prescribe, only feeling better. What dose folic acid are you prescribed? They can increase it if it's less that 6 times a week, we don't taking it MTX day, You've not been diagnosed long & often it's not a quick fix, we need to try other meds before we settle on the one that's just right for us so don't give up hope.

However, I’ve been on MTX nearly 12 years & when I've need to halt it for more than 3 weeks disease activity returns, anything longer than that & I'm back to where I started, plus other joints joining in, confirmation for me that it's necessary to keep taking it. When I’ve had a break I’ve gone straight back on my normal dose, that was with my Rheumy's knowledge & say so though, I'm sure you understand I can't say the same for you though I’m afraid.

Do you have monthly drug monitoring blood tests? If so have you had one in the interim? If so I would think your Rheumy will notice a rise in your inflammation levels & would be concerned to know why. This is why it's always best to raise concerns over meds with them, or your Rheumy Nurse, in your case you thought they weren't working, as they're not usually best pleased if we take action ourselves. This is only because there may be options &/or by their understanding & knowledge of the condition & meds they can discuss with you their thoughts, save you finding out the difficult way. It's a two way thing, we need to keep a good professional relationship with our Rheumy, they'll work with us if we work with them sort of thing.

[Hidden in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you for your help x

[nomoreheels in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome. Is it possible your folic acid could be increased?

[oldtimer]

It sounds as if you need to have a discussion with your rheumy team about future management of your condition. If methotrexate doesn't suit you at that dose, did it help at a lower dose? Would it be better to be on something else? Have a look at the treatment pages on the NRAS site so that you know what is available before you start the conversation with the rheumatologist.