Hello

[Beth72]

Hello everyone had my Covid jab so it’s been 2 weeks this Friday since I had it so back to taking my arthritis injections now 😊😊

[allanah]

Congrats Beth , another step forward

[Fra22-57]

That’s great.I wasn’t told to stop mine.do you think it would of effected vaccine

[MadBunny in reply to Fra22-57]

It seems that advice varies considerably. I was told by my rheum nurse to stop my injections and methotrexate for 2 weeks before and after as it can affect the efficacy of the vaccine. It also depends on individual circumstances- my RAs in remission so not having meds wouldn't have too much of an impact on me.

[Gaz227]

What drug injections do you get for arthritis , also do you do them yourself .

[Beth72 in reply to Gaz227]

I take abatacept injections once a week and yes I injected myself 😊

[Gaz227 in reply to Beth72]

is that biologic or just an inflammatory drug, reason i ask my Rheumy wants me on MTX and I'm not sure if my condition is purely arthritus or something more complicated, do you get much in the way of side effects from it, i know MTX can have some really nasty side effects including liver damage.

[Hopeful1 in reply to Gaz227]

they do regular blood tests to keep an eye on liver etc. loads of us on methotrexate and very thankful for it.

[Beth72 in reply to Gaz227]

Hi Iv been on mtx it didn’t agree with me so my rheumatoid nurse stopped it Iv been on a lot of different meds but fingers crossed Iv been quite good on this med no side affects at all will let everyone know later on because it takes 12weeks to work 😉😉

[Hopeful1]

Methotrexate not a biologic. Many drink lots of water the day we take it.

[Gaz227 in reply to Hopeful1]

Thanks for the reply, he was going to put me on MTX injections as I have had a lot of stomach issues , can’t get on with ppi ‘s , can you lead an active life on MTX as I am currently pretty active even with arthritis , but seem to be deteriorating these last 12 months , only taking 3.5mg of pred at the moment always in some pain

[Hopeful1 in reply to Gaz227]

Yes! It has been a wonder drug for many of us. This group is great but regular users are often those either newbies or those who do have complcations. the many RAfolk like me who just get on with life without problems dont often drop in. Good luck! I would also recommend NRAS. Lots of 1st class help there on line or by phone

[Gaz227 in reply to Hopeful1]

Thanks I feel a bit more reassured reading your words , I always think of MTX purely as a chemo drug , but a lot of these drugs have more then one function

[nomoreheels in reply to Gaz227]

It is what it was developed for Gaz but like often happens a second use was found for it. As you know because the doses are much lower & administered less often it then is grouped in with the DMARDs, so no longer a chemo med. It is still a serious med of course & we need to keep that in mind when injecting but any side effects are usually fewer than they would be in chemo doses. I've been injecting MTX nearly 12 years & it keeps me on the right track but I enjoy the site having nobody else I know with RD near me. I do take max dose folic acid & drink plenty of water on injection day but it affects my appetite on Thursdays (I inject on Wednesdays), I just want to graze so that's what I do. I'm a little more tired too but I can cope with that for the benefits it gives.

[nomoreheels]

Good. You can now look forward to the relief your abatacept brings, & your second vaccine too!