I've been diagnosed with RA in April 2017. Since then I have been using methotrexate (injection then pills). In the last year or so, I have been very ill in my stomach and bowels after I take methotrexate so I really don't want to take it anymore. In addition, my mom has had RA since forever and she's been on methotrexate for more than 30 years. So I know the side effects of it in the long term, I've seen how it affected my mom's health, how methotrexate basically only cures the symptoms while causing other damages... I have a RA specialist appointment in early September and I kind of stopped taking it. I take Boswellia every morning and curcumin every evening instead. I also try to stick with a vegetarian diet and non-inflammatory food. I hope to not get sick until I talk to the doctor in September. Perhaps they can change my treatment but I feel okay with Boswellia and curcumin so I wonder if anyone else is using them...
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Hiya & welcome. Fewer people here use alternative methods to try to help control their RD so you may not receive many replies. I've heard of both boswellia & curcumin from being here, some do use turmeric but I've not tried that or either of the others. I'm not sure how many have remained on them with or without meds I’m afraid. I understand that it is better to take black pepper with turmeric as it helps with absorption. Our Rheumys generally prefer us to take the meds as that's what they're qualified to do. Sometimes certain alternatives or supplements are ok'd by them to take alongside traditional meds but I do know boswellia isn't best taken with NSAIDs & some other meds like blood thinners. As we always say it's best to ask your Rheumy if considering taking alternatives so they are aware & can advise for your particular circumstances. This is what Versus Arthritis says about boswellia versusarthritis.org/about-a...
I'm sorry you're having such troubles with MTX, it must be difficult & do understand why you chose to stop it. I think most here would agree that it's better to follow advice from your Rheumy rather than stopping meds yourself, or if your Rheumy isn't accessible you should be able to ask the advice of your nurse. Do you have a helpline where you could contact them? I'm concerned if you flare between now & your next appointment you'll find it more difficult to get things dampened down again.
Whilst MTX doesn’t cure the disease & it's not fully understood how it works it does ease symptoms. As you'll be aware we're coprescribed folic acid at various doses, I take it every day except MTX day (30mg/week) which keeps things quiet for me. Which dose were you taking? I ask as it could have made a difference to the side effects you were experiencing. I'm sorry your Mum also has RD & that MTX has caused damage. Can I ask in what way? It's just I’ve been taking it a long time & would be interested to know.
I hope you remain stable until you’re seen in September but it you so flare or start to notice a flare kicking in please contact your Rheumy nurses. In some cases it can be a little more difficult to dampen down disease activity if you've been off meds for a while, I've been there, it's not pretty!
Hello nomoreheels, thank you very much for your reply. I read the links you sent, it seems like Boswellia is going to help with the osteoarthritis I have on my left knee! good news there! After taking MTX, I feel nausea, produce lots of salivae (I sit with a basket to spit up excess saliva for hours), get diarrhoea, and throw up a lot. My face gets so many red dots after I throw up which stay with me for days. My doctor increased folic acid in the past but I don't think it has helped.
About my mom, it took years for her to get a proper diagnosis. She used steroids and MTX for so long, her bones are affected, her jaw line got affected she lost her teeth, and she got old so fast physically compared to her peers. In the meantime, she got diagnosed with other health issues, too. Whenever doctors reduce MTX, let's say from 20 mg to 17.5, in 3-5 weeks she gets sick again. So MTX just keeps everything at bay and treats nothing. I really don't want to end up like her. I really don't trust MTX but I am about to move from the UK (or not, depending on where I find a job), so I don't want to change treatment in all this uncertainty in my life at the moment.
That sounds horrible. Was your rheumy not able to suggest an alternative? I know a lot of people can't cope with the side effects of methotrexate and take other meds.
Hi.. RA left to to run its own course is not a good thing even though MTX is harsh and none of us likes having to depend on these strong drugs.Boswellia Serrata is best taken along with Turmeric Curcumin containing biopeperine in high doses twice daily if you tolerate it well; that is how I took it starting in 2016 after reading how it replaces NSAID (not DMARD) therefore also cuts out Omeprazole. I still take these but only once a day, and always together. Boron is very beneficial too, along with VitD3 and K2, zinc and magnesium. I have posted info on that before.
All help restore joint damage. In remission/controlled disease, damage does begin to repair itself.
I don’t have the link to the study now but I started off apprehensively with those two supplements, not expecting it to be true that they work, and was amazed that they are indeed as effective if not more so!
But not for RA, just help reduce stiffness and inflammation that are not sky high.
May I urge you to get back on RA meds asap and if unhappy with intolerance of MTX, please tell the Rheumy and get something better for you.
I am in remission, drug reduced by infusions, and this has lasted so far for longer than 15 months. There is a chance that subduing your immune system whilst also taking helpful supplements and non inflammatory foods, and living healthy, could put RA into remission for you too. 💐
UPDATE: found some links in my notes though not the one I wanted, still relevant
Also just found this link that refers to a Cochrane Review in 2014, involving about 367 participants in a study using Boswellia seratta and turmeric curcumin
Hello charisma, thank you very much for taking the time to respond and looking for the links! I read your response and your previous posts, and responses to other people's similar questions here. You are really helpful! It's really good to hear that you are in remission!
So you take curcumin and Boswellia at the same every day since 2016? Is that correct? I took them together for the first time this morning.
I also try to take every day one tbs liquid vitabioatic osteocare which has calcium, magnesium, vit d and zinc in it.
After taking MTX, I feel nausea, produce lots of salivae (I sit with a basket to spit up excess saliva for hours), get diarrhoea, and throw up a lot. My face gets so many red dots after I throw up which stay with me for days. My doctor increased folic acid in the past but I don't think it has helped. Also, I have had high blood pressure since 2019, have had endometriosis and have been on induced menopause and hormone treatment for more than ten years.
I finally stopped hormone pills in April 2022, since then I feel like I can stop MTX too and see if the hormone treatment was behind all problems I have (there are studies demonstarting the causal relationship between hormones and RA, that's why women get RA more often than men).
I started keeping a diary for my blood pressure and it's going down, even my pulse is going back down from above 90 to btw 60-70. I really feel like I should not take MTX and see how it goes despite everyone here doesn't recommend it at all :((( However, maybe I was misdiagnosed because of my mom's history... who knows. I was diagnosed in Sweden, then moved to Turkey, and then moved to the UK. Maybe someone missed something, I don't know...
Just wishful thinking... I'm only 36 years old and have been sick since my early 20s.
Yes, been taking those two supplements since 2016; checked with Rheumatology Dept and Drug interaction site to ensure safety. I have always been very careful to check those things. I also got approved to have L-Methylfolate instead of Folic acid tablets but of course you have to buy it yourself. I can only describe my own experience; not recommending but describing what I decided on after researching differences in prescribed drugs and their effects compared to natural means of achieving the same or better outcome with less disruption, if any, to our poor bodies already stressed with illnesses. You certainly have had long term health issues, and ongoing to the present, which is difficult to handle and may indeed cause some tricky problems at times in sorting what symptoms are from what cause. In the UK, it usually takes a while to get a firm RA diagnosis via blood tests etc and of course your history of symptoms.
You might wish to reconsider taking calcium (try to get it naturally from A2 milk products or live yoghurts, cheese etc) and perhaps add in Boron. This video describes what causes sclerosis in arteries m.youtube.com/watch?v=bkeUK... but worth checking out further if you don’t think much of that guy!
Off to enjoy a small pizza but I hope you find good medical advice and also that you do not have RA. I found stodge good on MTX days. My pizza smells 😋!! x
Hi please could you tell me what Boswellia Serrata and Turmeric Curcumin containing biopeperine you take and what dosages and where did you buy the tablets? I think I will try it.
also you said your were now on infusions for your RA, please could you tell me what infusions ? my RA is active and I need to calm it down. many thanks
lindyloo please don’t just take something that someone on here says they take as they aren’t on the same meds as you and don’t necessarily have the same medical diagnoses you have. Talk to your rheumy nurse about any supplements ( if any) you want to try and they can advise you. The infusions talked about will be biologic infusions, not something you can get without your rheumy prescribing them.
Hello, I take them together once a day, at least I try my best to remember to take it every day. My mom has had RA for more than four decades, I made her start it too. She says they are helping. Holland and barrett sells them, that's where I get mine. A bit expensive though...
I also should say since I put this post, I have stopped taking any medicine for RA. However, I was on hormone treatment (clinically-induced menopause) due to severe endometriosis. After ten years, I decided I cannot live with it anymore. So I stopped the treatment in May 2022. My RA completely disappeared. My rheumatologists (in two different countries) are in shock. We don't know what worked: a diet without animal-based protein (check nutritionfacts website for clinical trials on this topic), coming off of the hormone treatment so my body has oestrogen again, I'm having periods again, etc. - or Boswellia and turmeric. I have no clue which one is it. All I know is that I am not on methotrexate since I wrote this post in 2022....
You should always confirm with your doctor any other OTC/complementary drugs you decide to take ….although they are referred to as “complimentary” …… they can often alter how your prescribed drugs work…& can make you feel worse rather than better. Best to check now & wait until your medical team approve them…you don’t want to take something that isn’t really helping you for another two months.
I have in the past tried tumeric for about three months and found no difference at all. The evidence suggests that it has an anti-inflammatory action but only at larger doses than we are likely to be able to take. It would be worth someone doing some good research, but that hasn't been done.
I do think that it is dangerous to rely on treatments that don't have a good research basis. Rheumatoid Disease, which is an auto-immune disease, can wreck your body if left untreated. I have seen the effects myself in my grandmother and in others.
Please contact you health team and ask to be transferred to a treatment that suits you better. And look at the NRAS treatment pages so you know the good things and the bad things about each treatment that is likely to be offered. nras.org.uk/information-sup...
Hi Tiverland, thanks for your comment. Do you mean right before you eat something? Any preference, breakfast/dinner? I have been taking it right before I go to bed with lots of water ...
Hi I take it about 6/7pm with an evening meal. Methx makes me sleepy hence I take it then. I take my turmeric/ curcumin in the morning with breaky Hope this helps
Many thanks! I might try it to be honest. I started seeing the effects of dropping MTX, it's been a couple of months since I took it last time, I'm supposed to take it every week.
Are you taking 5mg folic acid tablets everyday but not on the Methotrexate day? This vitamin helps against sickness etc. This is what RA patients take when on Methotrexate in the UK. Helps alot. Let me know if you have severe RA, but you should be speaking to your Rheumatologist because coming off the medication will not help with Joint damage. It would be interesting to know how you are getting on with a better diet and the natural remedies, long term! But I very much believe that if you take the correct meds and dosage with a very good sensible diet, you should get through it with having some kind of stability to lead a normal life. Lets us know how you get on. Good luck
Hello, yes I take folic acid 5mg. almost every day except the day of MTX. The doctor increased it to 6 days a year ago or so to help with my complaints. However, I kinda stop taking folic acid when I stop taking MTX. Also, I don't know how good mtx worked, whether it's absorbed or not since I often throw up in a couple of hours after I take it...I'm trying vegetarian ( +no eggs), i. e. avoiding animal protein, since March 2021. Nowadays I try to avoid gluten too but it's very difficult as I love sweet treats. I'm trying to cut both because I found out about a couple of studies on RA on nutritionfacts.org. I'll write here if I have any updates. Thanks for your message.
Have you thought about changing to injections? It was a game changer for me. It bypasses the gut and get rid of all the symptoms you are currently experiencing. I also tried curcumin as well as boswelia with the blessing of my rheumatologist. Good luck
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After taking MTX, I feel nausea, produce lots of salivae (I sit with a basket to spit up excess saliva for hours), get diarrhoea, and throw up a lot. My face gets so many red dots after I throw up which stay with me for days. My doctor increased folic acid in the past but I don't think it has helped. 
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