HI I need advice please.

[nellysgran]

Hi I have been told to start methotrexate 2.5 mg today and folic acid every day except the day I take mx, I also take salazopyrin 3 times a day, It seems a lot of tabs, is anyone else on both these rh tablets?

[helixhelix]

Yes, I take these two drugs and also hydroxy chloroquine. It's a fairly common mix, and yes you do start to rattle! Polly

[LuckysJoy]

Hello Just so u know, we all take various meds, which add up, its no surprise, I take 6 MTX folic acid, Hydroxychloroquine, Celebrex, Amitriptyline, Oxycodone, and Oxycontin, Yes, I do Rattle Good Luck with the results x

Lisa

[Tillytop]

Hello Nellysgran (what a lovely username!)

I took methotrexate and salazopyrin together for many years and it is not uncommon for people to be on several disease modifying meds at one time (If I remember rightly I was taking 4 at one point!). I think the idea is that sometimes they work better in combination.

I really hope the meds help you - and you will get used to rattling lol.

Tillyx

[Hidden]

Hello and welcome. I take it you have just been diagnosed with RA or inflammatory arthritis? Please do feel you can come here and ask questions, offload and chat. I've just been switched from taking 6 MTX tablets to injecting myself with it and have just finished a course of antibiotics too so am now ONLY taking one Levothyroxine, one Hydroxichloraquine and sometimes (if I need a good night's sleep) an Amitriptyline - I'm not rattling so much yippee! Tilda x

[nellysgran]

Hello and thank you all for answering my question, yes I have not long been diagnosed with RA and am grateful for all your words of comfort, some days I just want to sit and cry and my husband just doesnt understand whats wrong !! There seems so much I dont know about it, and should I have the flu jab or not?, some days it seems like I'm just not in the mood to do anything especially after having a bad nights sleep, (which is most nights )but I know I have to !!

Sorry I have had my moan now!! x

[cazh in reply to nellysgran]

Hi Nellysgran,

the early days are awful. I was diagnosed earlier this year and am slowly getting used to everything. I am on MTX (now up to 15mg per week) and it seems to be working well (fingers crossed it will for you although it can take a while). Re the flu jab, I had mine on Saturday, the doctor doing it said anyone on methotrexate should definitely have one. Check with your surgery, as they may not inform you (mine didn't).

hope everything goes well.

Caroline

[nellysgran in reply to cazh]

Thank you Caroline, I will ring my gp in the morning and book to have one. (nobody told me either.)

[lubash in reply to nellysgran]

I hear you my dear,I sometimes feel the same and struggle not to appear needy.

Thanks for sharing

[Coulson]

Hi, I can't understand the folic acid every day except the day you take Methotrexate. I took Folic acide 3 days after the methotrexate day and did this for the 10years I took Methotrexate. The only time I am aware that you increase the methotrexate is if you are having certain problems. Does anyone agreee with me and should you be checking this out.

[helixhelix in reply to Coulson]

The amount of folic acid you take can be variable, but generally you get prescribed the minimum needed. I started on one a week, but then developed mouth ulcers, so am now on 4 a week. And It seems that a lot of people end up having to take it every day but MTX day, so that's not unusual. Polly

[earthwitch]

Most advice is that you shouldn't take folic acid on the same day that you take MTX, but other than that, as has been said, you take the amount of folic you need to stop some of the side effects like mouth ulcers. For some folk its just a once a week dose, and for others its every day except the MTX day. It can be as little as a couple of mg total in the week, or as much as 15 mg or more total in a week.

[nellysgran]

Thank you everyone for your tips and advice, being newly diagnosed there seems a lot to take in and I'm still getting used to having RA.

[syouatt]

Hi, I have been diagnosed now for going on 5 years and I still struggle at times, it is not an easy road but there is always support here for you. I have been through a lot of different combinations of pills, you will eventually find a set that works for you.

I am now on 8 tablets of methotrexate weekly, 5mg daily of folic acid except meth day, 100mg naproxum a day, 30mg of lansoprazole and 50mg injection of Enbrel each week, 20mg Amitriptyline and tramadol when needed. We become walking pill bottles with RA and the subsequent problems that form because of it.

Just remember you always have all of us here to help you through the bad times and good ones.

xx Stormy

[nellysgran in reply to syouatt]

Thank you, some days I am on 16 tabs a day! scary! but I just have to wait for better times, (I hope !)

Everyone is so helpful

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

Hi Nellysgran

Welcome to the HU forum. I am pleased to see you've had some good responses, and you are certianly not alone in being concerned to start on a few medications at once. It's completely understandable that it would seem like a lot to go from nothing to 16 tablets a day, but the aim is to hit it hard in the early stages to get the disease under good, early control and combination therapy (i.e. having more than one of these drugs at the same time) is recommended in the NICE guidelines, and we have an article on it, which might help to explain in a bit mroe detail:

nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

I hope that this helps. You are also welcome to call the helpline if you want to talk anything through in more detail. The helpline is available Mon-Fri from 9.30-4.30.

Kind regards

Victoria

(NRAS Helpline)

[nellysgran in reply to Victoria-NRAS]

Thank you Victoria, I have just spent ages reading the articles you recommended and I now feel I have a better understanding of RA.It was very useful, plus everyone seems to understand what you are going through. Thank you again.