anglia

[anglia]

hi have been on methotrexate & various other tabs & steroid jabs, at present just injecting 25mg met about a year ago started with a spoty rash which is gradualy spreading & itching am using steroid cream but not working ra ok at moment but rash not good any ideas please

[SaraF]

Do you use sunbeds?

[anglia in reply to SaraF]

no ..thanks for reply.

[Hidden]

Have you shown it to a GP yet? It could be eczema, uticara or an allergy maybe nothing to do with the MTX but best get it investigated sooner rather than later.

[anglia in reply to Hidden]

thanks for reply saw dermot specialist last year she said is that all then said psoriasis gave me steroid cream & signed me off showed ra consultant but no answer went to gp 2 months ago gave me same cream as last year no good I thought they used mtx for ps anyway i think i go back to gp & mention your sugestion

[Hidden in reply to anglia]

PsA and RA are treated with similar medication but according to Christina (see blog about discombobulation) MTX is not as effective with PsA. It could be psoriasis and nothing to do with the MTX - but you should definitely ask your rheumy or specialist nurse again if it's not going away. Tilda

[anglia in reply to Hidden]

thanks

[Sailaway]

I've had this reaction to methotrexate. It had been thought to be either eczema or due to the Cimzia injections, but through stopping and restarting drugs one at a time it's clear that it's the methotrexate. My rash spread all over, it was itchy with small red dots (a bit like german measles). My face was ok until I was hot (eg after a shower) when it was very red, hot, blotchy and itchy for a couple of hours. Since I stopped methotrexate the rash on my body has been clearing well, I'm no longer itchy and my face no longer reacts to heat - all with no other medication to help it clear. My rheumatologist hasn't seen this reaction before, but he's absolutely convinced it's methotrexate. I've been off all RA meds to let the rash clear, thankfully I'm due to start humira in a couple of weeks (can't come soon enough!).

My GP didn't recognise it as a drug reaction, thankfully I had a hospital appointment scheduled when the rash was bad. A two week break from MTX and one further dose was all it took to make the diagnosis.

[anglia in reply to Sailaway]

thank for info sounds like mtx ra good moment wouldnt like to go back to agony of 4 years ago going back to see gp or ra spec soon

[Sailaway in reply to anglia]

There's no doubt it's not been pleasant to be without drugs for this little while (to put it mildly!!), so if you have to go without RA drugs to test out an allergy it would be worth asking for some extra pain-killers as back up to help you through. I've found Celebrex (along with omeprazole for my stomach) is very effective, but it has to be suitable for you and it's on prescription only. It might also be worth asking if piriton would help clear the rash more quickly if it is an allergy.

[Hidden]

Actually I had exactly this reaction to Sulphasalazine (an all over, extremely itchy rash of dark red spots) and my GP, who prescribed it, did recognise it rather reluctantly - and I stopped taking it after a month and have never tried it again. And these drugs can build up in toxicity slowly so it's quite possible to be fine on something for a while and then suddenly react badly to it. Tilda x

[anglia in reply to Hidden]

thanks for reply

[Hidden]

Hi there, I'm the discombobulated person Tilda mentioned! If you've got arthritis and psoriasis then it does sound as if you have Psoriatic Arthritis but I guess things aren't always that simple. This might be a daft question, but has your dermatologist communicated with your Rheumatologist? 'Cos if it is PsA then they need to talk!

I've had no problems with Methotrexate apart from worrying that it's not working but, like the others, I think you need to be knocking on doors whether it's Psoriasis or another skin problem or a bad reaction to MTX. So hope your get an appointment with your GP or Rheumy soon and can persuade them to get their thinking caps on ... you shouldn't have to just put up with the rash.

All the best,

Christina

[anglia in reply to Hidden]

thanks for your suggestions went for blood test today nurse said try antistamines took one apears to have improved see how things go cheers anglia

[Hidden]

HI, As someone who has had all the different forms of Psoriasis and now with PsA, if it was that skin complaint then your skin would be getting better and not made worse on MTX, as this is one of the drugs they use to help with the condition. My advice would be to return to your medical team and ask for them for a second opinion.

[anglia in reply to Hidden]

yes i agree

[rattusrattus]

there's a few types of psoriasis but i've found that a lot of the steroid creams are rubbish for them (dovobet works better for me)

could it be contact dermatitis or hives? like psoriasis has a few types, so does urticaria, you could google images of chronliginic urticaria (i hope i've spelt that right) and guttate psoriasis to see if your rash bares a resemblance to those.

good luck getting a diagnosis

[anglia in reply to rattusrattus]

thanks i will try