After my 5th appt with the Rheumy Doc I am now being prescribed MTX. My blood tests came back ok and due to the positive result with the steroid jab, she had said its time to start the ball rolling fully on my treatment.
I have been attending the early Rheumy clinic since June and have been monitored closely since being given Hydroxy, Arcoxia and steriods. Hydroxy was not for me tho due to side effects.
I have been advised to take it at night at the start at the weekend due to side effects ie nausea etc so next Friday is D day for me.
Strange thing is everyone keeps asking me how I feel about it but to be honest I am not sure, don't really know how to feel as i have been in pain for the last 7 months so I am tending to think positively as I might get some normality back.
Has anyone else ever felt like this?
From a long term point of view which is what I think all my family and friends are thinking of I am thinking more about day to day really and how to manage the pain.
Anyway best have a good weekend this week incase i am out of action next weekend as I am starting my meds Friday evening.
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BossyB
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Good for you having such a positive attitude toward the MTX, I have been taking it for 7 weeks now along with Hydroxychloroquine and although the side effect are unpleasant, I have found that since my final increase (I started on 10 mgs now on 15 mgs) things have started to settle down, Plus not everyone will experience the same side effects.
I take my MTX on a Thursday night straight after my evening Meal, I find that it helps reduce some of the feeling of sickness if taken on a full stomach. I am only recently diagnosed and so although the thought of taking these meds long term isn't a nice one, I am trying to focus on the positives, (easier said than done I know) but I am hoping that it will help to reduce the damage to my joints and help me to feel kind of normal again lol.
I wish you well for next Friday and let us know how you get on.
Hopefully you will find that the MTX really helps you - it certainly has me. It can take a while to have the desired effect so don't despair if you don't see an improvement initially but stick with it. I was advised to split my MTX dose in two, ie half in the morning and half in the evening to help prevent side effects but I have been lucky in that I haven't really suffered anything unusual except for a few mouth ulcers and getting very tired but I think that's par for the course with RA anyway.
I really hope that you don't suffer any unpleasant side effects and that you find the MTX a great help.
Good luck!
Mags x
I used to take mine on a friday it is commonly the day of choice, It can be a very succesful drug and it is usually one of the first drugs consultants use.
The drug isnt instant Im afraid it may take a couple of months but it will be worth it if it helps you, none of the RA drugs are instant,
Taking each day as it comes sounds like the best approach
Wishing good luck and a great weekend
Alison x
Welcome to the MTX gang!
It's worked wonders for me, did take 12 weeks to take effect, but 4 years on i'm still taking the same dose and fortunately i have never suffered any of the side effects.
I'm also on MTX injections and i have to say the only side effects i've had are tiredness the day after no nausea etc so i'm lucky. I also worried about starting MTX but for me the benefits far outweigh any negatives and it has helped me get on with life .Hope it works as well for you and don't forget to get a flu jab ASAP(MTX can lower your immune system).Let us know how it goes
I have been on mtx for over a year, started with tablets and now inject. The side effects for me were bloatedness - I could look 7 months pregnant in 2 days!!! (every wedek!!)
I have been injecting for 4 months, but unfortunately for me my combination of drugs have made no difference, and now I am about to start TNF treatment - but I am a difficult case - so dont give up - I found by taking my mtx after a meal on a friday night, I slept the side effects of nausea off!
Hi Debbie50, MTX can take a while to get into the system and for you to feel the benefit so don't give up after a few weeks. Plus, positive thinking really helps whichever meds your on so keep it up, as you say one day at a time!
I took it for 2 yr and the benefits outweighed the side effects initially, sadly I had to stop taking it after 2 year due to other problems.
I am also a member of the MTX gang. I was diagnosed with RA in March this year and started MTX in April and was terrified when I read the leaflet about all the side effects but fortunately I don't appear to have suffered any side effects.
Unfortunately it seems to be taking a long time to kick in and my Consultant has now added in Sulfasalazine in August and Hydroxycholaroquine this month. I've also been given a low dose of oral steriods as I was starting to feel like there was no light at the end of the tunel - the steriods have really helped and I now feel much more like my normal self.
Yesterday I INJECTED MYSELF with MTX for the first time - can't believe I did it as I am one of these who pass out when I have blood tests or injections so am feeling very proud of myself.
I have been injecting MTX for a few months now - well done you! I actually still cry when I do it, as I am usually in pain! I hate needles and hate having bloods done.
how do you cope with the regular blood tests that are needed for taking Methetrexate? I used to be like you but had somehow got used to it!! that was until in the summer when i had to have a fasting blood test, it was a really hot day and i was feeling really hungry, i passed out and felt awful for the rest of the day, since then i feel like i have lost my nerve again and dread the four weekly blood tests!! why do they have to take so much blood?? you would have thought that in this day and age we'd be able to be tested with just a pin prick like the diabetics do.
I hope MTX helps you. It has helped me. I'm sure you're aware of the side effects, but for me the results really do outweigh the bad. Good luck to you!
Good luck with MTX. I've been on it over two years (20mg weekly) with HCQ and folic acid daily. No side effects and now leading normal life after being completely disabled. No flares or steroid injections any more. It took about 6 months to work but I wouldn't want to be without it now. Monthly blood tests are the only nuisance but with the free online repeat prescription service by NHS (pharmacy2u.co.uk) my medication is delivered to my address by postie within two days of my online order and I don't even have to go to the GP or queue in the chemist any more. Any aches and pains I get now are banished by a couple of paracetamol or the odd nsaid.
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