After my confirmed diagnosis of RA last Friday I have had a very interesting week. The 5 day treatment package was very good in easing the blow,from the hand waxes, physio,and hydro pool to the counselling, and what I now know as a Flare occurring half way through luckily I was in the right place to get immediate treatment through a depo injection. Today I start the medications, hydroxycyhlorquine, sulfasalazine and the methotrexate.
I was adivised to take the methotrexate around dinner time so as the sickness does not bother me too much has anyone else tried this method? does it ease the sickness taking them at night.
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RUBELS
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I take them last thing at night, so drop off to sleep fairly quickly afterwards. Which seems to suit me fine, as I don't have problems with sickness at all. The first couple of months I took MTX I did have some side effects, but I managed to deal with them and they slowly wore off. I'm also on those 3 drugs, but I did build up very gently by starting with a low dose of MTX and then gradually building up the doses and adding in the extra drugs.
But it sounds as if you're getting great treatment, so a good start to get RA sorted and get on with your life. Polly
Five day treatment package sounds like something you would get at a Health Spa. Your RA team sounds really good, sounds like you are in safe hands.
I was told to take my MTX in the morning. I expected to have some reaction to it. I was away in Norfolk on holiday when I took my first dose. I remember going out with a large plastic bag in my bag incase I was sick because I had read so many horror stories of the drug. It wasn't needed, I've had no side effects at all when taking it orally. My dose rose to 20mg. I then changed to injections and my liver didn't like it, so I now inject 17.5mg. I did also have some slight hair loss, I've got a good head of hair, so it's not noticeable, well only to me. When I told my consultant he increased my folic acid from one a week to one every day, that includes the day I take MTX.
Hi I take MTX at night about an hour before I go to bed, so don't have any sickness, I also take SULF but my gp told me to lower the dose of them because they were giving me a lot of reflux and heartburn, but I take folic acid every day except the day I take MTX .
I'm about to take my first dose of MTX today. I was diagnosed with palindromic arthritis 8 months ago and told it was very unlikely to develop to Rheumatoid Arthritis. But RA was confirmed 2 weeks ago. I'm still trying to come to terms with it... the inflammation, the pain, the uncertainty. As someone who rarely even took a paracetamol, I am now about to embark on a course of combination therapy which involves taking 77 tablets a week (with no guarantee that they'll work!) Talk about shake, rattle and roll!
No guarantee, but a very good liklihood as they work for most people. It's only a v small percentage of people who have an RA that resists being controlled by the drugs, so do try to think positive - it does help! And you get used to the rattling...I got myself a 7 day pill holder (needs to be quite a big one to fit them all in, like you I take 80+ a week) so I don't have to look at the huge mountain of boxes of pills more than once a week. And hope you've got a pre-prescription card too. Polly
Hi it sounds like you are having wonderful treatment !! I unfortunately was one of the people who felt very sick on mtx, just telling you my story!! So they increased my frolic acid to everyday that helped a little but not enough, so they changed me onto sulphasalasin e, which was great but just didn't work for me!! But then got onto ARava which has. So the moral of the story is it might work straight away for you and if they they will change it!!! Hope all goes well, it's a great step forward xxx
MTX is not working for me and have now been given the hydroxychloroquine to see if it helps the MTX work. I have had hair thinning but no sickness so they increased the folic acid to one daily except MTX day. I take the MTX with my evening meal as told by my rheumy nurse and the pharmasist. It works better with a meal apparently. It can take up to 12 weeks to start working as can the hydroxy.
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