weekly cycle of pain/side effects on methotrexate

sunpainter

Hi all, I wondered if anyone notices joints flaring up on the same day a week, 2 days after I take it... I wondered if it was connected with the ammount of Methotrexate in my system. I'm still on a low dose (10mg... 10th week).... and thought maybe it is because the ammount dips in my body, and joints go haywire, before next lot kick in. Or am I imagining it?

Also my headaches come about 4 days after my dose. Does this happen to anyone else?

livinglegend

sunpainter wrote:

Hi all, I wondered if anyone notices joints flaring up on the same day a week, 2 days after I take it... I wondered if it was connected with the ammount of Methotrexate in my system. I'm still on a low dose (10mg... 10th week).... and thought maybe it is because the ammount dips in my body, and joints go haywire, before next lot kick in. Or am I imagining it?

Also my headaches come about 4 days after my dose. Does this happen to anyone else?

Are you taking a Folic Acid pill 24 hours after your MTX to ease the side effects?

Joseph 8)

suzster

oh i know what you mean!! i take mtx 20mg weekly.
i take folic acid every day except the days i take mtx.
i actually noiw take my dose of mtx over 2 days,10mg saturday night and then another 10mg sunday night. i have anti sickness because i always feel sick by the 2nd 10mg dose.
i also find the 24hrs before i take it i feel slightly more sore, but i don't know if its my imagination either!
i hope things improve and do speak to your rheumy about taking folic acid on more days if you aren't already, i only learnt from here about that, my rheumy nurse never told me!
take care
sue

joyous

hi all yes my body no's when its time for the meds im so stiff and got pain when its running out of your system like today its my enbrel inje not took it yet and my joints a killing me , it itake 25 mg of mtx in injec form and enbrel inj as well not on the same day day .. all the best joy xx

joyful164

Hi Joyous

I am like you. I do my injection Tues afternoon. I am then very tired for 24 hours afterwards. I also experience extra pain in the most affected joints, e.g. wrists, archeles heel, toes - all the areas affected by the PS, it doesn't last too long. I am only on 15 mg a week at the moment.
My consultant has talked about putting it up to 20 mg but hasn't so far because of the extra pain I am in.

When we were first offered MTX, it seemed to me that, although it not a complete cure, it would make all the pain go away some of the time and put the disease on hold.

Well, I don't know that I am feeling that much better. inasmuch that after my trip to the Pain Clinic today, I seem to have gone on to the next level of pain, that of nerve damage. I am feeling pretty down about it and was just wondering myself, that if my consultant had increased my MTX when he said he was going to do it (10 months ago) would I be suffering this much. My left arm is next to useless at the moment. I'm scared my right hand and arm will get as bad. What shall I do then?

I've gone on a bit, but in answer to your query, it seems normal to experience some spasms in the affected area for awhile after taking the dose, but doesn't last that long, perhaps 12 hours at the most.

All the best
Joyful

joyous

hi joyful . i had to have nerve block injection in my right shoulder they do it in your back and it does hurt but it did work it was to tied me over till i had my op on right shoulder they said relif was faantastic ill tell you well worth the pain of the inj . but it doesn last had it done again and sadly it didn work 2nd time around think they have to get it in just the right place i have ra in my other shoulder 2 i dread it to go like the right one im right handed as well . it did just go after the op , i was in a mess arm in a sling couldn do a thing and im mean a thing nightmare plus my mum was ill as well only the 2 of us , 2 wks after the op went to have stitches out and my mum collapsed and got addmitted as well so we were stuck at the hos me with no pain killers or nothin and trying to get off the triage nurse was a nightmare as i wasn the who got addmitted o my lord my mum ended up havin stents put in few months later so me and mum have had it rough for 2 years now with one thing and another , but we manage some how or another got great neighbours good luck with sortin your arm out you just have to keep mitherin dont you i mithered for a very long time over 5 years or more at least kept fobbin me off by then the damage was done torn muscles and tendons , i didn have full replacement they dont last that long i go in sept for x ray make sure the metal plate is in the right place dont want to have it done againxxx

sunpainter

Yes, am taking the folic acid... doc told me to taker it 3 days after mtx. Wondering if i will have my dosage increased at next hosp visit. Do I have to expect even more headaches? Or do they get better as time goes on?

joyful164

joyous wrote:

hi joyful . i had to have nerve block injection in my right shoulder they do it in your back and it does hurt but it did work it was to tied me over till i had my op on right shoulder they said relif was faantastic ill tell you well worth the pain of the inj . but it doesn last had it done again and sadly it didn work 2nd time around think they have to get it in just the right place i have ra in my other shoulder 2 i dread it to go like the right one im right handed as well . it did just go after the op , i was in a mess arm in a sling couldn do a thing and im mean a thing nightmare plus my mum was ill as well only the 2 of us , 2 wks after the op went to have stitches out and my mum collapsed and got addmitted as well so we were stuck at the hos me with no pain killers or nothin and trying to get off the triage nurse was a nightmare as i wasn the who got addmitted o my lord my mum ended up havin stents put in few months later so me and mum have had it rough for 2 years now with one thing and another , but we manage some how or another got great neighbours good luck with sortin your arm out you just have to keep mitherin dont you i mithered for a very long time over 5 years or more at least kept fobbin me off by then the damage was done torn muscles and tendons , i didn have full replacement they dont last that long i go in sept for x ray make sure the metal plate is in the right place dont want to have it done againxxx

Hi
You really have been through the mill so to speak. The experience with the pain feels like mine. My shoulder bones are very painful, elbows same and wrists and inbetween, the feeling of tendonitis, woke up this morning with the right arm bad. Was going to rest all day, then remembered all the things I had planned, hairdressers and opening of our art show so perhaps I will get through it. All I would like to be able to do is get an answer from my rhummy dept.

all the best and thanks
joyful