Sore throat and methotrexate

mummyb

Hi guys just after a little advice and wondered it you can help. All around me have been full of cold for a few days and up until now I've managed to avoid it. But late yesterday I started with a sore throat and headache and I'm on methotresate 15 mg. I'm sure I've read somewhere that you must ring your GP immediately if a sore throat develops (.. or did I imagine it?) Any advice on what is the correct thing to do, or whether to do anything at all, would be gratefully received. Thanks and best wishes, Brenda xx

julie47

Hi mummyb

I am only speaking formyself. I am also on mtx along with other meds. When I start with a cold it always starts with a sore throat.

It normally goes after about 3 days for me then a stinker of a cold appears.

I personally don't ring doc just drink hot lemon drinks. But we are all different.

If you feel you want to for piece of mind, go ahead and ring him.

hope this helped
JuliePF x

dreamdaisy

I am asked every week when I go for my jab 'Do you have, or have you had, a sore throat in the past week?' I have always been told to contact my GP or my rheumatology helpline immediately if I have a sore throat: our reduced immune systems mean that we cannot always tell if we are ill, so, in my opinion, contact someone and tell them. They may want you to miss your next dose. I wish you well. DD

salamander

Yes you should go immediately. They should do a blood test to make sure everything is ok. I don't want to worry you and it is probably not the case but a sore throat can mean the bone marrow is being affected. That is why they take them so seriously. I've had loads but it is never serious, except the last time but it still wasn't the bone marrow thing. If you get a lot they might move you to another drug which is what is happening to me.

Wonkylegs

I can answer this from immediate personal experience :roll: :roll: as I won't be getting my MTX tomorrow due to the mother and father of all colds kindly brought home from work by my hubby!

I often get sore throats at the beginning of any type of infection these days, and at first they took bloods at the first sign of a sore throat (I have been on MTX for years, but had Leflunomide added in until last week) but fortunately for me, very few have proved to be problematic. However, it is never easy to tell one from the other.

now, they tend to get me to wait 48 hours before seeing them for bloods, but this is always based on how bad it is in the first place .... I've had so many that I know when one is 'different' but if I'm in any doubt I go straight away.

I NEVER have the MTX if I have a sore throat at the time of the dose being due. If I have only just recovered, then the dose is often delayed by a day or two, to give me time to heal fully.

one week missed might do you more good than harm if you are ill already .... the MTX would only make it harder for your body to fight the infection. IF in doubt - ring the rhumy nurse or your GP for advice ..... it's always better to be safe than sorry



good luck!

WOnky

barbara12

Hi Brenda
Sorry I cant advise you, I just want to say I hope you feel better very soon.
Sending you lots of hugs ((((((())))))
Love
Barbara xx

mummyb

Many thanks, to Wonky, Barbara, Salamander, DD and Julie47 for your wise advice. I need to go for a blood test anyway this week so will have a chat with the doc at the same time. I find it very reassuring that there's always people around here who can and do help whenever advice is needed. Thanks again guys, love and (((hugs))), Brenda xxxxx

dreamdaisy

Hi mummyb, how are you feeling today? Still got the symptoms? Nasty, but I guess it is that time of year. Keep warm, keep hydrated and I hope the doc can help. DD

tillytop

Hi Mummyb - hopefully your sore throat has not turned into anything more and that you are managing to fight it off.

Good plan to chat with your GP when you go for bloods - better safe than sorry.

Thinking of you and hoping you feel better soon.

Love Tilly x

frogmorton

Hi Brenda



For you in the meantime

Love

Toni xx

skezier

Hi Brenda,

Sorry your not so good flower.

I am finding this all very interesting but a bit confusing.... I have a permanent cold and they tell me to keep taking the mtx... do have a sight sore throat but really just blocked up and have a very runny nose.

They did have me off it for 2 weeks while on antibiotics but then back on and at a higher dose.....

Talk to the gp flower and see what they advise and I think I have another question for the rumo. (((( )))) and a feel better soon draft Cris xx

Mat48

I'm resurrecting this old thread because I googled MTX and sore throat earlier today when knee deep in cold and throat raging and this thread came up. This time last week I posted on here to say that I had a sore throat and many aches and phoned GP who said my white blood cells had been fine the day before so I was to go ahead and inject MTX as usual.

Today my GP phoned and explained that MTX can play havoc with white blood cells and a sore throat can indicate this. But bearing in mind that I was audibly full of cold and bloods were fine 8 days ago he thought I should pass on MTX - not for white blood cells which would probably be fine - but because of reduced immunity which might mean that body unable to fight and cold turns chesty. So I'm having a week off thanks to reading this thread a few hours ago and realising I needed to speak to my GP about tonight's Metoject. First week off since I started on it 14 months ago and I feel like I'm on holiday! Going to hit the whisky later x

stickywicket

I've just had my first meth in several weeks owing to a cold. Enjoy your wee, or not so wee, dram, Mat. If it's Ardbeg or Bowmore I'm on my way

Mat48

Oh heck SW I actually feel too sick(headache) and wretched with the blasted cold even to contemplate alchohol! I don't know why I can't just get these things moderately or normally as I used to?

If having a cold is going to feel like I'm dying each time then I'm very thankful that I still seem to have an extremely overactive immune system and am very rarely ill these days - or doesn't it work like that?

Glad you are back on it the MTX now. I wonder if I'll feel the difference at all? I'd actually rather have some pain than feel like a dying slug as I do. And that's after full whack of ibuprofen and paracetamol! Tilda x

stickywicket

How it works, I think, is that the meth dampens down our over-active immune systems so we are more likely to pick up infections and less able to deal with the ones we then get. It's lose/lose situation I've just missed out on a lunch with old schoolfriends as I checked out the venue on Scores On The Doors and it was zero rated for hygiene :shock: No thanks. Not when it's taken me 6 weeks to get over a cold. I hope you're quicker than I was.

mike26

hi mummyb
I to had a nasty sore throat 2or 3 weeks couldnt get rid of it ,
so went to see my doctor he advized me to stop taking methotrexate
and put me on a 10 day penesillin course.
then saw my roomy and continued with methotrexate and up dose from 15mg to 20mg once a week.
must admit tho i did have a sort of remission off it, prob the prednisolone though. still better safe than sorry, keeping fingers crossed now..
hope it works 4 you mummyb..
mike26 :roll: :roll:

DebraKelly

Sore throat and Meth is bad! I had the same problem with Sulpha and stopped taking it immediately!

If its just a cold, then you could be okay, but please contact your GP if the sore throat continues.