Methotrexate Help

RossM96
RossM96 Member Posts: 9
edited 4. Feb 2013, 08:08 in Living with Arthritis archive
I apologise if this is in the wrong section, but basically, i have a HUGE problem with taking my medication, i cant physically take tablets, and ive tried the oral form but never doing that again, the taste is absolutely vile, and im currently having it injected every week, if anyone has any tips on how i could get the tablets down easier it would be a great help, or tips on how to do injection myself as i have abit of a fear of injections, thanks.

Comments

  • mike26
    mike26 Member Posts: 416
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi ross m96
    yes thay do taste horrid, but the secret is swallow them (quick) im taking same methotrexate and just swallow down with water. if you leave them in mouth for just few seconds you start to taste them yuk...

    hope this helps mike26 :roll:
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Ross, it's nice to meet you and I hope we can help. I see from your intro on Say Hello that you are one of our younger memebers: life sucks every now and again, doesn't it? I am so sorry you have had to find us and that you are having this struggle.

    I'm fortunate in that I don't have any trouble with taking meds (which is just as well as I'm on fair few and have been adding to the drugs' companies profits since childhood ). I began doing my own injections with enbrel (an anti-TNF), I admit I wasn't sure I could manage but it turned out to be absolutely fine. I now do injected meth and humira and of the two the meth is preferable because I exercise some control over what happens viz. the injection.

    Prior to my doing the meth I had to go to the hospital, weekly, for a nurse to do it. That meant driving, finding parking and waiting. On a good day I'd be in and out in about ten - fifteen minutes, on a bad day it could take anything up to an hour and a half just for one tiny injection. Doing it myself means the whole thing is done in less than a minute: I admit it's not my chosen activity for a Wednesday morning but it is, honestly, quite easy once you are used to it. I choose to inject in my tummy as I'm nicely rounded ( :wink: ) and there are fewer nerve endings.

    There is a certain element of steeling oneself when doing something like this but sometimes things just have to be done. This could be one of those times for you and you won't know until you try. On the plus side you do have a smaller dose of meth as the injection by-passes the digestive system. The liquid may taste foul but that taste surely passes - it all depends on what is the least scary versionfor you. I wish you well. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • trepolpen
    trepolpen Member Posts: 504
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi Ross

    the injections work better if you can do them , not all of us can but if you need to take the tablets swollow with water quick , you can get 10mg tabs instead of the 2.5mg which I take ten a week
  • LignumVitae
    LignumVitae Member Posts: 1,972
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ross,

    When I had foul tasting meds a few years back I would hold my nose (dulls the sense of taste) glug and then take a glug of a tasty drink whilst still holding my nose. It didn't stop the taste issue but it helped a bit!

    With the jabs I tend to have a routine so I do it once I'm out of the shower, nice and warm and relaxed. I hum, or pop some tunes on, sit on the side of my bed, try and pretend I'm doing something nice and casual and do the business. Keeping your muscles relaxed helps lots with the pain, the first few times were tricky but it soon became routine. As DD says, maybe this is one of those times to steal yourself, it was for me.

    Good luck and let us know how you go. Meth pills are buggers, they are so small and you end up taking so many that its hard to take them in an easy way.

    LV
    Hey little fighter, things will get brighter
  • RossM96
    RossM96 Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks everyone, i shall try injecting myself but i know this is going to take me awhile to put it in, but im confident i will eventually do it, great advice, ill let ya know how it all goes :)
  • salamander
    salamander Member Posts: 1,906
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ross, I've sent you a private message.
  • lizzieuk1
    lizzieuk1 Member Posts: 302
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    trepolpen wrote:
    hi Ross

    the injections work better if you can do them , not all of us can but if you need to take the tablets swollow with water quick , you can get 10mg tabs instead of the 2.5mg which I take ten a week
    Unfortunately the 10mg have been withdrawn via NHS :(
  • lizzy100
    lizzy100 Member Posts: 235
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    i used to not be able to swallow tablets and my friend taught me when i was a teenager. put tablet and mouthful of water in mouth, throw ur head back really quickly and swalow
  • DebraKelly
    DebraKelly Member Posts: 398
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I started on Meth via tablet and then switched to injections last year.

    For someone who is terrified of needles I am actually doing the injections myself. Which I never thought I would be able to do.

    The injections work much better then the tablets, and you don't get as many side effects so I would stick to those if you can.

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