Methotrexate

darrenbees

I have my appointment today to start on Methotrexate, reaaly unsure about this drug.

Can anyone share thier feelings regarding this drug please

Darren

Kittkat

Hello there
All I can say is I wish I had taken it sooner. Side effects have not been that bad for me at all really. I had read horror stories about nausea/ vomiting but I havn't suffered that. Admittedly I did have some mouth ulcers at one point but they resolved.

I have psa and it has cleared my psoriasis no improvement in joints but I am quite far into my arthritis so I don't expect miracles. My rheumatologist seems to think a lot of people do well on it. Overall I would say good luck and try not to worry!

trepolpen

alot of us have been taking this drug for a long time , nearly 16 years myself & now with no side effects , they want you to try this drug first before they let us have the newer biologics

dibdab

It works well for me, though I had problems with side effects -these have settled since starting injectable meth that avoids the tummy. It's really important to have regular bloods done- I had some problems with getting lots of chest infections, though that has settled now I don't teach any longer.

Hope it works for you.

Deb

Starburst

Hi Darren,

My advice would be not to google methotrexate as a lot of the information can be alarming. My rheum said that most people don't realise that the really bad side effects and warnings about methotrexate are from the high doses used to treat cancer. In comparison, for inflammatory types of arthritis, we take a tiny dose. However, that's not to say that you shouldn't research, just stick to sites that specifically discuss methotrexate for arthritis and not for cancer and you're likely to get more relevant info. Doctors are very cautious with you on this drug and do ask for regular blood tests which makes me feel secure in knowing that if there was a problem, they'd pick up on asap.

Folic acid should be taken alongside methotrexate and my advice is to ask for 6 days (you don't take on the same day of the week at methotrexate) a week as some rheumies suggest folic acid only once or twice a week. Moving to 6 days a week made a huge difference to me.

I'm not having any side effects after 3.5 years of the drug, I used to be nauseous the day after, so I moved to injections and haven't looked back.

Good luck!

As5567

darrenbees wrote:

I have my appointment today to start on Methotrexate, reaaly unsure about this drug.

Can anyone share their feelings regarding this drug please

Darren

I wouldn't worry too much about it, your doctor thinks the benefits of this drug out weights the risks that it poses to you. The side effects listed do sound bad at first, but then when you read a little deeper into them you see that they are thankfully extremely rare. All drugs list side effects, even paracetamol lists some side effects that can seem alarming at first.

If you are worried about the most common side effects such as Nausea and mouth ulcers, my advice would be to contact your helpline (if you have one) or your doctor asap so that they can adjust your medications etc to help ease the symptoms.

Boomer13

Hi; I was very apprehensive about starting on this drug. I have some nausea and a hang-over-feeling the day after my dose. This improved greatly when I started on the proper folic acid type and dose. It's very important to take the correct type and dose. At the doses for inflammatory arthritis, I think methotrexate is pretty safe. I wish I had started it sooner; I think it would have worked better for me if I had.

I've been taking it for a year for PsA and feel it has worked only partially but some troublesome symptoms have improved. The worst part is waiting the long period of time it takes to see improvement.

Rheum's don't prescribe it lightly, so if it has been prescribed they think you will benefit.

Best wishes, I hope it works for you.
Anna

Lubs

Hi,
I take MtX on a Friday night so that when I feel tired the following day it doesn't affect my work. I do need to have an afternoon nap the following day and when I take it in the evening it makes me sleepy. I been taking it like this because MtX always makes me feel sick/nausea. To prevent this the nurse told me to take it like this and it works.

You also need to have blood tests religiously. The rheumatology teams are very good at monitoring them, when mine decided to go off the scales, they phoned me and told me not to take the next dose of MtX, they also made sure that blood test forms are there for you in reception and referred me to a specialist. I spent a year off all medication until the liver specialist gave me the all clear.

Now I'm on 10mg MtX weekly and my blood tests are stable, I know the rheumatology team would contact me if anything was wrong! The medicine helps a lot with my PsA and AS.

Good luck
Lubs

Tubby

I take methotrexate and I really dislike it - particularly in tablet form. It is a powerful drug which only works for some people but the emotional blackmail to take it is strong. It can be very damaging and the decision to take it should not be taken lightly. My PERSONAL thought is that it is a cheap and easy kop out for the NHS, although I know many will disagree with me. A proper, well balanced, and supervised excercise programme (not just seeing a physio for a few minutes every 4 weeks) combined with the New but much more expensive drugs would be a better option for most of us but sadly not an option. You aren't left with any options because they tell you that you will be deformed and disabled without it and if you don't have a go, you can't even attempt the newer medications. Personally, the pressure from my husband is keeping me on it as he is frightend of the consequences if I don't. Good luck but keep a very close check on your health when you start taking them.

barbara12

Hello Darren
Sorry I cant offer any advice, but I see the others have given you something to think about, you could type the meds in the search at the top of the forum to get more info...I do wish you well with whatever you decide.

fowls48

It Works for me too .Although i do not like taking it .Best time to take it is before you go to bed and eat lots of carbs .I usually have a chip butty with mine .


Hope all goes well for you



Fowls xx

stickywicket

Tubby wrote:

I take methotrexate and I really dislike it - particularly in tablet form. It is a powerful drug which only works for some people but the emotional blackmail to take it is strong. It can be very damaging and the decision to take it should not be taken lightly. My PERSONAL thought is that it is a cheap and easy kop out for the NHS, although I know many will disagree with me. A proper, well balanced, and supervised excercise programme (not just seeing a physio for a few minutes every 4 weeks) combined with the New but much more expensive drugs would be a better option for most of us but sadly not an option. You aren't left with any options because they tell you that you will be deformed and disabled without it and if you don't have a go, you can't even attempt the newer medications. Personally, the pressure from my husband is keeping me on it as he is frightend of the consequences if I don't. Good luck but keep a very close check on your health when you start taking them.

I rather like it It's worked well for me for about 13-14 years with virtually no problems at all. If I had to do anti-tnfs then I would but, from reading on here, I'd say the side-effects of them can be much worse than those of meth so why take a sledgehammer to crack a nut if a simple nutcracker will suffice?

I quite agree about the physio, though, whatever meds one is on. It keeps me mobile.

pot80

I have only been on methotrexate for just over three years and it has done wonders for me and I now feel as good as I did before I went down with RA.
My current problems ( occasional stiffness) are age related (not long to 80 now).By and large I am able to do what I want, but do not spend too long at any one task. As long as I can still go for walks,gardening etc. I am happy.
Dont be put off - give it your best shot and I hope all goes well for you.

Kitty

I used to take Methotrexate. Had bad nausea and blackouts when I took the tablets, so I was put on injections. I injected on a Friday and took folic acid every other day. I took it successfully for 5 years and the only problem I had was I sometimes got a bit of a bruise where the needle went in. The only reason I stopped taking it was because I had to have chemotherapy - otherwise I would still be taking it. Good luck.

rachelwaltham90

Hi Darren, I hope MTX works for you when you take it, give it a whirl for a good month or two and see how you find it, if you really don't get along with it side effects wise push your GP or rheumatologist to change to something different.

I've been on 15mg MTX one a week for about 7 weeks now, first 2-3 weeks I had upset stomach as the main side effect and increased levels of tiredness. However side effects seem to have subsided by now..not really noticing much difference in my RA symptoms and inflammation is still pretty high, so waiting and hoping it will start to make a difference!
It's a lot better than the Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) which I was put on first, that stuff made me feel more dreadful than when I didn't take it!

Hope you find success with MTX but dont be afraid to speak up if you don't get along with it, very important to get the regular bloods done too, and taking the required amount of folic acid.

Take Care!
Rachel x

chez86

Hi Darren,
It really is the luck of the draw. When I went into hospital with my RA I was put on a steroid drip as I was practically bedridden. From that point on I was taking Methotrexate and warned that it may or may not suit me, and if it didn't I would need to try alternatives.

Luckily Mtx has been a wonder drug and have been on it for over 7 years. The only side effect i really have is hair thinning which i hate, but is a small price to pay for my health. Only recently have I tried alternatives due to wanting to plan for a baby in the near future. And it so happens that both alternatives so far (hydroxy & sulpha) have made me feel terrible and brought me out in a rash. This came as a shock as iv never been allergic to anything in my life and have always took to medication very well. Theres a first for everything, you just need to try before you'll ever know

lavenderlady

I started meth in July last year the 10mg didn't help but the 15mg did after about 3 months the only side effect was tiredness the next day no tummy problems I take folic acid the following 2 days, I suffer with OA as well as RA lupus and sjogrons so still in a lot of pain as the OA is pretty widespread good luck with it