Help with Methotrexate side effects

Nicolalouise
Nicolalouise Member Posts: 2
in Living with arthritis

Hello, i took my first dose of methotrexate on Friday night and have had an awful reaction. I started Sat morning with diarrhoea and then was sick from 7am to 11pm. Woke up Sunday with diarrhoea and felt nauseas all day. Woke up Monday and had orange coloured diarrhoea throughout the day and the same today. Thank goodness i work from home!

I appreciate this is my first dose but is this normal? how many weeks will it be before i can function at the weekends?

I have been given 15mg to take last week and this week and then move up to 20mg. I also take prednisolone and the hydroxychloroquine, although i am not sure this is actually doing anything.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Nicola

Comments

  • Ellen
    Ellen Moderator Posts: 1,879

    Hi @Nicolalouise welcome to the online community.

    Well we do get people struggling with nausea, tiredness etc and most side effects do tend to settle down over time.

    Given the severity of your response perhaps you ought to take some medical advice? This could be your pharmacist, GP or Rheumatology helpline whichever you can get hold of easiest. There is always 111 if you can't get any response from one of the others.

    Please do let us know how you get on.

    Ellen.

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,137

    Gosh @Nicolalouise that sounds nasty. Loads of us have minor side effects which we tend to adjust to.

    Sometimes folic acid can help mitigate some side effects too which your rheumatologist could prescribe. Some of us (not me) take their MTX injection form that can help too.

    Personally i agree with Ellen I'd get some advice from someone from your medical team.

    Take care and I hope you

    Sending some ((()))

    Toni x

  • Nicolalouise
    Nicolalouise Member Posts: 2

    Thank you both x

    I did call the helpline at 10am this morning but still waiting for a call back. I have also asked my GP for a strong anti-sickness tablet. I did take a folic acid on Sunday eve so hope as the weeks go by, this starts to help. I can't cope like this that's for sure. I have barely eaten and haven't been outside the house since Friday ☹️

  • Gadgetgirl
    Gadgetgirl Member Posts: 54

    Hi and welcome. Wow that sounds horrible. I take mine at night about half hour before bed so that I sleep through my side effects. This has worked for me but I suffered massively with acid reflux so I was put on injections and they are so much better.

  • Woofy
    Woofy Member Posts: 360
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/718676#Comment_718676

    I was prescribed folic acid on all the days other than the Thursday which is my methotrexate day. Helpline should call you back within a day or so hopefully will sort something. Good luck.

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