Methotrexate

vickyplant77

hello I am just been given methotrexate for my psoriatic arthritis, little scared to start it as they side affects , is any one on this and how is it for you , scared to start it 6 tablets once a week thanks

MrDJ

Hi @vickyplant77 and welcome to the forum.

It is a bit daunting starting any new meds especially as we all read the side effects and panic.

Ive been on 20mg (8 tabs a week) for 23 years as well as many other meds and the only side affect i think ive ever had was feeling a little nauseus for half an hour or so but not every week. so pick a time and day to take them and keep to it. i take mine saturday lunchtime after a meal and then one folic acid tab on every other day except the day i take the meth.

good luck and keep us posted.

KPez09

I'm now 3 months of taking mtx for PsA. Everybody is different with side effects. I have 2 days of fatigue after taking and the tablets were giving me diarrhea, changed to injections last week and tummy has settled, fatigue is still quite bad. I was having quite heavy hair loss but a raised dose of folic acid has solved this. My nurse said to either take dose at night before bed to sleep through the worst or to split tablets dose, half in the morning and the rest in the evening. Pain is easing, and bloods show my inflammation coming down. Keep up the blood tests as advised as rheumatology will watch your liver, kidneys and other things. Your day of dose is the same every week so it's advised to take when you can have a couple of days rest after. Avoid sick people, wear a mask if necessary, you will catch everything

vickyplant77

hi I started to take them but suffered really bad affects , moth so sore bleeding gums and blisters all in my mouth lips , so my doctor told me to stop them as is a bad side affect so now waiting for something else , what else is given my sacroiliac joint is bad and walking is pain full

BettyMac

I find the worst side-effect to be nausea.

Drinking a bit more water the day after my injection does seem to help with this - perhaps because it’s flushing the drug out of my system more efficiently.

And keeping busy works as a good distraction, even if it’s doing something quiet like concentrating on a new knitting pattern or a jigsaw.

rte

I went to a pain wellbeing course last year and these were some of the brain and immunity system distraction techniques proposed by the group to reduce side effects of neurological system reactions. Sort of made sense.

Mollbhan

Not everybody gets side effects from MTX, I have been taking 20mg now reduced to 15mg for about 5 years and never noticed any side effects at all, don't worry about them till you actually notice them.

Blake77

the only side effects I get is extreme fatigue, which is in itself quite delibititating . Has anyone any solutions. I seem to spend my days sleeping.

frogmorton

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/723065#Comment_723065

I am sorry you are so wiped out. Is this ecery day or only after taking your MTX? I find I get wiped out when I actually have a flare so hope that's not it for you.

It is definitely worth asking your medical team about this they may be able to increase your Folic acid to mitigate some of this fatigue.

Best of luck

Toni x

HG80

I've just come off MTX after 2 years, not because of the side effects but because it didn't work for me. Side effects were two days of nausea and feeling wiped out the next day. But had it actually worked for my RA I could have put up with these as they are more inconvenient than debilitating. I think it's different for everyone and you just have to give it 3 months to know if it's working and if it sits well with you. Good luck!

whateverworks

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/62534/methotrexate

hi Vicky, I was on Meto for a year now with no side effects but it took a while to work (comb. with adalimumab). My white blood cell then unfortunately count went down so I had to stop taking it, now looking at alternatives. Some people deal really well with meto, for others it doesn't work, you ll need to try. No worries - you should be regularly supervised by your doctor. Good luck with all!

noddingtonpete

Hello @whateverworks and welcome to the Community.

Sorry to see that you have had to stop methotrexate, especially as it was working well for you. I hope the your rheumatology team can find you something else that works for you.

In the meantime if you have any questions please ask and also have a look at our website which contains information on arthritis, treatments and hints and tips.

Best wishes

Peter

jcs

8 weeks in and no noticeable side effects so weigh up potential side effects verses what the drug might do to improve your condition.