Pain control

debs36

Nearly 60, and I have been diagnosed with prosaic arthritis and fibromyalgia, just to add to this, osteoarthritis in my knees.

I'm in a lot of pain most of the time. My flares last for acouple of weeks where I'm totally wiped out.

I've joined the group as I'm struggling with pain control I'd love to hear people's lived experiences with methotrexate, I've been put on the meds but I'm reluctant to take them because of the side effects d I am quite susceptible to them chest infections .. any thoughts would be appreciated xx

claudsl

Hi @debs36

I have answered this on another post you had up but will paste it here too incase you miss it.

I used to take methotrexate and I can understand your reluctance to take it. It does suppress your immune system so you are more vulnerable to infections. While it is good at keeping pain under control, for me the negative side effects outweighed the good and I came off it. It made me very sick for 1-2 days after taking it and this was affecting my quality of life. However, I do know people who take it and the side effects are not bad at all so I think it can vary from person to person. My dad is on it and he says he feels slightly queasy sometimes but nothing too bad.

Here's an article with more information which you may find useful.

Methotrexate | Side-effects, uses, time to work

Hope this helps!

Claudia x

helpline_team

Hi@debs36

Thank you for your posting on the online community. I am sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia as well as osteoarthritis in your knees.

I am sorry to hear that you are in a lot of pain most of the time and that your flares totally wipe you out.

Methotrexate is a type of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) It’s used to reduce activity of the immune system for people who have certain conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, and can improve symptoms such as pain, stiffness and swelling. It is not unusual to be concerned about the potential side effects of medication. If you post on the Living with Arthritis forum you may get others views and experiences on taking methotrexate however, the impact of any medication will be very individual and while some people will have side effects others will not and as Claudia has highlighted in the above post this will vary from person to person.

We would advise that you speak to your rheumatology team about your concerns regarding potential infections and what actions you may be able to take to reduce the risk of these.

I have put links to our information below on Psoriatic arthritis, Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis of the knee that may help understand and manage these conditions.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/psoriatic-arthritis/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/fibromyalgia/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/

Best Wishes

Dawn

Helpline Advisor

creAte

@debs36 Hello Hello. I am new to this site & fairly newly diagnosed (end-July 24, seronegative RA).

I had same reluctance as you (Methotrexate & prone to chest infections).

I understand that we, all RA, have a very unique/individual journey so the following is just my own experience.

Methotrexate so far has been zero worry - zero chest infections since med's start/end July24 & I am indeed prone to chest infections. At 1st I was concerned about that but rapidly I personally realised that there was no need to worry about any future potential happenings, practising instead: educate yourself about possibilities and keep that in memory/mind storage so to retrieve info whenever needed, should this or that truely manifest. Again it is very personal but I feel that worrying can only make me more ill and as I live so far with constant daily RA related pains & disabilities, I oppose to having own mind exploring the 'worry landscape-which has not happened yet'.

That approach helps me to reduce stress and is experienced as a lovely mind self medication.