Common MTX side effects... | Arthritis Information

Just started on my 2nd week of MTX and wanted to find out what side effects most had/have. When you (in general) say tummy troubles, are you speaking of throwing up or close to or poopies and gas? What other things may I expect?
My worst side-effects from MTX were awful fatigue the day after taking it, nausea which could be combated by taking MTX at night and eating nothing but carbs and the skin inside my mouth peeling and shedding. I'd have to say the latter was probably the worst over all.I feel pukey, dizzy and tired. I can deal with that. I've lost over 25% of my hair, and I have baby fine hair. You guessed it, you see lots and lots of scalp with little whispers of hair on the top of my head. That sucks. I hope you have little side effects.

I had some nausea for a few weeks but that stopped. I get the fatigue the day after too and hair loss. The hair on my scalp is much thinner and even finer than it was. The bonus is that my leg hair is almost non existant and I haven't had to shave my legs for weeks and weeks. I haven't had any problem with mouth ulcers or anything else. I just started ARAVA last week so I guess I'll wait and see what side effects I get from that, from what I hear it is more hair loss, oh goody goody! And the fatigue IS worse, I can feel it.

I have been on MTX for 6 and a half years. Just in the last couple of months it seems that I can see more of my scalp than I used to. But no real bald spots...and yes I only shave my legs 1 or 2x a month. That part is wonderful. But I would prefer a thicker head of hair. I color my hair...blondes do have more fun...so that might affect my hair too. I've been coloring my hair for about 4 years.

I also notice a queasiness on the day after MTX...not so much that I throw up. Just a lack of appetite and a "yucky" feeling. I take it on Fri night and this side effect doesn't surface until dinnertime on Sat. So I eat less at that meal...much less.

I have infrequent waves of nausea, cold spells and feel like I have been hit by a truck about 24 hrs after my dose. I spend most of the day on the couch. It feels as though my bone marrow hurts. I don't have any real tummy problems.

Hi Lisa, my effects are few, mostly fatigue the next day. I take injectible MXT to by pass my stomach. Have had little hair loss. I had one mouth sore and started to use a diluted peroxide rinse daily and haven't had another one. LindyHmmm well, apart from the rarer side effects I had after 3 years (very rare, so rare my rheumy and I refused to believe my GP! So don't worry about them), I tolerated MTX pretty well.

THere was nausea, which was worse to begin with but got better after a few months (as has been suggested, take the MTX at night to minimise this). Having said that, I used it to help me lose weight! (Not a good and healthy option, but I'm being honest here)

The hair loss, yeah, it was there, but it wasn't as horrendous as I imagined. I switched to al natural shampoos (Aveda, Kiehls, Lush, Jason organics etc) to avoid irritating the scalp further.

Extrememly dry skin on my body for the first few months...just moisturise like theres no tomorrow.

After I took the MTX I'd feel (this sounds weird) very dry...not dehydrated but dried out burnt to a crisp in the very core of my being, like my cells were drying out. I read later that many chemo patients on a higher dose of MTX felt the compulsion to eat ice lollies...it was like that. It wasn't unpleasant as such, just disconcerting.

Food intolerances....after starting the metho I'd randomly feel sick with certain foods. The smell of chicken frying for example had me close to vomiting for the first month, then it was chips, then something else.

Ok, I said I tolerated metho well, and Ive come up with a huge list! But they didnt really interfere with my life if that makes sense-I could function normally, and I found they decreased as time went on, as my body got used to the metho. And they were a million times more prefereable to the joint pain.

The one thing that is meant to help, that I wasn't told till I was trying to get the metho out of my system, is that you should drink loads of water with it.< id="message" src="http://www.arthritisinsight.com/forum/RTE_text.asp?mode=reply&POID=98619&ID=1569" ="hideColourPallete()" height="200" width="490">

HI, some fatigue, and weird feeling, but generally okay. I don't get an immediate feeling it is working though. Prednisone, is the only drug I take that has that 'hey, this is helping me' feeling! I'm sure the whole combination is the key, but I had a burning on the bottome of my foot you wouldn't believe last week. Doubled the pred from 5 to 10mgs. I feel spacy, and energetic. (good!) , but I know I can't stay on this 'stuff'. Lynda

I just started mtx last week- 10 mg. Some of you that responded say how much you take. Is anyone having terrible side effects with 10 mg?

It made me completely disoriented and I got lost in my own neighborhood while driving, as well as frightened. I also got wounds in my mouth. My doctor wants me to take it with my enbrel, but I have resisted due to the side effects. She says it was another drug "interacting with MTX" that was making me disoriented. Until she knows which drug that is there is no way I will take MTX. [QUOTE=Jodi_Girl]

I just started mtx last week- 10 mg. Some of you that responded say how much you take. Is anyone having terrible side effects with 10 mg?

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Thanks for asking this, Jodi--I was wondering the same thing about the dosages that people are on. I am especially nervous about the hair loss.

Also, can anyone say, is 10 mg the norm for starting out?

Thanks,

Christina

I just saw my rheumatologist last week and he did say that 10mg. is the
typical starting point. I ended up getting on Enbrel too (was on it several
years ago -- long story.) When I first started taking the mtx, I was
EXTREMELY sick to my stomach for 2-3 weeks. I wanted to see if it helped
me though. It did, but it's like my body got used to it and needed more. My
Dr. found erosions in my foot xrays so we decided together to be more
aggressive.
Hang in there. I just really try to be thankful that there are meds for us....
I HATE the stuff. I see my doc tomorrow and telling her I need something else. I had everything ,from the worst gas ever, to stomach problems, scabbing inside my nose, MAJOR hives that peeled when they were done w/me, total brain farts, sores in mouth, sleepy all the time, headaches and light sensitivity. Maybe some problems are interactions w/ other drugs. I don't care. This drug is way too harsh on the body. 5 weeks of pure hell. And there ya go, my 2 cents.

Oh Boy, I was thinking of starting my MTX Sunday evening. But I have a Drs appointment with my family Dr Monday. Maybe I should wait to start until later in week. I have no idea what side affects I might have.

Lori

Hey Lori...my RD said it's usually best to start it Friday evening, so you can have the weekend for the down time if needed.

I too have had pretty nasty gas, sores in my mouth and one in my nose. I kinda knew what to expect because my Grandmother took it. It gave her really bad mouth sores. They had her take folic acid to combat it. I'm willing to deal with the side effects if there's a possibility I will feel better down the road. I think? I had a bad time with it. Major hair loss, nausea, extreme fatigue. It was an effort to get up off the couch for the first 3 days after I'd taken it. My RD finally took me off it. It felt so good to feel good again. I hope to never have to be on it again. I started at 10mgs. and went down to 7.5 mgs.I was on 20mg for 10 years and had no side effects whatsoever. Hopefully you will be the same.

Have been taking MTX since December 06, taking on a wed night reduced nausea and fatigue. Folic Acid seems to be helping with mouth and hair issues...although hair does feel finer

BUT...does anyone have a strange mild electric shock feeling at times. never had it before taking mtx. Just feels like nerve endings are ultra sensitive...more annoying then painful. Would love to hear if anyone else has had this feeling.

Sarah-Ann - I have had that mild electric shock feeling a few times - feels like someone is snapping a rubber band on me. Very strange.

I started taking 12.5 mg mtx in April, stepped up to 15 mg in July. At first I had some nausea and a little diarrhea a couple of days after. And that huge fatigue for about 12 hours after. I took it at bedtime and got a really deep night's sleep. Now I split the dose - half morning, half night, and take folic acid every day and don't really think I have any problems with it at all. And I think it's really helping.

I started on MTX pills in 1989, and due to stomach upset was switched to injections. I still have the fatigue, sometimes of a much longer duration than others. The dizziness would get really awful, but has subsided for the most part. Hair loss is still a major concern, so I wash my hair with a shampoo/conditioner blend, and then use a regular conditioner to make sure there are fewer tangles when combing out the hair. I comb out my hair with a wide-toothed comb or pick while rinsing the conditioner out. It's much easier on the hair, and doesn't pull as much of it out. This prevents more hair from being pulled out. I wish you well.

I just have to ask Monk - what are brain farts?

I also was started on 10mg. which increased in steps until I reached 20 mg. I was OK while I was splitting the dose (2 at each meal and bedtime) with only brain fog (farts?) and memory issues. Then, as you can see on my recent thread, I switched to taking them all at once and got very sick on the day I took them and just crappy on Sat. Today I feel pretty much back to normal. I like the suggestion of taking the pills at bedtime, but I'm afraid I'm going to still feel crummy the next day since it seems to hang on for 2 days. You may want to try that, though. If your RD OKs it, I'd really suggest you try breaking up the dose and drink lots of water. Both have helped me so much and others as well. You'll find lots of support here as you continue your MTX "journey." Just keep asking those questions and good luck! I hope it does wonderful things for you and that you have no side effects. It could happen!

I've only been on MTX (20 mg) a few about 5 weeks, but so far the only
side effects I've noticed are very mild waves of nausea.
Brain Farts: When you have a thought in your head and the next nano second I can hear a pffffferrrrtttt as the thought disappears out of my brain. Hence the brain fart

Just wanted to ask about the "electric shock" feeling you get. A few months back I was having problems with my wrist and hands. My fingers eventually became numb and tingly. During that time I had this "electric shock" thing happening. I would get this in the wrist area. Well it truned out I had carpal tunnel syndrome. So I was just curious as to where you were having these electric shock feelings. Might be something to check out if it is similar to what I was experiencing.

Kelly

Oh...and I've been taking mtx for 15 years and have been very lucky not to have any problems with it except that my white blood cell count went very low a couple of times. All I had to do was go off of the mtx for a few weeks until the wbc count was back up and then started back with the mtx. Other than that, not a problem for me at all. Mtx has worked very well for me.

Hahahaha, Monk320 I love your description of brain farts! I have been having alot of them lately. And I haven't even started on my MTX yet.Just wanted to chime in here...I've been on MTX for almost two years now. Started out on 10mg/wk and am now at 15mg/wk. I also take 10mg/wk of Leucovorin (folinic acid) at the same time.

I'm lucky in that I don't have any noticeable side effects from the MTX and it does help me quite a bit. I know that a lot of people have side effects and I'm one of the lucky ones--but wanted to let everyone contemplating starting this drug that they won't necessarily have side effects, and a lot of times the side effects at the beginning will lessen once your body becomes used to the MTX.

dordale

Hi Kelly,

Re electric shocks and carpal tunnel...I think you are right, sounds related. The electric sensation also happens near neck and shoulders where there is a lot of internal tension, related to wrists too. Seems like this happens more leading up to taking MTX, and once I take it it's not so bad. Massage booked in for Saturday...might help

Have a nice day...