how long does it take for the mtx to start working i had my 3rd dose on friday , i really feel nodifferance. the dr. has me on 7.5 mg he said though he is going to start increasing it how high can you go on it and does the higher dose make you sick?. is this a pernament drug to be on forever ? i guess im just frustrated and in so much pain i just want relief. thanks for listening
Debbie; I take 22.5mg a week as well as Humira weekly. That's 9 MTX tablets. I've heard of 25mg or even 30mg weekly not any higher to my knowledge, so 7.5 is fairly low. If you tolorate that well I think you'll do fine on a higher dose. I continued to increase and get relief for a while....then increase again...and again until my doctor felt like a higher dose would probable not make much difference. That's when we added Humira.
It can take several months to get the full effect. I wouldn't panic yet. Three weeks isn't very long at all.
I know some here that have been on it for 10 years or more. I personally have been on it for 3. Provided your blood work continues to read ok you'll be on it as long as your doctor feels your still having RA activity. Forever? Who knows...depends on you I suppose.
Don't be afraid of an increase. It will really help you....and like I said, if you aren't having too much trouble with side effects, I wouldn't worry about getting sick. I think if you're going to have bad side effects it happens early on. Now your blood work could turn bad years down the road. At that point the doctor will take you off it. They monitor you real close. They have assured me that they will catch any problems before they arrise. All I can do is believe they are right.
Good Luck!! MTX has been a God Send for me. I'm a huge fan.
thanks lovie, i cant mix mtx with anything im allergic to humira embrel and remicade, this is my last hope, ive also tried arava and ended up in the hospital with very high liver enzymes and azulfidine which made me vomit daily and i went bald in some areas of my scalp... i guess i can put up with a little nausea especially if its goingto work thanks i will keep you posted deb
I am sorry to hear that you are in such pain right now. Did the Rheumatolgist Rx any pain meds for you. If not, you can use OTC, like Aleve, Tylenol for Arthritis and can take up to 2400 mg a day...but please make sure you take the OTC with some milk or food. Helps the stomach out. Make sure the doctor knows that you are still suffering with the MTX. He/she will probably Rx something a little better than OTC's.
When I was on MTX, it took about a month to 6 weeks to take a good hold on the RA. My RA doctor kept reading my blood test and was seeing that the MTX needed a little more push, she would have me increase my MTX. I started out with 7.5 mg then ended up on 20 mg., which pretty much did the job for some time, but then, like most drugs, things needed to be changed. There are people on this board and Ra Friends that have been on MTX for many years. So I think is depends with what your body does with it, as to how long you will need to use it.
In the beginning I felt a little queasy and differently had some bad headaches after taking it. but then I switch to taking them in the morning and it seem to be less offending than when taken at night.
Hang in there. Everything will get better, sometimes we just need a little more time.
Waddle (Toni)
Hi Deb
I take 25mg MTX/week and have been taking it for over 10 years now. I think I started out with about the same as you and over the years it's been increased, but it's never made me sick.
Hope you get some relief soon
Kelly
thanks all you guys, i do take percocet 10/325's every 6 hrs. flexerall 30mg. a day 40 of prednesone and the lidocaine patches for my spine. and of course protonox for the belly
Good Gravy...You sure do take some mighty high pain meds...I wish I knew how to help you. I guess it's best just to take one day at a time and pray for the best..... then YELL LIKE HELL when it hurts...
Waddles
Hi Deb,
Just wanted to let you know I am on the same dose and it was about 6 weeks when I realized that my stiffness and pain were going away, but I was also on prednisone. Azulfidine, Plaquenil and Dolobid. I couldn't believe it, because I just didn't think it would work that good. I am off of prednisone and because of eye problems am now off of the Plaquenil and still doing alright. So hope if you are patient, it will kick in but it did take that long for me. Now if my hair would stop falling out, I would stay on it forever. I know I am very lucky many people do not get relief. hope this helps.
Hi Deb,
Everybody is saying the same thing, 3 weeks is way to short to see the difference. I felt like I was getting better in 6 or 7 weeks, in fact, i thought i was in remisssion. (NOT). But what I wanted to point out, is that if your doctor hasn't given you a script for folic acid, ask for one. It really helps with side effects. I was very weak the 2nd day, and getting sick and upped from l to 2 mgs for a couple of days and the side effects seem to be gone. Good luck,
mary
I agree with the posters who said it was too early. I think it took me about 4-6 weeks to fully feel the effect. I am on Plaquenil too (which took almost 3 months to take full effect). I also take Imuran and Prednisone (trying to wean back off the Prednisone right now)
I used to take the injectible MTX but switched to pills about a year ago when there was a production problem with the injectible. I had the same problem with the bottles, only it was the opposite. My pharmacist (former pharmacist, I should clarify- he was an idiot) was giving me the MTX that had no preservatives and was used for a month. I happened to talk to another pharmacist who told me that I should NOT be doing that (just as your pharmacist said). i did read something yesterday that said that the injectible is absorbed better and may give better relief than the pills. Made me wonder if I should switch back again.
Good luck. When I first got RA (before the meds kicked in), life was almost unbearable. I hope I never have to go back to that level of pain again. That said, with the number of meds available, I don't think you should have to just live with it. You may have to wait out the MTX, but there should be something else you can do in the meantime. I have to go on Prednisone when my symptoms flare up. I dont' like it, but you do what you have to do, you know?
Hugs,
Lois
As much as I hate having to inject myself, I wish I would have been able to go on the shots. But like you. They where not available and in some areas are still not avaiable...Now I am off the MTX and waiting till the first part of November to go on the Enbrel.
There is always something to help lighten up our load but you need to be aware of what they are and how they work...This is a disease that is always going to be with us, so I guess we should understand that and make sure we are as comfortable as we can be and if that means we have to take another set of meds. to do that, then we are going to have to do just that. Life is to short to live in such dismay.
Hope everyone is having a good day and as pain free as can be.
Toni