MTX side effects | Arthritis Information
Hey ladies! I finally saw a new dr!! (if you remember my last post, he was a quack) SO, this guy is wonderful and is changing my meds. He says that he wants me to take the Plaquenil with now MTX for the next three months. He says this is just to satify the ins (said they won't pay for Humira or other ones more successful without showing that you have tried the MTX). I don't know anything about any of these drugs, but I will tell you that the side effects list freaks me out!My husband told me to call the Dr and tell him to prescribe the other medicine and that we would deal with the ins com. LOL I think they freaked him out too. Can you guys tell me what, if any side effects you have had with this drug in the past? I just need some reality to add with my fear here! Thanks SO much!! Be sure to go to your opthamalogist before starting the Plaquenil and have your field vision test baselines started. Good luck. [QUOTE=justsaynoemore] Be sure to go to your opthamalogist before starting the Plaquenil and have your field vision test baselines started. Good luck. [/QUOTE]
Oh yeah,sorry. I have been using Plaquenil for the past 9 months already, so have had those. It is the MTX I am worried about.
Schell...I hear ya. The side effect list on MTX isn't pretty. However, I have to tell you from my perspective the side effects on all of these meds are scary. I've just come to the realization that if I want a life I have take the risk.
As for paying for the other drugs without trying MTX first, I'd suggest checking the price out first. Some are extremely expensive. Some as much as 00 a month before insurance.
Also....talk to your doc about your expectations of coming off the MTX eventually. I take both Remicade and MTX, and from what I can tell MTX in addition to other meds is very common. I am sure some do come off the MTX, but you should be aware that there is a possibility you would remain on it in addition to another drug. Just don't want you to have false expectations.
Regardless....it sounds like this doc is taking your disease a lot more serious than the other.
Good Luck!
I haven't had bad side effects from mtx, other than feeling wiped out the day after, but I just take it easy at work and try to get to bed earlier. All meds can have side effects and they have to list any and all reported, so sometimes it seems scarier when you look at the long list. If you were to pass on mtx, what would your other option be? More than likely, you'll still have to face your fear of side-effects and then weigh benefit against risk.
Good luck in your decision-making
Cathy
I just started the MTX a month ago, in addition to the Plaquinel. Yes, the side effect list is scary. The only side effect I have, so far, is the wiped out feeling the next day, as Cathy has. I too, take it easy on this day. I try to get my chores done the day before. In the first couple of weeks, I had nausea, and the doc gave me a prescrip for that, I take 12 hrs after the MTX.
I was also taking it on Tuesday nights at first. It wasn't working out well for me, because my work week begins on Wednesday. So I called my doc and changed it to Sunday. That way I have 2 days rest before work. You may want to consider what day you take it, that way it isn't so hard to get up in the morning.
Good luck, I hope it works out well for you. I'm looking forward to when it kicks in for me, and having pain free days.
I've been taking mtx for 16 years now and have had no problems with it...it's worked very well for me.
Good luck!
I agree they all are bad. Enbrel freaks me out also.I've also been on MTX for a long time, DD is 18 1/2, so that long. It stopped working about 4 years ago, but I'm taking it again with Remicade, or I should probably say it wasn't strong enough to help with a terrilbe flare. The side effects sound terrible, but the drug companies have to list everything to protect themselves. It has been on the market for a long time. You can always stop it if you have any side effects and they will most likely resolve themselves.I've been on mtx for about 20 years. I started on pills but switched to injectable after stomach problems which was brought on by all the RA meds I was taking at the time. Mtx can make you a little sun sensitive, but just take precautions, like using sunblock, wearing a hat, etc. I have labwork every two months. If your labwork indicates a problem, you'd adjust your meds or stop the mtx.
This drug has been used for decades in treating RA, so has a good track record. I believe mtx, at a higher dose, is used to treat other conditions, it may be in those instances that side effects are greater.
If the plaquenil and mtx are not effective in controlling your RA, your doc may add a biologic, like enbrel, humira, etc., but often mtx is continued w/these drugs.
You might look into antibiotic treatment, I myself know little about it, but there are some who use this treatment in managing their RA.
Making these choices are difficult, but its important to get the inflammation under control, by doing that you minimize joint damage.
Good luck and take care.
Apart from the initial nausea like I'd never known, which lasted about six weeks (I think) and wore off a couple of days before the next dose was due, I have been fine on 7.5 for just over three years.
All side affects have to be listed and can make alarming reading, it doesn't mean you will get all of them or any of the nasties. You are bound to get some side affects initially, as with any med you are introducing a toxic substance to your system. Your doc will probably prescribe folic acid to take as a follow up - dose and time vary from one doc to another. You should also have regular (every 8 weeks for me in UK) blood tests to keep a check on your liver.
I hope it works for youI was on MTX years ago but couldn't tolerate it at all. My nerves were a mess, my hair came out in bunches despite the folic acid and my I was nauceaous. I'm afraid my new Rhemy is going to put me back on it when I see him on Friday though.Let me say that as of today I have a new respect for MTX. I asked to go off it after 16 months because it gives me blisters all over my face, which meant I had to take another drug 3X daily to stop that side effect. I was also afraid of the long term effects of MTX. So.....the RD puts me on Imuran and off MTX. One day after missing my last dose of MTX I found out just how much it was helping me. Now I'm back on it and three hours after my injection I felt SO much better. I'm still considering antibiotic therapy, and I'm still going to give Imuran a chance to work, but I'm looking at MTX in a whole different light today. It's quality of life vs. the possibility of side effect problems in the future. I don't know if I'll have a problem in the future with MTX, but if the other options don't work, I know what my quality of life will be without the MTX and I don't want to go there again. Life is a crap shoot, with or without the added burden of taking toxic meds, and you just have to weigh the risks vs. the benefits for your particular case after looking at all of the options. Everyone who looks at the side effects list freaks out, but many, many people do very well on MTX with few or no problems. [QUOTE=kelstev]I've been taking mtx for 16 years now and have had no problems with it...it's worked very well for me.
Good luck!
[/QUOTE]
That statement makes my day!
I've been on MTX at least 4 years and other than being tired that night and having nausea at first, I havent had any problems with it. I take 20 mg a week. without it my biologics might as well be water.
kathy_in_wlsv2008-09-24 04:46:40
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