methotrexate | Arthritis Information

Hi everyone, I'm new here,and new to RA, diagnosed in July, mxt not working, nor are painkikllers, tramadol, ibuprofen and paracetemol. My next appt is not until January. I have seen my gp and he has ordered more bloods, testing my ANA levels, as feet in agony all the time, headaches, dry mouth and eyes, hands hurting most of the time. Also getting mouth and nose ulcers (dont think its the mxt) as not feeling ill with it. I get alot of hot flushes, not menopausal and finished that. Really exhausted all the time, and now feeling low due to not being listened to. The rheumy not very helpful, dont explain results or why I am on mxt. Nurses not much better. A friend has suggested lupus, as her sister has it, just had enough now, especially as working full time too. Sorry for the complaining, BarbaraBarbie, I take four folic acid pills every day. Maybe more than what you're taking will help. I guess you can't switch doctors as easily as we can here in the USA. I'm on my second one, he's a winner. I would have hated to stay with my first. I suggest you educate yourself as much as you can, this forum is great.
I too have a lot of hand and foot pain. Doc and I have upped my MTX to the maximum dosage (25 MG). Maybe you can call your doc and ask can you take more and ask for more/better pain killers. MTX takes a long time to work, in the meantime try to keep moving. The more you sit the worse you'll feel.
Welcome to the forum and I hope you feel better. Doing research and trying to figure things out for yourself will help you feel more in control.Hi, I am taking 12.5 mxt at present. As for keeping moving, I push a double buggy around, and dont drive, so have to do alot of walking, probably too much!!! I can ask about the folic acid when I see them again in January. We cant change doctors here, you just have to go to your local hospital who has a reumy. It seems that the clinic is taking everything as not very important, I suppose to them it is, but it affects our lives and we need support from them. Thank youHi Barb and welcome.

I think 10 to 12.5 mg of MXT is a starting dose by what I have gathered along my road with RA.
I'm currently sitting on 25 mg MXT a week with foliac acid administered 5mg daily.

These drugs take time to gain the full benefit from them, in my case anywhere from 6 to 12 months.
If you are in pain, waiting till January seems a long time to me, considering that you are new to this disease.
This whole drug combo is a bit hit and miss and we all differ in what works and what does not.
I hope you can settle soon with some form of relief.
Barbie, as you can tell, we have some wonderful folks here! I am glad you found us and I want to welcome you.

It is so hard to not get down when you are feeling so bad. Is there anyway a PCP can help you address this issue? It does help me to come here and talk things out - helps to keep me mentally intact. Try not to isolate yourself, which is very easy to do when you don't feel you can participate because of pain and do try to keep moving... even 5 min. 2X daily helps.
Also, look at how well you are (are not) sleeping - a good night's sleep goes a long way to healing!

Barbie, lots of people here "complain" but I don't think anyone that listens really sees it that way. We all want to be here for one another because we all do understand. To me, it is reaching out for that hand to help me along when I stumble. Welcome!

The dry mouth and dry eyes sound very much like Sjorgrens. Make an appointment with the eye doctor and dentist. Sjorgrens can be very hard on your teeth. The eye doctor can help alot in diagnosis of Sjorgrens. Have the eye doctor send your results of the exam to your RD. Many of us have both RA and Sjorgrens. Also it makes your sinuses dry so you could have a sinus infection. I have Sjorgrens but the bloodwork for Sjorgrens did not show up on my blood test.

It is very frustating when you are sick and do not have the answers. I am glad that you found this forum. We do understand what you are going threw.
Welcome! Have any of the doctor's suggested prednisone? It's what got me through my onset I believe. It's not something people wish to take all the time but sometimes it triggers the RA to stop attacking so intensely and you can taper off of it. I am not on it at all anymore. Good luck in finding what makes you comfortable. Oh, my, I am so sorry to read of your difficulties. Pain relief, as others have said, is very important to our ability to function. Not knowing how your healthcare system functions, I would still suggest setting a 'sooner' appointment with your rheumatologist and explaining to him, exactly as you have explained to us, your concerns, confusions, and level of frustration at not being listened to and not having every step of treatment explained in readily understood posts.

Best wishes for a speedy resolution for your immediate concerns and physical problems. Shug
Barbie,

It would probably be better to find other paths before getting into the pain killers. Prednisone may be a good avenue. It is surprising how well low dose prednisone removes the inflamation thus removing the pain. I would say, fire that doctor and find another that's more in tune to your pain and suffering. It's a shame that your government doesn't allow you to seek another doctor. That's a shame.

LEV
Lev...our government does allow us to choose our doctors...we work on a choose and book system in the UK...I didnt like my first RD or GP and changed both...

Barbie..ask your present GP about a chose and book system ..i had no problems in getting to see a new Rheumy. A lot does rest on your primary health care trust funding.
Hi everyone, thank you for the replies, I think I will trying calling the clinic to ask if I can get an earlier appt. Sorry, I dont know what PCP is??? No one has suggested prednisone (spelling??) Also have a chest infection at the moment, so something else to feel ill about!!! I just want to know what I'm dealing with, and to get the right meds. I am feeling so depressed with always being in pain, and rheumy not listening, just telling me to take paracetemol with the tramadol. The mxt was supposed to help with pain too or so I was told, but so far it doesnt.
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