injecting Methotrexate | Arthritis Information

Visited Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rosian today. She started me on injectable Methotrexate and upped the dose. My joints are all swollen and she wants me to take .08cc until I feel better then go back to .06cc. She offered me more Predisone. I have a refill left from my last one.

I am not wanting to start the Pred again.

My question is about injecting. She told me to just draw it up and inject like I do the Betaseron. ..okay...but where exactly? I rotate my sights with the Betaseron...example

top left stomache , top right stomach, mid and lower both sides , then the same for the thighs and back of arms and backside.

Where do you all inject and do you rotate? I didn't get no "training" because I have injected for years the other and have zero fear of needles now. But, they made a huge deal about the importance of alternating the injection site with the Betaseron...wondering does it really matter with the methotrexate? It is only once a week and the betaseron is every other day which I know is the reason for carefully alternating sites.

Thanks for any info or tips you might have.

Lisa

I used my upper arms and alternated every week. I sure hope you get relief from the injections.I rotate thigh-abdomen-abdomen-thigh; so easy to get at. No problem for all 5+years.

Having colon disease makes me so grateful for avoiding the gut.

I take Mtx .6ml (15mg) each week and it's still working (except for fatigue, of course).

Good luck with getting relief of symptoms from the simple adjustment of dose.

I will also turn around and squeeze up some hip fat and inject there when my abs and thighs need a little break. God knows I've got the cushioning there! Good news, the MTX is painless; bad news, it's very yellow and I always get drops all over the bathroom. Per doctors orders, I drink mine. She claims that it is more effective that way. I mix it with Pepsi and down the hatch! I do use the syringe for measuring purposes. Works for me.

Hi Lisa, the side effects of the oral - either pills or liquid is more than if you inject. Oral MXT is harder on your stomach and since we take so many meds that can cause stomach damage then it's best to avoid the oral. My RD told me that absorption is better with inject. than oral. Who knows? Different RDs, different ideas. But what my RD said about MXT bypassing the stomach when you inject makes medical sense to me. That's probably why your doctor suggested inject. You get a bigger bang for your buck with inject. I rotact thighs, sometimes arms but haven't injected in belly area. So far no problems after 4 years of injection. Good luck and I hope it begins working for you. Think about taking the Pred as a burst pack. It might get you through the worst of the flare. Sometimes the damage from a prolonged flare is as bad or wose than the side effects from the Pred. It's hard to balance our meds and know exactly what we should do. I think it boils down to quality of life, at least for me that's how I look at each of the situations. Keep us updated on how you're doing. Lindy

I use my abdomen, switching from left to right. That's about it for me. It is hard for me to reach anywhere else. That belly of mine sticks right on out. So, easy shooting. lol I guess it's whatever floats your boat. Rheumy's all have different answers, however my blood test is always okay. Lisa, I hope it helps. Thank you EVERYONE who responded, everybodys 2 Cents is worth a pot of gold, when it comes to experiance. I appreciate the fact that everyone has just a bit diffrent approach, makes me feel better and less apprehensive of messing up. I hope the increased dose does the trick, As for the burst pack, I did predisone pack a few months ago, it works wonderfully at first, then something about it doesnt agree with my Psychy and I go a bit "nuts". So I try everything to NOT take it. I do have a standing script for it however.

Thanks guys, hearing from everyone really helps get me through and put things in prespective.

Best Wishes,

Lisa