methetrexate blues | Arthritis Information

Every Friday I take 3 methetrexate pills one at breakfast, lunch and dinner ; it's all I can tolerate. I've tried more but it makes me so sick that I can't function. By lunch I'm dizzy and since I work as a teacher, I'm really out of it by the end of the day and my students pick up on it. I don't know how I can work the 3 1/2 more years I need to qualify for health benefits. It takes me the whole weekend to recuperate and then it's time for work again on Monday. I'm also on prednisone, plaquanil, and Enbrel as well as folic acid and various things for the OA. I know a lot of the fatigue and depression I'm feeling is drug related and I know I need to be on the meds to control my "serious RA" . I only have a few days a week when I feel human. Anyone else in this kind of delema? Thanks for letting me vent on a very rainy painful Friday. Hi Linda,

I'm so sorry to hear you are having a rough day. I
know it can be so discouraging with the meds and
side effects. I take mtx too, (22.5 mgs) It took me
several weeks before I didn't get sick, but it is
much better now. I take mine before bed on friday. i
don't think I could take them during the day. I
noticed too that I have really strange dreams on
friday night (?) and also that I sleep pretty late on
Saturday and can feel pretty run down and flu-ish on
Saturdays. but I'm feeling better by Saturday evening
and back to my old self for Monday.

I used to take the mtx on Wednesday, but then I felt
pretty fatigued the remaining of the week. I hope that
you will be able to figure out a good plan for that will
work for you. Get some rest this weekend!

Linda I take 25mg every week (10 pills) and I've learned to take mine; with my Humira injections on Saturday nights. I think I sleep through the worst of it....but Sundays are fairly relaxed around here. I rarely plan too much as I know it's a coin toss as to if I'll be up to it or not.

I agree that taking it late on Friday night be the best things verses trying to take it during the day on Friday. That way you'll have the weekend to relax and just rest. Once you've just committed some time to rest it seems easier for me to deal with.

Injections isn't a bad idea either.

Thanks to everyone for your support and good ideas. I think I need to either get off methtrexate or try the injection. I've been dealing with this for the better part of a year and It hits me just as hard. The trouble is I'm on so many meds and I have severe drug allergies. I'm allergic to most antiobiotics including penicillin and sulfa as well as aspirin and all NSAIDS. I had such a bad reaction to ultram after skin cancer surgury, that I decided to forgo it for the second surgury and just depended on tylenol. Now I'm on prednisone, plaquanil,methetrexate,folic acid, and enbrel. The doc says I'll be totally disabled if I go off meds and unable to work. Right now not working sounds like not a bad idea.

Boy am I whining today.

How do you know which meds are working or not working when you have multiple diagnoses? With me it's RA,OA, fibro, and Sjogren's. I know Enbrel only helps the RA because they told me so.

I too am on a high dose. I take mine in the late afternoon/ early (two step)evening. I have found that I sleep through the worst of it and usually still after 3 years I am very sluggish the next day. Ergo, I don't plan anything and I don't even get dressed most the time. I keep my diet the day of and the day after very bland and if it's bad I drink a lot of tea instead of anything fizzy. It seems to ward off most the upset stomach. Although for a while it seemed to have gotten better it's now back to being a 50/50 thing. It may be because I have not been feeling well though. So... maybe change your day and do the most of it in the evening so that you can sleep though it. And remember to keep the diet light and bland. See what that does for a couple of weeks.

Hang in there and be sure to keep us posted.

Linda,

I drink the injectible MTX with 8 oz of water after a big, high carb/protein breakfast. I found that if I drink water ALL day that I have very few side effects-at worst a slight headache on the third day. I also taught school for 24 years. I know, depending on the age group you teach, drinking lots of water can be a problem.

If I don't drink the water all day, my headache is much worse.

Good luck and hope you will have better luck if you switch.

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[QUOTE=haishibushuohao]The pain will be over.
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[/QUOTE]

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[/QUOTE]Back to the topic.

Linda, I take 8 Methotrexate a week. It took me several weeks to get past the nausea. I just stuck with it and was determined that something was going to work. I guess I'm stubborn sometimes.

What also works for me is to take 3 at breakfast, 3 at lunch and 2 at supper. I also make sure that I have a good volume of food in my stomach at one time. I'm not saying "pig out" but just that eating "light" does not work for me on that day.

Have you tried inceasing your folic acid? Hope something works for you soon.

Take care.trtkdt41 Thanks for the advice. I do take folic acid with the metetrexate. I can only tolerate 3 mtx spaced out at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I take 4 folic acids every day. I wonder if taking more folic acid would help.what is the doseage of the folic acid you are taking???

Is it possible for you to take at lunch dinner and late night?

I don't need a full stomach so i eat a quick can of fruit when i take a pill, you can do so late at night when you take it if it helps you.

Be sure when you take MTX to take it with a full glass of water!! Same with the Lucovorin or Folic Acid. If you still are having side-effects, talk to your rheumatologist who may have more tricks up their sleeves to prevent them.

So far my only problems with the MTX is fatigue, particularly the next day and a bit of nausea later but not bad. I am currently taking Leucovorin (super folic acid) 12 hours after taking the MTX, and then folic acid every day in addition. It seems to have done the trick thus far.

Even if you are on the injectible form of MTX, please be sure to drink a lot of water, keep yourself well hydrated. This helps not only deliver the drug but also helps your liver and kidneys process it.

I agree with the advice from VTmtngirl re taking water.

I've been taking drugs of varying descriptions for RA for 20 years now, mostly at meal times and I alway have a pint of water at the table which I use to take the meds and drink through the meal. Of course, the great British cuppa (cup of tea to all you out there in the US), is also consumed in fair quantities during the day! So far, no adverse liver profiles and I'm on 25mg MXT by injection. I've just started Leflunamide (7 days now) and so far all is OK with that No, no, you misunderstood, the injectible are...just drink lots of WATER after you have given yourself the injection!!

You can drink the injectible form! That is what I do. My husband pulls .3 ml from the vial and I mix it with water. I drink it down and havve no nasuea or fatigue. No taste at all.

I have a very queasy stomach so the doc recommended this instead of pills. Works like a charm and I am doing great!