Thought I'd pass along some observations that might be of interest to others. I've been taking MTX for about 2 years, 17.5 mg per week. The MTX has been pretty effective but recently has not done as well and the side effects seemed to be getting worse. I started Humira about 4 months ago and have slowly been reducing the MTX...about 1 pill every 2 weeks. I finally am at zero MTX this week. So, here's my observations.
So far, no increase in the RA symptons since starting the Humira...which for me means no flares but some occasional soreness / stiffness.
The MTX side effects; nausea, diarrea, fatigue, dizziness, light headedness, shortness of breath, stayed fairly constant throught the whole process until the MTX dose was below 5 mg per week, then tapered off...no side effects at all this week.
It's still too soon to draw real conclusions, but it appears that there's very little, if any, side effects from the Humira and it is at least as effective as the MTX for controlling the RA. It feels good to be off the MTX...don't know what the future will be bring...just trying to stay focused on the present. I was surprised at how small a dose of MTX caused the side effects, while it takes a much larger dose to get a benefit...at least for me; I know everyone's response to meds is different. Anyway, so far, I'm glad I decided to try to reduce the meds.
Alan
Cool...I just graduated to a "Groupie" with this post...life is good!I'm going solo on Humira as well. I was on Enbrel, it started to lag and my rheumy was keen on trying MTX with it. I gave it a go but MTX has never worked for me, I've taken it alone and in combo with lots of other meds - gold, arava, plaquenil, imuran.
So when I switched to Humira, I figured why not try it straight up. I've only taken two shots so far but so far so good.
And congrats on becoming a Groupie!
I do not swell as much as I use to. My right knee use to look like a grapefruit when it would swell. I do however swell maybe 2 weeks total out of a month now, unlike before. Like today my right knee is swelled, you know the hard swelling where it is hard to bend your knee and it feels like your knee cap is going to flying thru the air if you bend your knee?
I hope you have good results without the MTX and just Humira.
And congrats on the group upgrade!
I was just going to start a post asking if anyone is taking Remicade alone. It's all I'm on. I was on Arava until July but it raised my liver enymes, so this is my 4th month with just Remicade and I feel as well as I did with the added arava, until the past few days. I started having a little back pain and then just a little neck pain and then I noticed my knees hurt more than usual when I bent down. I'm getting a little worried that maybe the Arava is slowly wearing off- that it has been helping a little the past 4 months and maybe I'm going to have a flare. I'm half way between infusions. I was so glad to read that there are a few people having success on just a biologic drug. That gives me hope. Alan, I'm off the MTX and continuing with a low dose of prednisone, plaquanil, and enbrel. The MTX makes me feel so ill for days after I take it. I don;t get nauseous, but it makes me dizzy and lethargic, and depressed. It completely saps my energy. Off the MTX I am having slightly more problems with swollen joints, but I feel mentally so much better. The doctor is talking about putting me on Avara. Is that like the MTX in terms of side effects?What kind of side effects have you had with the Humira? Is it an infusion?Humira is an injection...every other week for me. I haven't noticed any side effects since I stopped the MTX.
It took a long time for MTX to work for me when I started so I also wonder if it takes a long time to wear off. At this point I definitely prefer being on Humira without the MTX...but we'll see what happens. I also felt dizzy at times and short of breath, like it was hard to breathe. I would have to sit down for a few minutes and it usually passed. I was never sure that it was the MTX, but it's definitely subsided since I started reducing it.
I figure that if I'm going to be on these meds the rest of my life I need to figure out what the minimum, lowest impact dose, that's effective is so I don't take unnecessary risks long term. It takes a lot of patience though and sometimes it's hard to tell what are RA symptons and what are side effects from the meds, particulary things like fatigue, malaise, etc.
I'm not familiar with Avara.
Arava is like MTX. Women who want children anytime soon shouldn't take it.
http://www.arava.com/patient/home.do
From what I hear and read, mtx has more annoying side effects like stomach upset, than Arava. I haven't tried mtx but I can tell I didn't feel bad at all on Arava. I did have some hair loss but it grew back when my rd cut my dose in half. Also, You really have to keep up with your bloodwork.Alan,
So happy for your milestone. And, I am so jealous. Please forgive me. I'm maxed out on my meds and they still don't work. I cannot imagine life without MTX, side effects and all. When they dropped it down to 20 mg from 25 mg, I hurt so much worse and was much sicker. So, I'm back up to the 25 mg at my request. I really noticed the difference.
But, I still am estactic to see anyone reach this. It is the goal of being on the biologics. I think you should treat yourself to something special and really, really celebrate.
Awesome news!
You are a very generous person and I appreciate your kind words...an unselfishness, caring spirit is a rare gift in this world. Hopefully it will last a while, but today I choose not to look too far into the future. I'm off to San Francisco to practice with the Noe Valley Orchestra...good people and the music lifts my spirits. Thank You!
Alan
Alan, How wonderful that you are feeling well enough to play with the Noe Valley Orchestra. Keep up the good work.
Me and my baby!
That is so cool, Alan!