HI all, I am curently taking 400mg of Plaquenil a day, seemed to help at first, now,, well things have been quit painful and stiff, feel like the tin man from Wizard of OZ, ya know "oil can!" I am guessing my next option would be Methotrexate, can anyone tell me what to expect, as far as side effects, cost, effectiveness, etc? I will See my Rheumatologist in January again.
Thanks!
Jena
Hi Jena,
Mtx has worked very well for me. I've had very few side effects from it. Of course it's not always the same for everyone. For some it causes fatigue, tummy problems, mouth sores, thinning hair... make sure to ask your doctor about taking folic acid while taking mtx. That should help with side effects.
You'll also be having your blood checked to make sure there aren't any problems with your liver.
Good luck...hope you tolerate it well and it works for you.
Kelly
MTX also worked well for me, though I no longer take it. There were some unpleasant side effects but nothing severe. I got a lot of relief for about 2 years. It's inexpensive and very commonly used for RA patients. I had my blood tested every 2 months and took Folic Acid.
Alan
The tin man from Wizard of Oz...now that brings back memories. A little music please:
When a man's an empty kettle he should be on his mettle,
And yet I'm torn apart.
Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind-a-human,
If I only had heart.
I'd be tender - I'd be gentle and awful sentimental
Regarding Love and Art.
I'd be friends with the sparrows ...
and the boys who shoots the arrows
If I only had a heart.
Picture me - a balcony. Above a voice sings low.
Wherefore art thou, Romeo? I hear a beat....
How sweet.
Just to register emotion, jealousy - devotion,
And really feel the part.
I could stay young and chipper
and I'd lock it with a zipper,
If I only had a heart.
So far, MTX has been a god-send for me...no side effects and RA mostly undercontrol. I am still working the the RD to get the correct dosage.
I like MTX. I inject 15mg every week. If you have stomach issues, I would ask to go straight to the injectable form. I also take 2 mg folic acid every day. That is very important while you are on MTX!!! It helps to prevent hair loss and mouth sores. I am tired and run down feeling the day after my shot. But that is the only side effect I really have from it.
I can live an almost normal life with the occasional weather and oops I overdid it again flare up. I still fatigue easily but have learned to deal with that.
I am also on MTX and Folic acid in Pill forms and have had no ill effects or issues. My RA is under control and life is decent.Good Luck with the MTX! Keep us posted!
I had to drop the MTX dosage for a while and the remicade sdidn't work as well. I take the pills, friday afternoon. I get a little nauseated, but not too bad, and very tired. Saturday I just kinda float through the day. I take folic acid with the pills. I have had pretty bad mouth sores, and a little bit of hair thinning. Just enough that I need to make sure i keep my hair cuts up and take care of the coloring because if I dont do the upkeep its more noticible with the thinning. I've been on MTX a couple years it took a few months to get used to it. Dear Jena, Donīt be afraid of MTX, It has been ok for me to for 12 years 7,5 mg weekly. Don,t forget to take Acid Folic 10 mg a day after and to ptrotect your liver suplement wiht Milk Twistle. Wobenzym N is miraculus to controle pain instead of Nsaids. Eat as more natural possible,is the secrect. Be optimist. Hi Jena, MTX is a standard for RA and does help the majority of people. The previous posts about taking folic acid with mtx are right on. I had to stop taking it, however, because I would lose 2 days out of seven to extreme fatigue. I would lie on the sofa like a lead weight for most of those two days. Then I feel pretty good for five days. I just could not afford to give up those days. auntiannie
I take an MTX Arava mix. Took the MTX for 4 - 5 months, and not much happened. Added the Arava, and Bingo. My RA is under control. Not perfect, but tolerable. So much so, that I'm almost down to 4.5 mg. of prednisone a day - I was at 20 a year ago, and 15 until around June.
I have had mouth sores and hair loss, but now I take leucovorin for it (it's a concentrated form of folic acid) and I'm doing really well. There's that moment when you first take MTX & think, this stuff is poison - but you get past it pretty quickly.
If you take it and don't get results right away, don't give up. It's a good drug.
hi
ii have been taking methotrexate pills for 2 years (15mg weekly) with 5mg folic acid every day except the day i take the pills. i am now moving on to the methotrexate injection once a week (still 15mg). the thing about methotrexate is that you will have side effects unless you take the folic acid, also it take s a little while to be effective (12-24 weeks i thknk) and you need to be taking some kind of anti inflammatory until that happens
anna_uk
Folic Acid has a strong likelyhood of decreasing the effectiveness of
the methotrexate when taken the on same day. Take folic acid on all the
other 6 days of the week. I am on 20mg mtx a week and 5 mg folic acid 6
days a week.
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