I have been on mtx for about 10 weeks and have gone from very horrible to pretty good. I am also on 15 mg prednazone and Doc says he will wean off further as my symptoms disappear. I am very encouraged with the progress. I have now come down with a very bad cold. Doc told me if this happens, stop the mtx temp. I am wondering what others do. Also how bad does this set one back?
Thanks for all the great info.
Stopping MTX for a week is not going to hurt you. It stays in your body for 6 weeks. If you think it might be an infection, you should get checked out and see if you need an antibiotic. I'm fighting a sinus infection right now and I didn't even know I had one. So, it can be elusive. When in doubt, call the doctor's office and see what they recommend.
I've never stopped my mtx when I've had a cold, but you should if your doctor has suggested it.
I had to go off of my mtx for about a month due to a very low white blood cell count cuased by the mtx. I didn't notice a difference while I was off for that long.
Hi,
I stop my MTX for the week if I have a heavy cold (ie not just a sniffle) or any sign of infection (phlegm that's not clear, cough, any sign of high temperature). My Rheum Nurse says it won't set me back too far - it stays in your system for a few weeks. I think the main danger is that your cold or infection will take too long to clear because your MTX slows your body's reaction to it. Hope you're feeling better soon!
KT
When I was on MTX alone I never stopped it; but I was rarely sick either. Now while on Humira too I stopped both while I was sick with an infection. Just a cold.....I never stop either. If it's bad enough to see a doctor then proable so.
That's real helpful, huh? (Sorry; we're all different and so are our doctors)
I have a cold turned sinus infection right now that started Dec 17th. After Augmenten 875mg I finally had to skip a week of MTX yesterday in order to try and beat this infection. MTX has not done a great job for me so I hope I don't suffer too much more until the next dose. My rheumy suggested it and I think you should check with your doc first.I had a bad cold over Christmas break, and my rheumy told me to skip that week's dose of Mtx, too. I was pretty sore by the following week, but I think it did help me battle the cold to skip the Mtx just that one time. And I went back to feeling pretty good pain-wise within just a few days after I resumed the Mtx the following week.
I just started Humira injections this week in addition to the Mtx (which I've been on for about 6 months now), so I'm hoping I won't get sick again anytime soon, and that the Humira will really help.