MTX---Again!! | Arthritis Information

Hi All!

Wonder if anyone can tell me how high your liver count has to go before the Rheumy stops the MTX. I've only been on it for 4 weeks and already my liver count is up!! I'm dreading if this doesn't work cos I'm sick of being sick!!

Thanks so much---I'd really appreciate some advice here.

Marie x

Marie ask your dr about an alternative to mtx, there is one out there and maybe that is what you are going to have to go to. don't feel bad about mtx not everyone can take it. meme

I haven't had any trouble so far (knock on wood) so I honestly couldn't say...

But wanted to wish you luck. MTX has helped me more than anything else; and after three years I'm not ready to give it up.

Good Luck Marie; I hope you feel better soon.

Lovie

Hi Marie and all

This is my first post, although I have bee reading the post for a while.

Maire, check out the link below, if you follow other links on this web site it gives information about the shared care of a lot of other drugs. In the past I have had MTX stopped because of liver test results, do you know what yours are? I am also in the UK, where abouts are you?

Pat

http://www.pillroller.freeserve.co.uk/pages/methotrexate.htm

idbelucky38521.66375

Thanks for your replys and Pat, thanks for that link. Very helpful. My AST is 89 which is 3 times the upper limit but my dr and RA nurse said to continue and see what the next set of results shows!

Pat, I live in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. Where are you? Are you still taking MTX or are you on something else?

Marie.

I took MTX until my AST was 186 and then it was stopped for a couple of weeks and checked and I was able to restart MTX. That was the highest AST I ever had, usually they were lower. During the time I took MTX, about 16yrs, I had to stop taking it briefly 4x I think. Obviously my AST were not running in the normal range, but it was monitored closely. I had confidence in my Rheu... which helped a great deal. Good luck.

Barb

I am still on MTX but only 7.5mg. I had raised ALT in Jan 03 of 141, MXT was stopped and I returned to RD who restarted it at 7.5mg and when my LFT returned to a satisfactory level MTX was slowly increased to 12.5, all this took about a year. Then last year I had problems with nausea and once again MTX was reduced to 7.5mg and a few weeks later Leflunomide was added, after about 5 week of this combination my joints were feeling fairly good . At the beginning of May i saw RD again and because of the number of times I was running to the bathroom with diarrhoea + my ALT had risen to 80 and some of the other levels of the LFT were slightly out he decided to stop the Leflunomide, so once again I am only on 7.5mg MTX.

I see RD at the beginning of August and the plan then is to start Gold Injections, I think one of the big problems in changing medication is that it all takes such a long time.

I am not to far away from you, I am in Matlock, Derbyshire.

I am sure that your GP / RD will be keeping a eye on your blood results, make sure that you do not miss any of your blood test. I was told that these levels can settle once your body gets used to it and also that it can be because of inflammation caused by the RA.

Let me know how you get on.

Pat

Thanks so much! I do feel a bit better about things now.

Take care, and thanks again.

Marie