Mtx affects people differently and you may not be as bad as you fear after you take it. The first few weeks may be worse, but often the symptoms go away or lessen. Taking folic acid helps with side effects, so make sure you take that daily. Some people do better with the shots than the pills, so if you have many problems you can ask you doctor about that too.
I've never had hair loss, nausea or too many problems with mtx. I don't feel great when I take it, but it doesn't ruin the next few days for me. You'll figure it out the best time for less disruption of your life.
Also, I didn't have a drink for the first year while on it, but now I do once in a while and it doesn't seem to be a problem. I'd wait for a few liver checks, if I were you, but mtx doesn't mean never having a glass of wine again.
Hang in there. Better days ahead!
Hi Debra,
Try not to worry to much about the mtx...I know, easier said than done. I was terrified of mtx after reading about it. I've been taking it now for 15 years..25mgs, and I haven't had any bad side effects. I hope you'll be just as lucky as I have been with the mtx.
Talk with your doctor...see what she/he says about the occasional drink. I have the occasional glass of wine when I feel like it and I've not had any problems so far. But of course everyone's different, so see what your doctor thinks.
Good luck!
Kelly
I simply had to switch to the injectible because of the sickness part, so far now I don't get ill at all.. (knock on wood.) Big Improvement.I felt a little nauseous at times when I was on MTX but was really no big deal. The overall fatigue which was caused by both RA and MTX was worse. I never had any issues the day or day after I took MTX although I know it is common.Oh debrakay, I am so sorry about the Dx. It is ok to cry and get it all out as that was a tough appointment. I cried when the Dr added OA. I do get nauseous on MTX and fatigued later that day. Maybe take it Thursday after work and by Friday evening if you have any side effects they should be about over. Just a suggestion and maybe you will tolerate MTX without noticing any effects. I do hope it helps your diseases quickly.
Take care.
I drank very lightly before I started on MTX. I don't drink AT ALl now. Yesterday we went out to dinner at a very nice place and I ordered my usual, a virgin Tom Collins.. Lovely taste same glass, liver sparing.
They can make most mixed drinks virgin.. daquiris, margaritas, collins.. ask for something still in a martini glass. You wo'nt stand out in a crowd as though you are drinking a Shirley Temple in a sippeee cup, but you wont hurt your liver either.
i know the bummed feeling though.. gee another thing I'm NOT ALLOWED..
It's not as scary as it sounds. I don't really have any 'biggie' effects from the MTX. A bit tired the next day. Take it Thursday and by Saturday you should feel OK. A drink once in a while won't be a problem, my rheumy said a drink or two a week is OK. I don't have that much but I don't worry when I do have one. I had a little bit of nausea for the first month or so after taking the MTX, nothing now though. Feel your way through the next few weeks and you should be able to come to an understanding of how you will feel after your dose and you can sort out when the best time is for YOU to take your weekly cocktail of goodies.
Pam
I'm awfully sorry about your bad news. It sucks. And, it will take time for both you and your husband to get your heads around it. Sometimes the people we care most about, that we expect the most comfort from, open their big mouths and the worst things come out. There's grieving in this acceptance process for both of you. It going to take a lot of talking and crying.
The MTX for most people is not that big of deal. At least you know to experiment which day you want to try it. And, you know what to do if you have problems. I was much sicker at first and then I got it done to a routine which my family learned to live with. You didn't ruin your husband's life. Your LIVES just got smacked by a senseless quarterback. He could just walk away from this, but you never can. No, it's best if you both face it, together. But do it a piece at a time. It's easier that way. Get through adjusting to the MTX and then see what happens. At least you are going to get treatment now and that should after a time greatly improve your health. When you have the Lupus factor, there seems to be a lower chance of joint damage.
When you are ready learn all you can about both. Go to www.lupus.org for really good info. And remember, you are not alone.
While I"m not on MTX anymore, when I was, my dr. told me one glass of wine a night would be ok. The drug companies must be cautious and put out every single warning possible. Anyway, that being said, how about a wine "spritzer" (1/2 wine, 1/2 selter water). That's what i would have on the mTx. And it's not a matter of being a "big drinker" as you said, I feel that if we were told we had to deny anything, it'd be hard. I mean, suppose they said "You can't ever have carbs again? or you can't have sweets again?" It makes you want in all the more. I think having an occasional wine is a quality of life thing. It helps to unwind, etc. I have 5 drinks a week on mtx, although my rheumy said I could have one, maybe two glasses of wine a day. A little bit of drinking is okay. (Also, I do not take many pain meds or ibuprofen, which is REALLY hard on your liver. If I need to use those I will drink less fer sure). When I first started I had a little bit of hair fall out and I do get a bit of an mtx 'hangover" a few days after I take it, but on the other hand my toes stopped curling, my knee swelling went down, I can work again, and it doesn't take me 5 hours to loosen up from the morning stiffness. Also, every single piece of funrniture in the world does not feel like a torture device. I am sorry to hear about your health but I wish you Good Luck!I appreciate all the feedback. I guess I'm trying to think "worse case scenerio" for getting sick on MTX. I think I'll try the Thursday deal, and hopefully if I do get sick, it will just involve Friday. My fingers are crossed.
Thanks again for the help. My head was spinning trying to come to a decision.
I really do hope that I don't lose hair, the Lupus is already taking away what little I have. Bald men are cute, but a bald woman? Hhmm.
I agree that a little drinking is ok on mtx, but you must get your bloodwork done and liver stats have to be normal. Let your body get used to the mtx. Hopefully you are starting with a small dose not 25 mg.
When I was on MTX I took the middle ground - I took mine on Wed or Thursday. I was ok for the first 2 hours and then crummy for a day, and OK by Sat.
I switched to Arava and have not had any troubles at all with that. I wish I had known about inj MTX - since most of my troubles were gut problems the switch to inj may have been fine for me.
Try not to envision your whole life as completely ruined by this disease. Hopefully the treatments will work and you will do well. Just go 1 day at time for a bit. Same for your husband. Most of us do OK. Attitude has a lot to do with getting through a normal life - but it even more important when you are challenged by an illness.
I'm glad you love your job. It is really a god send to have work you really love.
Debrakay, it's so hard to hear what we knew and thought we were ready for. I guess there's always some part of us that's holding out hope that it's not so.
What are you gonna do with that hubby of yours?
I hope your rheumy allows you a little bit of alcohol with MTX if you still want it. I know exactly what you mean about latching on to something as soon as it's taken away.
And I think we all latch on two one or two things that seem pretty small but we get surprisingly upset over them. I know it's true for me. I think it's a way for us to process things. The whole banana is just too big to process, and if we got upset enough to count for the big stuff maybe we'd just implode. So we get obsess over the smaller stuff. My theory anyway.
RKGal,
How are you? I haven't seen you on here much. I like your theory, it's probably on the money.
What am I going to do with hubby? shoot him?
Debrakay, are you old enough to remember consciousness raising sessions? Probably not. Anyway, I think we ought to schedule some consciousness raising group sessions for mates, friends, and assorted hangers on who insist on not getting it in a big way, or who must always make our disease all about Them!
Personally I'm doing fair to middling, but it could be worse. My new gig is peripheral and trigeminal neuropathy and probably a major case of Sjogren's to go with the RA. My doc's reaction to the news that the neuropathy is spreading really fast is to take me off plaquenil and tell me to come see him in a week. Since celebrex is also potentially associated with neuropathy, I'm off that too just to be sure it's not the culprit. So I've just begun my week (and more, I'm sure) of no-medicine hell. They get you hooked on feeling a little better and then they yank the rug out. I may be drinking for you and me both before the week is out.
Thanks for the tip Felines.
Rk - Sorry about your situation at the moment. Please, feel free to drink a very large chilled martini forme. It must suck having zero meds. I have thought about that from time to time, because pre-prednisone life was hell. Now it's just a tad "warm", lol. Take care and good luck this week. I hope your doctor sorts it out.
RKgal, why are they taking you off Plaquenil. Is it because of the neuropathy?