Questions | Arthritis Information

I am taking 10MG of MTX and I am now starting to lose hair. I have always had a ton of hair. Today I had to get liquid plumber to clean out my drains. I have also been cleaning out my brushes regulalry of lots of hair.
Question. My doc prescribed 1 mg of folic acid a day. l Have heard that people are taking 5mg on this board. Am I taking enough?

I am getting my hair dyed on tuesday and am wondering if that is a bad idea with the MTX??? I really need my hair done for my son and daughter in laws baby shower.

Also, I got car sick last wednesday early afternoon ( I take MTX on Monday night) I really got so sick I came home from the store and threw up. Now I am wondering if it was the MTX upsetting my stomach even though it was a few days after taking the MTX. This has never happened before.

I take it again tomorrow and am going to watch for signs of nauseation again.

Also, once in awhile I get a dry cough and I read that is not good with MTX. Whats with that?

I think my MTX dosage is pretty low so, I cant understand why I would be having any side effects. My next doctor appointment is in the first week of April.

I guess I am concerned mostly because in the long run my meds are working pretty well so far.
Sorry for all the questions, maybe I should just do one at a time but if anyone can help on any questions that would be great.

thinkthinn,

Hello! Sorry you are having a tough time with MTX. Have you tried injectables? That might eliminate some of the problems if they are related to the MTX.

As for the hair loss, I don't know much about that. I wouldn't think you would have that much trouble on such a low dose, but who knows. I'm assuming you have checked other things like thyroid, etc? I just got my hair highlighted and didn't have any problem.

As for the car sickness, I really doubt it was related to the MTX. I could be wrong. If you live anywhere amongst other living humans,

As for the cough, it is hard to know if that is MTX related, the weather, a cold, etc.

Bottom line, I would call my RD and run all these questions by him/her. No question is insignificant or dumb. Better to be safe than sorry.

Keep us up to date!

Lori

The most important part of your post is the part about the dry cough. I have always been warned to go to urgent care right away if I develope a dry cough with mtx usage. My hair falls out with the mtx, yes it certainly does. You have some concerns that should be discussed with a doctor and I strongly suggest you seek medical attention in the very near future. I ignored a dry cough and finally went to urgent care after sharp left lung pains especially laying down and after starting to cough and not being able to stop, I went to urgent care. By then THE TOP 30% OF MY LEFT LUNG HAD DIED. I had to quit smoking. I love smoking.

I don't think it matters so much the level of your dosage but how you individually respond to the medicine. Some people just can't tolerate it at any dosage. You might adjust after awhile. Certainly call the doctor. There is something that they can prescribe that helps with the hair loss and it is important that you are taking enough folic acid. But the dry cough thing should be checked especially if you are getting sick in the middle of the week. You could easily have an infection and the MTX could be masking it. One of the side effects, though uncommon, with MTX is lung problems which obviously levlarry learned.

Call the doc or make an appointment. You really need to be examined to make sure something serious is not happening. Probably isn't anything more than a series of circumstances, but why take a chance.

mtx can kill yor lung? uggggggg.

they really need to find something that works besides mtx with fewer side effects.

MTX scares me! My DR. says all meds are scary. I have a rash but he said not from the MTX? Also for a day and half after taking it I feel wiped out, and I have headaches alot. He tells me it's not the MTX. We put our lives in these peoples hands, now that is scary! He is foreign and I have trouble understanding him, he has a good reputation and is the only one my insurance covers within 100 miles. Any suggestions?