Hi again guys, keeping you busy tonight with all these questions, sorry! I was wondering how much folic acid people take weekly for MTX side effects, I am on 80mg a week but am really losing my hair, what to do? Love Janie. (Currently split dose of 7.5mg MTX MON and same on Thurs, 12 hrs later 20mg folic acid, 10mg next day and 5mg other days.)
Janie, Let me get this straight. You take 80mg a week of MTX?
I take 10 mg a week ( 4 pills) then the day after 4 mg folic acid and one mg folic acid every other day the rest of the week to total 7mg of folic acid a week.
I think 80mg of MTX is rather high. Isnt it?
No sorry if I made the message confusing, just shows you what state I am always in, 80mg of Folic Acid a week and 15mg MTX p.w. Thanks Janie.
in the states most people take 1-2mg per day. You are peeing out most of the dose you are takingI take 5 mgs folic acid each day...even the day of mtx. I take 25 mgs mtx
Hi , I take 20 mtx, and 1mg. of folic acid. I asked my doc twice if that was enough and he said yes. So taking 5 mgs is different (how much mtx? does kel take?).
Sarah
I take it daily; but I'm not sure of the mg. I'll check and let you know. Are you sure you mean 80 mgs? That would be an astronomical amount of Folic Acid. I take 2 mgs/day.I'm on .8ml of mtx and 14 mg of folic acid.
Currently I'm taking MXT 17.5mg inject. and 4 mg. of Folic Acid 6Xweek.my rheumy just increased my mtx. to .6ml inj.once a week of mtx. and still has me take 1mg folic acid daily.
kel
Yes Jeanne, I definitely take 80mg per week of folic acid and 15mg MTX.Hi Jane,
When it was explaine dto me the Dr said that the MTX depletes the folic acid in your body (that you get from food etc) and so you have to take massive doses to compensate. As folic acid is one of the vitamins that you pee out if you've got too much in your body there is no real danger of overdosing (as there is with some others). In the Uk we are advised not to take any folic acid on the day we take MTX as a) the MTX will deplete the folic acid you're taking and b) the folic acid might interfere with the MTX so it doesn't work as well. I take 7.5mg MTX a week and 5mg of folic acid every day except the day I take the MTX. If I forget the folic acid for any reason I get more mouth ulcers and nausea. When I started on MTX my hair started falling out more quickly but it seems to have stabilised and now it's a bit thinner than it was but not getting any worse. It sounds like your Dr is trying a higher dose of the folic acid to help you tolerate the MTX - if it's working it sounds like a good idea!
KT
My doctor has me take leucovorin (folinic acid) instead of folic acid with my MTX. According to him it does a better job at relieving the side effects of the MTX. I don't have any noticeable side effects from the MTX, so I think it's working. I take 10mg leucovorin at the same time I take my MTX (15mg) every week. (I do also get a little folic acid every day my multi-vitaimin.