And so it begins

General Blog
1

I took my first dose of methotrexate today. I was hoping to delay the beginning of my treatment until mid-February because of a vacation we had previously planned, but I had my second Rheumy appointment yesterday and he was armed with new radiology reports and blood tests. He laid the message out loud and clear. The damage I already have is pretty severe so this is not the time to be postponing things. I need to get aggressive to stop the damage. And so it begins…

2

It took a while for the MTX to help me, but I wouldn’t like to be without it now. No side effects for me- I hope it goes well for you…Good Luck!

3

It took me a good 6 months to find the right dose and some relief. I do not have side effects to it at all. Now I am also on a biologic. My doctor started me on 500 mgs of Naproxen (Aleve) at the same time as the mtx and before the bio was started. It brought a lot of relief until the other medications kicked in and I am on it still. Good luck. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. A journey always begins with the first step.

4

Thanks.

5

I've been on methotrexate tablets for about 10 years, working up to 15 mg week, which keeps fingers from cracking and bleeding. I also take 3 mg of folic acid (not every day) to keep mouth free from sores. I've added Humira and now Remicade. It's like WD-40 to me, and allows me more movement and less pain. If I need Celebrex I take it for flare-ups. These meds are not 100% effective but I've experienced little or no side effects. I take MTX with food and drink lots of water to get it into my system. I took me a couple of months or so to notice effects of MTX. I hope it goes well for you too.

6

It took a while for MTX to work for me - and I was troubled by s number of side effects until my rheumatologist increased my folate to 5mg folate every day except MTX date - which made a big difference. I tend to take the MTX in the early evening so that I can sleep through most of the residual effects. I do hope that you get a good response and from what you say it sounds like you need to get the disease activity under control.