So, I am set to take my first dose of MTX this weekend (yikes) and I was curious... for those of you who took it, how long did it take you to get the pain and inflammation under control?
I take my third dose this weekend and all I can say is it takes more than two weeks. I am hoping not much longer and it will be better
10/week.
yeah-- 4 pills. i didn't know you could divide them! i think i will try them at once the first time to see how it goes... if not too well, next time i will separate them. :)
Hi Natalie - week 4 for me and no improvement yet. Side effects were a bit peculiar but manageable. Don’t worry yourself if you feel a bit odd at times, it has become easier each week. Am hoping for improvement of symptoms soon but may have 8 weeks more until improvement starts. Good luck.
Hi Natalie,
It took almost the full 3 months before I felt noticeable relief. It only took about 4 weeks to get over the side effects. I just recently was bumped up to 17.5 mg/week and that, combined with Enbrel, is helping. Hope you have good success with the MTX. You might want to start a log of how you feel each day and what your symptoms are. This will help both you and your doctor track how you are responding to your meds.
Andrea
great idea andrea.. i know things start to run together with what I'm feeling. I hope that the dosage is enough for me. Dr said I need to get this under control before I can think about having kids. So I'm kind of in HURRY UP! mode. :-/ I don't want to play around for a year to figure out what works. I want it to just work. :) :) don't we all?
Natalie,
The bioligics tend to work significantly faster and better. Your insurance company probably requries that you be on the MTX for a bit before they will pay for a biologic. My rheum's practice is to give MTX one month and then start a biologic. They've had good sucess obtaining approval that way.
--Andrew
Hi Natalie,
I've been on MTX (six tabs, 15 mgs) for about 4-1/2 months now. I saw my rheumy about two weeks ago, and she said I was at the point where I should know if the MTX is going to help. Apparently, three-four months should tell the story, according to her.
I went into MTX kicking and screaming--was scared to death of it. But now that I'm on it, I'm glad I made the decision to try it. So far so good, a few side FX, but nothing horrible--some fatigue the day after I take it, and some GI issues. She says the GI problems can be addressed by changing to the injections.
It does seem to be helping, although I can't say it's a miracle in my case. But the relief I am getting is enough to make me want to continue. Some folks get dramatic result with it. I hope it works great for you!