I have to say I am extremely excited that I found this website. I do not personally know anybody that has PsA, so it will be awesome talking to people that understand what I am going through.
Here is a little about me and my new journey with PsA
I have had chronic pain for the past three, almost four years. It first started in a knee that had previous operations. When it first started I saw my orthopedic surgeon who pointed me into the direction of a rheumatologist. At that point he told me I had PsA and put me on Plaquenil, which I had a bad reaction with. I kind of went into denial and stopped seeing him in the hopes that he was wrong and it wasn't a condition that was going to require life long treatment. I decided to deal with the pain with over the counter NSAIDS, which don't work as well anymore. Well, needless to say, the pain has gotten much worse within the past year and has spread to many other joints throughout my body. This past month I got a second opinion who confirmed my diagnoses and discussed treatment options with me. He let me think about the options and I have come to the conclusion that I am going to try Methotrexate.
What are your experiences with Methotrexate? What are your side effects? Any tips for this next step on my journey?
You now have SO many friends with PsA! And yes, we all get it.
I don’t want to sound like I’m putting you off, but of all the topics that have been discussed on this board, Methotrexate (MTX) is the clear winner in terms of frequency. If you go to the very top right of this page, you will see a search bar which will lead you to more discussions, opinions, and experiences than you will have time to read! Use both methotrexate and mtx as your search terms.
Short course. Almost all of us started on that drug. For some it does nothing (good or bad), for others it is very helpful. Some have side effects. The injectable form tends to reduce side effects Research suggests that MTX is helpful for some people in reducing symptoms, but there are some questions about whether it’s that good at preventing damage.
There’s a load of information in the Newbie sections under Discussion.
Glad you’re here, sorry you’ve got the PsA t-shirt.
Right now I'd cut off my left arm (my shoulder actually-long story) for a shot of MTX. It will be at least a month maybe 2 as I have a lot of fluoroquinolone type antibiotics on board. It did a beautiful job with my peripheral symptoms. and does for the vast majority of folks who use it. I generally ignore most complaints of side effects knowing that possible is not probable. While there are tons of posts of side effects of any med there are not bazillions of folks talking about how the meds work (they are busy doing other things) My favorite is the Ban dihydrogen monoxide movement.
Right now I'd cut off my left arm (my shoulder actually-long story) for a shot of MTX. It will be at least a month maybe 2 as I have a lot of fluoroquinolone type antibiotics on board. It did a beautiful job with my peripheral symptoms. and does for the vast majority of folks who use it. I generally ignore most complaints of side effects knowing that possible is not probable. While there are tons of posts of side effects of any med there are not bazillions of folks talking about how the meds work (they are busy doing other things) My favorite is the Ban dihydrogen monoxide movement.
Hello, sorry to have you hear but we do have to face facts and learn how to get through it together. I was just taken off my MxT because it wasn't helping. You on the other hand my have better luck. Although for side effects I had nothing except slight nausea that was rare, which I used sea bands to help avoid them, I had nothing else so you may be lucky. Maybe just a headache added on to that and new flare ups but in the end nothing really. Good luck!
My rheumatologist decided to start me on Sulfasalazine. He said I will go to the injectable MTX if I don’t see results in the next 2 months. I take my first dose tonight.
The key with SSZ is to drink more water that you think possible. That will eliminate most of the startup side effects. They do have time release versions if it effects you stomach but usually these days the build up to a therapeutic dose. If you are having any intestinal issues, this med usually helps out pretty quickly.
I had read to drink a lot of water when going on MTX as well. Ive been trying to drink 60 ounces a day so hopefully that will help. Do you think I should be drinking more than that while on SSZ? I do get a lot of stomach aches, so maybe it will help… That would be a nice bonus!
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
as an industrial solvent and coolant.
in nuclear power plants.
in the production of Styrofoam.
as a fire retardant.
in many forms of cruel animal research
in the distribution of pesticides Even after washing, product remains contaminated by this chemical
as an additive in certain junk-foods and other food products.
Once the knowledge of this product was brought out in the late 80's campuses across the country started movement to ban it. That was until somebody spilled the beans and said it was what it is - water