I've been taking MTX for about nine months. Lately my fatigue has been so bad that I'm really wondering what is going on. I've had bouts of fatigue before, but this is different. I've always been able to push through it before; not so this time. I work part-time and after four hours at school today, I came home so tired that I actually went to bed at 3 p.m. I thought it would be a nap, but woke up at midnight. Bad thing is I don't feel rested. I'm grading papers and want desperately to go back to bed. And this happens most days. There is no energy to do my usual work, much less anything left for the things I might actually enjoy. It isn't that I've lost interest--I'd LOVE to go shopping, take a trip, even just watch a movie. I can't remember the last time I made it all the way through a movie without falling asleep! Is MTX doing this to me? Rheumy appointment isn't until next month and I know I need to deal with this with her, but I am wondering what others taking this drug have to say about this kind of fatigue. It's a problem for me, but it's beginning to also be a problem for DH and for my students, too, because I just can't keep up these days. Thanks in advance for your input!
Ah, Byrd. Funny you should mention this: I was going to ask something similar. I've been on MTX for six months, and I've not had any effects from it, either bad or good. Felt a bit tired at the beginning, but I thought that might have been my imagination.
On Sunday, I took my usual dose of MTX, and I was overcome by fatigue like I can't remember having before. I went to bed. Monday, same thing, but not quite as bad. Today, nothing noticeable. I also thought my pain level was reduced on Sunday, but was that because I was too tired to do anything?
It's so frustrating to try to figure out what's going on and what works. I'm wondering if my body is finally beginning to respond to the MTX, after six months. Is that the way it works? Does the once-a-week blast of poison chip away at the body's defenses until it runs out of auto-immune ammo?
I don't know ... does anybody here have an idea?
Seenie
Hi Seenie, and thanks for responding to my message! I'm sorry you are having the same kind of fatigue issues I am. It's always something, I guess. I've always taken MTX on Friday evenings and Saturdays have most often been TLs because of just plain feeling wiped out. But I could always get back to life by Sunday. Now it's 24/7.
I know this could be symptomatic of something new and different <sigh>. The truth is, I plain do not trust this drug and implicate it when I get a hangnail. Maybe I am doing that again. Frankly, I'm almost hoping it is the MTX because then it would be a simple thing to take care of--just stop the MTX. You raise some interesting questions I hadn't considered. Maybe I'm just now feeling total FX after all these months?
It's hard to solve the problem right now; I don't have the energy to even think about it. :>( Not a happy byrd.
I'm sorry you are feeling the same and hope we both get some answers soon!