Hello everyone! Went to the dr. Yesterday due to the pain and numbness in my hands. On top of PSA she would like me to have the diagnosis of carpel tunnel (sp?) . My good friend thinks the MTX is causing nerve damage.
The DR. Has upped the MTX to 8 pills and doubled the folic acid, I have made an appt. with a hand specialist, but my frustration is building. Does anyone see a chiropractor ? Thank you for any responses! Frustrated Libby!
wow i didnt know methotrexate could cause nerve damage. i inject 25mg a week n folic on non inject days plus iron and sertraline. i have felt so ill for so long but they only stopped the jabs for a few weeks when i got shingles. my meds come in a bottle and ive done a little research but not found out a lot about the long term side effects. at the mo im getting migrains and a lot of sickness still after 7 months of jabs i also have random pv bleeding and cramps and generally feel like death. but the jabs work so so well and i am finally indipendant....sort of...but the more i read on side effects the more frightened i am. befor inject i did a few years on 8 tabs a week of methotrexate.
Libby please tell your good friend that MTX does not cause carpel tunnel syndrome. Your disease of psoriatic arthritis does. Once the MTX kicks in and starts helping with your inflamation you should see some improvement with the carpel tunnel . did the doctor suggest another Nsaid like naproxen or diclofenac or even IBProfen? you should ask what else you could be taking. Meanwhile ice your wrists, wear splints and get a book called"Psoriatic Arthitis the FACTs" written by
DR Dafna Gladman and DR Vinod Chandran , read it and give it to your friend to read. It is a small book and easy to read and understand. Dr Gladman is one of the foremost authorities in Canada on Psoriatic Arthritis.
I know you are frustrated this is a frustrating disease. It drives me out of my skull some days. While your friend loves you and wants to help you she is as scared for you as you scared of all the new symptoms that happen with our disease . Please heed the advice of your doctors . good luck with the hands.
Injected mtx can cause injection site nerve damage. You dont inject in your hand though I would think. Many patients experiencing injection sight nerve damage were also on Enbrel or Leflunomide. I did not see anything in my research about nerve damage from the pills, and more about nerve damage and neuropathy in cancer patients. I've heard of nerve damage happening when chronic conditions cause constant pain and pts end up with fibro. I'm no expert, but I wouldn't jump right on the idea that it is the mtx causing carpal tunnel. If anything, the mtx could likely have held it off longer, or even lessen its severity. Hang in there. Hugs and prayers and peace for your frustrations. The meds can be scary, but I'm at peace with it because permanent dibilitation scares me more. Hope you find your answers.
I have yet to have an injection site reaction of any kind from either of my 2 injectable drugs MTX and Humira. Well to be honest I have had a couple of bruises and only because I hit right into a small blood vessel. When I see these research studies done on these I always wonder how many patients are we talking about, did they have proper instruction on how to dispense their meds and how old were they, were they suffering from other neurological problems? I wonder what the odds of have injection site nerve damage are given the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of us that are injecting MTX weekly.
I love knowing these obscure facts :)
Yes, the studies do make it difficult to ascertain "which came first...the chicken or the egg". People on dmards and biologics to begin with are on these meds because of a disease. The diseases themselves make the patient more prone to many symptoms and other piggy-back ailments, including neuralgia, neuropathy, bowel issues etc. because of the systemic inflammation. So complicated!
2trees said:
I have yet to have an injection site reaction of any kind from either of my 2 injectable drugs MTX and Humira. Well to be honest I have had a couple of bruises and only because I hit right into a small blood vessel. When I see these research studies done on these I always wonder how many patients are we talking about, did they have proper instruction on how to dispense their meds and how old were they, were they suffering from other neurological problems? I wonder what the odds of have injection site nerve damage are given the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of us that are injecting MTX weekly.
I love knowing these obscure facts :)
Thank you all so much, I am panicking because my pain keeps increasing. My friend does mean well, but we have a different disease. I knew I would get more info on this site! I do not inject the MTX still just pills, I no longer suffer from fatigue which was so frustrating! My pain does keep increasing, but I will continue with the MTX . 2trees I will find that book and continue to learn.
I don't know about Carpal Tunnel being Exactly the right words but they symptoms are the same.......
BUT its not the MTX as its Its a systemic drug.
Someone asked about a DC for it? I've talked to folks who have had good luck with both massage and manipulation. Accupressure helps others.
MTX is a real injection as oppose to the weenie needle with the biologics, so you should ALWAYS pull back just a wee bit (its called back aspiration) to make sure you aren't in a blood vessel. It not only avoids bruising but makes sure the drugs are properly absorbed (not too fast.
I'm not sure what injection site damage implies BUT why is it a bad thing??? I use my upper leg for all my shots. The subQ Enbrel and a steroid injection. The droid uses a 2" needle that I could drop the Enbrel needle into and have it rattle around (it does) They come in a box of 100 so also use them to inject marinade into chickens before throwing them into the smoker... Any way they are BIG needles.....
Back to the upper leg. I have the SI thing, make the top of the leg a bit numb - shots hurt less.... The cool thing is I have three freckles on that leg in a perfect triangle (about an inch across). I have learned there aren't any blood vessels under them. So I use the Freckles as a target for the Big shots and do the Little subQ shots in the triangle. Over the years it has gotten more numb...... So what?
Hi Libby,
You have heard much from the wise ones, I have mild CT, and Raynauds, and PsA, so that has something to do with my numbness, but I also have a bad disc that hits the Sciatic nerve. DC says it is the major cause, the others just add a little more flavor to the broth!
MX is a very, very unlikley cause here, it is just progression of the disease, or a disc out of place, or another Auto immune disease that hoppped on top. If your pain has increased that substantially, best to get to one of your Docs. CT is no fun, even mild cases, but look up Raynaud's that may take you onto a different plane of thought on this.
I know it is no fun, the wrist splints may help, just don't get them overly tight as I did or the pain could increase. My advice, in case it is Raynaud'd is use heat, ice could send you into a new definition of a 10 on the pain scale!
I hope that we have helped you, start writing these things down so that you have it all together when talking to your any of your doctors.
Chiropractors are great, mine adjusts my wrists, but it will not stop progression. Sorry, one may be able to help with diagnosis.
Welcome to the group!
SK
I hat to bring up an old subject but I am new to this. I went to the ER about 3 months ago with the center of both of my hand burning. I was sent to a specialist who said I have Carpal Tunnel. I had Carpal Tunnel surgery on both hands about 1 month ago. The pain and swelling in my hands have gotten worse after the surgery. I make my living on the computer as an Architect. I now am having problems with my hands that is proventing me from working more than an hour or two before the pain and swelling stops my desire to do anything. My fingers on my right hand are numb/hypersensitive. My Dr. who did the surgery was well aware that I have PsA. He said that I have Neropothy (sp) and said you have Carpal Tunnel. He said that it will take a year for the final result of the surgery. Any sensations left after a year, I will be stuck with?
Does or has any one else have these same problems and what can you tell me. I am frustrated. I have dead lines to meet and work alone out of my house now.