So I just started MTX last night at 11pm. Today everything tastes and smells the same way... it's horrible and I cannot even describe the taste. Not like any other med taste ive had before. My hands have been killing me and I feel like a big baby because they biopsied on my knuckle yesterday and the stitch is killing every time I move. My other two knuckles are starting to bleed and they are not in the "cracking/peeling" stage yet in this endless cycle. It is more the skin thickening stage. Shoud I be reporting this to an oncall derma or something? MTX warning says to call dr immediately if rash, peeling, bleeding or cracking.... I find this a bit funny because if you have that already, and it progressively gets worse with new symptoms weekly, how do you know what is caused by the PsA and the MTX? Thanks for letting me vent, and for all the positive vibes everyone
Sorry you are miserable. I have no had issues with a weird taste/smell from MTX but I have had a host of other gross side effects. It is such a balancing game to find what works best for you with the least amount of added misery. I will say that some side effects were short term - after a 2-3 weeks on a higher dose they went away. My body just needed time to adjust. I hope your icky mouth stuff goes away!
I think the 'rash' warnings are referring to more allergic reaction type of rash vs. our every day P.
A typical allergic reaction includes red rash, hives, and swelling over torso, face or and injection site. And scary ones include shortness of breath. If you have any of those symptoms, call your doc or go to the ER. If you have anything that affects your face, cheat or breathing, skip the doc and call an ambulance.
For the painful stitch on your hand, you can get bacitracin with lidocaine in it over the counter to use for a day or two. Only use it for a brief time and on small area. It can inhibit healing if you use it for too long. And its not good to use it on a large area either. Also, splint that finger so you stop moving it. For the other painful skin issues, get some good thick lotion or cream, I used to use Eucerin or the generic and slather it on with some cotton gloves. That helps a ton.
I can’t offer any advice on the mtx as I have never taken it, but I have had some nasty psoriasis! I hope you start to see some results soon, and hope that funny taste thing goes away. I would call you derm monday, just to let them know what’s going on.
The taste issue, some people seem to have a metallic type taste in their mouths from it. I'm trying to remember what the suggestion was. Peppermint?
If you take MTX pills/injections you need to take a folic acid suppliment! I started mine and had the same taste and felt a bump starting to form in my mouth (ulcer). My DR never mentioned Foloic Acid but doing some research I found many studies.
I started with 800mcg and it didn't do anything. I take 3-4x800mcg now and it works good. I could probably take more but, I'm quiting the MTX anyway. I say I could take more because I still have a slight (and mean slight) burnt tongue feeling.
It's said to also reduce other side effect like hair loss and abdominal pain <usually, caused from oral MTX.
Folic acid and an inexpensive med called leucovorin calcium diminish the side effects I experience with MTX.
I don't like MTX side effects, but I LOVE the fact that when I take MTX my pain level goes from maybe 7 - 8.5 to 1.5 - 2.5.
I was taking two meds for PsA. My doctor thought that MTX was not working for me and told me to stop taking it. I figured she knew what she was talking about and discontinued it. Ten days after my last dose I went into a major flare, which persisted for the three weeks I didn't take MTX. Within a couple of days of getting back on MTX, I could walk without much pain, write legibly, sleep through the night and my generalized inflammation was gone.
Could be a placebo effect, but it seems to work for me. Stoney, peppermint candies help me with taste distortions.
I began taking 4 tablets of MTX about 7 weeks ago. For me the first week was the worst and each subsequent dose has been easier to take. It took 3 weeks for me to noticed a reduction in my pain...then I took a couple of weeks off for an infection and the pain and inflammation came back.
Now I am restarting MTX and I resorted to a prednisone shot to curb this flare until the MTX gets working again.
Oh and I am also taking folic acid...which I wasn't given at first but thanks to this site I asked the doc for it and that may be the reason my side effects are minimal.
Hang in there...it may work really well for you.
That horrible, lingering metallic taste lasted for months with me. Somebody else called it a “bad penny” taste. I sucked a lot of sugar free mints in those days! It does go away eventually. Hope MTX works for you! It did nothing good for me, but then again, it did nothing bad either. I still take it, but was switched to injectable. I don’t think it is helpful, but Dr. Rheumie believes it will make the other meds I’m on work better. Whatever!
Seenie - I have sure seen a lot of studies that indicate that MTX does make the biologic drugs like Humira, Enbrel, etc. work better. Had a good discussion about this with my pharmacist yesterday. Pharmacists are great info sources who are often overlooked. He told me that it's getting hard for researchers to put together studies of people taking biologics with or without MTX, because the evidence that MTX does potentiate the biologics is so strange that researchers don't feel it's right to withhold MTX from the study group that wouldn't get it.
Newbie81 - Sure hope you're feeling better today. Seems like the first time with a med is sometimes the hardest and that after I've been on something a while it's casual and predictable. You'll probably figure out ways to work around any side effects that don't just go away on their own because your body gets used to the med. I eat a lot the two days before I take MTX because I don't feel like eating the day after and I want to keep my strength up. Seems like my MTX side effects appear about 13-15 hours after I take it, so I may take it in the afternoon so that I'm asleep when I'd normally be awake and aware. I have no idea when side effects might appear for you, as it depends on how quickly you metabolize a med. Or I take it late in the evening and have a few hours to get stuff done on Saturday morning before I start feeling a little yucky and very tired.
MTX isn't conducive to romance for me, but my husband will often come into the bedroom and take a nap with me on Saturday afternoons and the cudddling is nice. I try to have a good DVD around. I ask my husband not to cook anything with a strong odor, as that can make me feel real sick.
I hope MTX works as well for you as it has for me. Good luck. I hope to hear soon that you're doing much better!