I am very young and just found out a few months ago that I have PsA. My Reumy told my mother and I that Methotraxate is my only option since I have tried most of the other stuff I am wanting to know if at my young 15 year old age if I should take it? Any advice helps and I will pass it on to my mother. She has me on home remeidies and nothing is working and I am missing school more than I would like.
Fighter, I’m so sorry to hear that you are battling this at such a young age. PsA is not an old person’s disease, although the majority of our members are, indeed, well into adulthood. They are trying to cope with missing work, while you are dealing with missing school. It’s hard, whatever age you are.
It sounds like you and your Mom could use a good reference book on PsA. One of the first things I suggest to new members is that they check out the book that I recommend in “Book Reviews” (above). It is probably the best comprehensive reference there is on PsA, and many here have found it to be a big help. The Kindle version is a bargain, and if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the free software and be reading it right here on your computer in just a few minutes. Learning as much as you can about this disease will put you in a good position to make sound treatment decisions with your doctors.
You ask about home remedies. There’s a whole section on this board for complementary therapies, and some people do find that they get some symptom relief from that. Healthy lifestyle choices are always good, but you need to know that there is no scientific evidence that home remedies do anything to cure the disease.
The danger with PsA is permanent joint damage, as you probably already know. And once that damage is done, there is no turning back the clock. Your rheumatologist is suggesting methotrexate because it’s one of the “disease modifying” medications – it can slow or arrest the damage that PsA could do to your joints. There are several other drugs that you can use if the MTX doesn’t work, but it takes a trial of 3-6 months before you know whether any of these drugs are going help. You just have to be patient. You ask whether you should take MTX at your young age. I would ask whether you want to risk permanent joint damage at this stage of your life. Your rheumatologist has suggested MTX for a very good reason.
I’m glad you’ve joined us here, Fighter! I hope you will find this a good place for information and support.
Fighter,
Hang in there...it stinks to have to deal with this at your age. I would check out the book Seenie suggested, it has a ton of information. Your rheumatologist is looking out for your long term health and function so it could in your best interest to give it a lot of thought. And share this site with your Mom, there is support for her here too. Hope you feel better soon.
Hi Fighter!
you say the rheumy said MTX is your only choice because you've tried "all the other stuff". Which meds have you already tried? There are LOADs of different anti-inflammatory (NSAID) and disease modifying (DMARD) drugs and there are also biologic medications--the ones that are VERY expensive and you don't get to try for a while. So, while MTX is probably a great choice for you at the moment it isn't the only choice and it won't be the only thing you'll ever take to help fight your disease. The home remedies are a nice supportive therapy but they can't stop the disease in its tracks like the DMARD and biologic medicines can.
As the other contributors have mentioned, read up on the disease and look at recent posts. Most of us go through ups and downs with our disease and with our medications and no one of us has a course that is identical to another. You have to learn to know your body, know your limits and know when to ask for help--whether it is help doing something, understanding something or coping with your disease. It is a lot for those of us who are two, three, four and five times your age to manage so I imagine this is all quite overwhelming for you right now. Ask lots of questions like you have already done and I hope we'll see your Mom here getting some support, too. Tell us how we can help, OK?
All this information has helped me so much! Thank you everyone! This really helps me in trying to convince my dad on letting me take this medication because he hears the word "Chemo" and absolutely will not listen to anymore. I say this is my only option because that is what I am told by my Rheumy. I have taken a few meds at the beginning of this journey, none of which worked, they included Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Prednisone, Mobic, and tumeric which is a spice that is suppose to be the best anti-inflamitory and it hasn't worked for me yet. If there is anymore info out there please let me know.
My dad isnt the person to go to doctors so he likes to just slip by and hope nothing is seriously wrong. I just showed him a few replies and he said it is my body and I can do what I want.. I dont think he is convinced nor wants to face the reality that his baby girl has to go through this. Once I heard that I would only take it for a certain amount of time and it would be low dosage I got more on board and so did my mother. With all this I guess it is time for it. I will update on whether or not it is working.
sybil said:
Ah! Now I understand more. Personally I've not heard rheumys call Mtx a 'chemo' drug because as you probably know Mtx is used for chemotherapy in very much greater doses than we PsA people take it. It's a whole different ball game. Might your Dad come to this site too? I'm sure he'd be made to feel very welcome & could access loads of good information.
Fighter26 said:All this information has helped me so much! Thank you everyone! This really helps me in trying to convince my dad on letting me take this medication because he hears the word "Chemo" and absolutely will not listen to anymore. I say this is my only option because that is what I am told by my Rheumy. I have taken a few meds at the beginning of this journey, none of which worked, they included Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Prednisone, Mobic, and tumeric which is a spice that is suppose to be the best anti-inflamitory and it hasn't worked for me yet. If there is anymore info out there please let me know.
Fighter--try be patient, too. The medications can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to start showing much effect. Remember all is not lost if you don't feel "cured" in a couple of weeks. Slow and steady wins the race!
Hello Fighter! I was dx with PsA at age 10, so I've been through what you're going through. If you want to email me any time, feel free. I'm now in my early 40's, so have many years experience going through high school, college, marriage, kids, all struggling with PsA and meds.
The book Seenie mentioned is a great place to start. I also suggest having your parents join this group to ask questions. For a few years yet, you and your parents will be deciding on treatments together... it would be helpful for all of you to be as informed as possible. I took over managing my own treatment when I went to college, so at age 18 I started seeing rheumatologists by myself and researching and deciding on my own treatments (along with my rheumy, of course).
You can start taking some responsibility now, just like you are already doing, by learning about your disease and treatments. You'll always have people to discuss treatments with (your parents, dr, and here), but ultimately you are going to be living with this disease and your body for the rest of your life, so it doesn't hurt to gather info to feel confident in what you are doing.
FYI: Methotrexate can cause severe birth defects. If you are sexually active, you MUST use two types of birth control (such as condoms and the pill). If you are sexually active, or might become sexually active, and you don't feel comfortable discussing it with your parents, you can visit a local Planned Parenthood for a confidential exam and sliding scale fee.
You can also ask to speak to your rheumy privately for a portion of each visit (ie, without your parent in the room) if you have questions about fertility, meds effects on periods or things like that. I remember being super embarrassed having to talk to my rheumy about a change in my periods on one of my meds (at around your age) with my mom in the room. That's when the rheumy told me I could always have part of the visit private.
I missed A LOT of school due to just feeling horrible. Have you gotten any school modifications for disability from your school? Some things that they can provide are: an elevator key to avoid stairs, an extra set of textbooks for at home so you don't have to haul books back and forth, voice software like Dragon Naturally Speaking if typing is difficult, I was able to choose to have my class schedule match with a friend's, so I could have someone to carry my books for me. I was allowed to go to the health room / nurses office to lay down and rest whenever I needed to. Because sitting could be difficult, my teacher's knew that I often had to get a drink or go to the bathroom, just so I could move around and keep from stiffening up. All these little things helped, but like I said, I *still* missed a ton of school. I also get not wanting to appear different in any way. I really worked hard at that and then collapsed at home after school. Ugh. It's a tough trade-off, wanting to fit in but also needing the modifications to get through the day.
Hang in there!!!
Hi Fighter, I'm not sure why your doc told you Mtx was your only option. I'm sure he/she wants you try it first because a lot of the other medications and treatments are more expensive. Mtx effects everyone differently. I know some people here use it and they find it helpful...it helped me but the side effects caused me to have to stop taking it and try something else instead.
You never know until you try. Be sure to drink lots of water regardless of the medication and get plenty of folate. I haven't found a remedy that works but I have used a cream called "Doctors Pain Formula" which I found at the drug store. It provides some relief but isn't a solution. As Seenie mentioned permanent damage is a problem so early treatment is best.
Once you find the right treatment you will find so much relief. I'm glad you have joined the group. I'm sure you and your mother will find it helpful.
Wow, you have gotten tons of great information so far; i dont really know what to add! I would definitely like to add my voice to the choir as far as meds go: take them! Mtx can be a scary drug, especially when one thinks of the fact that it is used in higher doses to treat cancer. But, at our low doses, it can be incredibly helpful and can prevent longterm joint damage. Talk to your doc about taking folic acid with it and remember to monitor your water intake to make sure that you are getting enough. Both of these can help prevent some of the side effects that go with mtx. Also, you can discuss whether taking it orally or injecting it will be better. A lot of the side effects can be avoided with the injections. They dont hurt, and are easy to give once you get used to it. Another thing to discuss is getting a prescription for an anti-nausea med. mtx can cause nausea so its nice to have one of these drugs on hand just in case. Also, be patient! It can take weeks to feel any positive effects from mtx, and you may feel like its not working, but be persistent and give it time to take effect.
I wish you the best of luck in your treatment!