Hi im zoe age 26 just wondering how long it takes for methotrexate to kick in I have severe psoriatic arthiritis all over my body and in so much pain it is unbearable iv been taking it for only 1 month 2 week also taking 300mg gabapentin and 400mg ibuprofen. Which is best painkiller to be taking please because I feel gabapentin not doing much for me 
Zoe, welcome here! There’s so much to learn about this disease, isn’t there? A good place to start is with the Newbies’ Guide in the green band above. There’s some good information about methotrexate in the DMARD section there. Like most of the drugs which we take for this disease, it can take many weeks (even months) for mtx to kick in. And for some people, it never does. Then they give the next medication a try. You’re in what we call The Gap around here. You might find this article helpful:
http://discussion.livingwithpsoriaticarthritis.org/forum/topics/welcome-to-the-gap
I don’t know much about gabapentin, but I know that, while it isn’t a true “pain killer”, a lot of people get pain relief from it.
I you are finding the pain more than you can bear, do give your doctor a call and ask if there is anything else that you can take, short term, until the methotrexate and the gabappentin start giving you relief.
I’m glad you found us, but sorry that you have reason to need us. Give us a shout if there’s anything that we can help you with.
It can take up to a few months to really start seeing any changes. In the meantime, you can ask about a different NSAID. I went through quite a few, and have settled in with diclofenac (voltaren) over the last few years. Also, talk to your doctor about taking a PPI such as Prilosec when you are on NSAIDs. The anti-inflammatories can play an important role, especially during this waiting period. These can be taken on a schedule for a good stretch of time, although the goal should be suffupicient disease control to not need them.
Welcome to the group! I know it’s not where you hoped to be, especially at your age, but you will find great support and information.
Hi Zoe, sorry to hear you're going through a tough time. One of the things I've had to develop in large quantities with this disease is patience because nothing happens quickly. Doesn't matter whether it's medical appointments, starting treatment, changing treatment or responding to treatment (or not) it all takes so much longer than you need it to when you're in pain. Many of the treatments, methotrexate included, can take up to 12 weeks to show much of a response. Thankfully when they do start to show signs of working then continual improvement usually follows.
In the meantime we all benefit from something to help us through this waiting game. Check with your rheumy nurse but you may be able to take paracetamol as well, on its own it doesn't do much but taken regularly alongside your ibuprofen may give you the extra relief you need. The depo-medrone steroid shot in the backside can also be immensely helpful as Seenie and Sybil have mentioned.
Don't be afraid to call your rheumy nurse if you need support, I can be very british 'stiff upper lip' sometimes and whilst a certain amount of stoicism helps I can take it too far :-). Out of my team of bio nurses I've now found the one I connect best with and she's been pretty good when I've need to call.
Hang in there and I hope you begin to feel better soon.