for those of you on MXT (methatrexate sp) have you had any bad side effects from it ? if so what types if i may be so bold to ask... the reason i am asking is because I am having MAJOR tummy issues after taking my meds ( 5 pills 1 time a week ) .......TIA
Vomiting, nausea, and sleeping issues were all noticeable side effects for my brief stint on MTX. MTX is extremely toxic and harsh on the liver and kidney. Avoid alcohol and antibiotics while taking MTX - they increase the toxicity of the drug.
My symptoms got somewhat better after a few weeks of treatment. However, I wouldn’t advise waiting to long before calling the nurse if symptoms don’t improve.
i have been taking it for about a month and my tummy problems are getting worse :( and i have an appointment on fri to see about other meds
The first week I took mtx, I experienced nausea, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and my gums bled for a week. I felt really weak and almost useless for 2 days after taking it. I started to get used to it after a month or so. The side effects seemed to go away. However, each time the doc increased the dosage, the side effects came back. I'm on 8 pills now and trying to get used to it again. Are you taking folic acid? I heard that's supposed to help with side effects.
Good for you! As long as you have eok insurance, there is much better out there.
MTX takes a while to get used to and GI symptoms are pretty typical side effects. MNy people on this site take MTX through injection ( I do too) and have far fewer side effects (SEs). The majority take it through a sub cutaneous injection, like one would with insulin. It’s a very tiny needle and can barely be felt. Others do an intramuscular injection with is a little tougher to do, because it is more uncomfortable. This method is really beneficial when taking higher doses.
As mentioned in a previous post, ask your doc for a folic acid prescription. That can really help combat many of the SEs of MTX as well. Talk to your doc about the sub Q injections too.
I was taking MTX pills and now on the injections. I’m finding the injections have less side effects. My dose has been increased gradually over time and I agree each increase takes a while to adjust however over time I’m finding the side effects are decreasing. It’s been just over three months and the first month was really tough. I’ve been told and it’s obvious to me now that it takes a while for the body to adjust. There are things you can take for stomach issues and folic acid is also used to help with side effects. Have you tried any of these?
I take my folic acid 6 days a week I dont know if my insurance will pay for injections I have state insurance as I am on ssi
But I will mention the injections to my doc. thank you all for the info :)
Iyah said:
I take my folic acid 6 days a week I dont know if my insurance will pay for injections I have state insurance as I am on ssi
But I will mention the injections to my doc. thank you all for the info :)
I’ve been taking MTX for about 2 months now. I have had a great deal of nausea.I can’t tell if it the enbrel or the MTX. How long after you take a dose (4 pills once a week) does the nausea start? I’ve been trying to figure out what may be causing it.
I've been taking MTX for a year come September 7. I started out with pills, got one dose down, an hour later, I was in the bathroom and spent the next four days with horrible nausea and "GI trouble". Called the doc that next Tuesday and said NEXT!
I've been injecting since September 14. It took me a good three months to get "acclimated" to the point where I wasn't nauseous (as much) and didn't have GI troubles at the oddest times (including being on the way somewhere and having to go back home to take a shower and change).
Since December, I've had nausea maybe three times, but crackers helped. I've had GI troubles maybe 4-5 times, including today for some odd reason. The one lingering side effect is needing a long nap the day after I inject (on Saturday night). I'm still tired today, four days after the shot, but I think it's a perfect storm of many things, including being brain fried after working 80 some hours of overtime the last month, not the MTX. We'll find out on Monday when I visit the rheumy.
I had exhaustion, nausea, headaches, and some vomiting for the entire time I was on the pills. 6 weeks into injections and I have almost no SE's from it anymore. I am on folic daily, without it my mouth started to swell and I started to shed a lil bit of hair(that was from not taking folic acid for 4-6 days while on 8 MTX pills, don't remember why I did that)
My dr. took me off the Methotrexate. I have been on it since April.. while it helped somewhat the side effects for me were awful, severe nausea, other GI problems and mouth sores. For me, they (side effects) never improved.. hard to know which is worse this stupid pain , swelling etc..or the side effects.. anyway dr wants me to start on Humira.. waiting for insurance to approve and bloodwork to be done. The dr felt she had given the drug enough time to see if the side effects would go away plus I wasn't even at the full dose.. good grief.. lol! She had originally wanted me on an injectable but I hate needles .. hopefully I will get back on track in a couple of weeks.. lots of frustration . good thing I have someone to help with the injection.. most likely I would pass out! yikes..... My dr is also testing me again for Lupus. I think it is impt to keep in mind that every person reacts differently to different drugs.. what works for one does not always do so for the other. Oh and I was on Folic Acid as well
The MTX injectable solution is inexpensive (20-30 dollars) my insurance doesn’t cover it either, so I just pay out of pocket. So worth it though!
Roberta said:
My dr. took me off the Methotrexate. I have been on it since April.. while it helped somewhat the side effects for me were awful, severe nausea, other GI problems and mouth sores. For me, they (side effects) never improved.. hard to know which is worse this stupid pain , swelling etc..or the side effects.. anyway dr wants me to start on Humira.. waiting for insurance to approve and bloodwork to be done. The dr felt she had given the drug enough time to see if the side effects would go away plus I wasn't even at the full dose.. good grief.. lol! She had originally wanted me on an injectable but I hate needles .. hopefully I will get back on track in a couple of weeks.. lots of frustration . good thing I have someone to help with the injection.. most likely I would pass out! yikes..... My dr is also testing me again for Lupus. I think it is impt to keep in mind that every person reacts differently to different drugs.. what works for one does not always do so for the other. Oh and I was on Folic Acid as well
Hi Roberta. I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis about four months ago. We are so much alike. I was also started on a low dose of methotrexate and could not tolerate it. I had the same issues as you. Mainly nausea and could not eat. Went through this torture for six weeks. Doctor finally put me on Enbrel and I am have just finished my tenth injection. YIKES. I am just like you with needles. I used to have to lay down and have two nurses hold my hands for a blood draw. I am talking four nurses total, too on each hand, lol. Anyway I did my first injection in my leg and it hurt like a son of a gun. Then got my husband to do the stomach. Surprisingly it hurt less. I don’t know if I could do it there myself (psychological) but am slowly getting used to shots as I am feeling so much better. Am now on the Enbrel once a week along with Naproxen and Pepcid twice a day. I hope I put your mind at ease about the shots. I can totally relate to you. I hope you get the relief I am getting.
I started with 4 pills and increased to 8. We switched over to injections as I was having increased overall pain and to see if it helped with side effects. I’m now injecting 25mg every week. I found that at first the side effects mainly fatigue and nausea was brutal…I felt like I was carrying ten pound weights or walking against a strong wind. The nausea was off and on, I never did vomit however I felt sick off and on. I take my MTX on Monday and found towards the end of the week I would feel a bit better. I’ve been on the injections now one month and find the nausea is pretty much gone and my energy level is starting to get a bit better so I’m thinking in time the body adjusts. Everyone reacts differently. I have a coworker who has been on MTX for a few years and he said he never had issues and it works for him.
Iyah said:
I take my folic acid 6 days a week I dont know if my insurance will pay for injections I have state insurance as I am on ssi
But I will mention the injections to my doc. thank you all for the info
I had really bad side effects. A long list of them,
stiffness all over my body
muscle weakness
drowziness
memory loss ( i was a zombie, I could not articulate or remember things I'd done every day at work for 9 yrs )
severe stomach pain
blurred vision
menstrual changes
cough
I had to stop taking it. I was afraid it would cause me to lose my job.
Everyone is different. It's standard to be on folic acid if you're on mtx