I know everyone is different but it never hurts to ask. Since I have received such amazing advice about this med and more than likely going to be able to take it finally thanks to you all and your helpful convincing I am wanting to know what everyone has experienced with it so I know what to expect because the internet web searches only work so much and it seems to help if you can see it from someones point of view that has already taken it.
Thanks, Morgan
You're right, the effects can be somewhat variable. Taking folate along with the methotrexate can minimize some of the side effects, such as mouth sores, hair loss, etc. If your rheumy doesn't mention this, ask about it. Again, not everyone will get those side effects. Drinking a lot of water is helpful as well. For some people, the injections work with fewer side effects.
Personally, it didn't work for me. I gave it a solid 6 months, and it just didn't work, so then I moved on to leflunomide. Different people will have different responses. For me, I had no benefit, and spent the entire 6 months feeling like I was morning sick. Not much fun.
Nothing. I take it deep muscle. (long needle) It makes a huge difference in my peripheral symtoms. I shoot sat evening at 11:00 pm. Generally I start feeling the "need" Friday. If I happen to wake up during the night I feel like crap. I sleep in on Sunday until about 8:00 ( most days I'm up at 5:30 to workout) I also skip my workout Sundays and generally don't eat until11:00 or so. As Sunday is really laid back I really don't know if Im fatigued etc.
At the beginning I had a terrible mouth sore all over the roof of my mouth,the dentist gave me some sort of mouthwash but I ended up having it for 3 weeks or so. I had nausea & fatigue at the beginning which also eased after a while. Funnily enough when I took it this week I felt quite rough the next day. I had hoped to be able to stop taking it now I’m on Orencia but the doc won’t let me.
I inject .8 ml (20mg) into my abdomen every Wednesday. I notice no side effects other than some recent hair loss (could be other drugs?) I take it on Wednesday so that if I travel over the weekend - I don’t need to take it along. I’ve been taking it for a couple years. NO problems whatsoever!! Good luck.
Ps- I take 1 mg folate daily.
Also- it does help with my peripheral and axial symptoms!
I take folic acid to combat the side effects and when I was at higher doses, I spread out over two nights (taking within a 24 hour period), taking before bedtime to sleep through some of the nausea.
Hi Morgan, I found that taking the tablet form made me feel very tired and sicky so all I wanted to so was curl up in bed or on the sofa and sleep. This is a common side effect of oral mtx which can be helped alot by taking folic acid supplements (your doc will guide you on how much/when to take but you don't take it on the same day as your mtx).
I gave up on the mtx tablets and went on to injections, the needle doesn't hurt but if the mtx is too cold it can sting badly for a short while but this can be helped by taking it out the fridge a few minutes before you do the injection. You rotate the injection site each week tops of each thigh and abdomen (away from your belly button) so it goes in a different place with each injection. It really is ok and not a big deal.
I wasn't quite as tired/nauseus with the injection and by doing it before I went to bed I slept through the worst. My doc had me doing Methotrexate on a Monday. LOL.
The important thing to remember is that mtx works well for alot of people and hopefully will do for you too. Don't let any scary stories or the possible side effects worry you. Getting improvement in your Psa is vital.
My experience with MTX was not great. I started with pills (gradual increase) and switched to injections 25mg. I lasted 7 months and then stopped it due to ongoing side effects and the fact that my quality of life was not the greatest. For me it did very little for my joint pain and didn't stop the flares. We tried adjusting the dose and increasing the folic acid to try and help with the side effects, but nothing helped.
We added Sulfasalazine and that helped with increasing my energy level, but still did nothing for the daily pain and flares and increased the side effects. I saw my Rheumatologist last week and she agreed that if a med is impacting your quality of life (to the point the MTX was for me) and doing very little for the actual joint pain and flares then it's time to move on. I have just started Leflunomide along with the Sulfa and am crossing my fingers it works. Each med takes approximately 3-6 months to know if it is working, so finding the right combo can take a while. Every one is different, hopefully you find relief with the MTX.
Hi, it certainly does vary quite a bit. I kept a list of side effects I had from Mtx, these all disappeared once I stopped taking it.
1. Stiff muscles ( all over body )
2. muscle weakness ( all over )
3. drowziness
4. memory loss ( unable to remember routine things I'd done every day for 10 years )
5. severe stomach pains
6. blurred vision
7. cough
8. vaginal discharge and menstrual cycles changes
9. psoriasis flare up in new areas
Maybe the shots are better. My rheumy never offered them to me, only the weekly pills. Once I stopped Mtx it took about a month for me to feel normal again. Well as normal as it gets these days.
Good Luck, I really hope the Mtx helps you.
When my doc added this to my med regime, I requested the injections. I had heard through this site that a lot of the side effects were minimized with the injections. I take it As a subcutaneous injection on Saturday evening. I also take 2 mgs of folic acid. So far, I have had very few side effects. A little tummy tenderness the next day, and that lasted for a month or two and then went away. I also take Remicade, but I do think that the MTX helps.
Hi Morgan,
I will be injecting my 7th MTX this Monday. I can now say I know what a 'meth hangover' feels like. I never got this while on the pills, 8 (20mg) and I inject .6 (15mg) now, but the injectable route is absorbed better. This past injection on Monday night left me extremely tired and put me on the sofa and bed all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday, and just tired rest of week. 2 times prior it knocked me down the next day, but just tired after. I don't get nausea or vomit at all. I do have hair loss, but it's uniform as some people loose handfuls in one area. I get turned off some foods and stomach pains slightly at times and I feel a bit queasy. If I bend then rise fast, or turn fast, then I feel dizzy, and light headed. I feel worse on injectable than pills. I take 5mg folic acid every day except day before and day of Meth. Good luck!