hey guys. so I am newly diagnosed and my doc has me on 6 pills ever Sunday. I get very nausous and dizzy…and I don’t feel any better. I sometimes feel worse. The pain in the morning is unbearable. I just want to know when It will get better…this is all so new to me. I feel bad for my lil guy cuz I just don’t have the energy to play with him like I used to. id appreciate any help or advice.
When my doc put me on MTX he also started me on an anti inflammatory. The issue is that MTX takes several months before you begin to see any changes in PSA. You should contact your doctor for something to manage your pain now.
I had the same side effects from MTX so I learned by trail and error what worked for me. Since I work Monday to Friday I take my 8 pills Friday evening. I have a good meat and potato type dinner which seems to help with the queasy feeling before I go to bed. Sometimes I wake up really queasy during the night, sometimes not but I'm usually able to sleep through most of it.
I take it easy on Saturday if I'm not feeling well and by Sunday everything is usually ok. So I'd say to tweak your medication schedule so it works into your week. It doesn't matter which day you take your MTX on as long as it's once a week. If Sundays are working well pick another day.
I CJsmommy I see that you are taking meloxicam with MTX weekly tablets. MTX can take up to 12 weeks to see any significant improvement with your pain levels. Meloxicam is an excellent Nsaid. An Nsaid helps to relieve inflamation. It can be really hard on your stomach so make sure you eat when you take meloxicam . Pain and stiffness is a common symptom in the morning. You should consult with your doctor if the meloxicam does not seen to be helping and ask if you can add OTC (over the counter ) pain meds like tylenol. DO NOT take any asprin or IBprofen along with Meloxicam.
you could try taking gravol 15 minutes before taking your MTX tablets , gravol may make you sleepy . Try sipping gingerale or eating ginger candies to ease the nausea. Once you get your disease under control you will have more energy for your young son. I hope you feel better soon.
Hi CJ'smommy,
Sorry to hear you're dealing with PsA. It's always tough, but it must be a real challenge dealing with it while trying to rear little ones.
One thing that really helps me is to be very well hydrated on MTX day. I take mine on Friday evenings, so I begin hydrating that morning. Seems to help a great deal. Some of the folks over on the Arthritis Foundation discussion forum recommend a high carb meal on MTX day.
Hope you are feeling well today!
A friend with RA taking Mtx told me to stay very well hydrated the day of, and the weekend after taking the pills. She also said to eat healthily and well that day. I take the mtx them on Fri., and was just bumped up to 8 pills from 6 this week. I drink tons of water on Fri. and don't have any gastric issues from the Mtx. I need plenty of rest on Sunday and Monday, but can still funtion. I also get a mild mtx headache off and on Sunday/Monday, but again, drinking lots of water seems to help. I could not do meloxicam as the nsaids flare up my asthma. Tramadol is fine, but until you get used to it, it makes you drowsy. I did not mind so much as it forced me into needed rest which I never got before! LOL
thanks everyone… thanks for the advice… lots of water is a good idea… I don’t think I drink enough so maybe that will help. I really appreciate everyone taking the time out to reply. I really do hope I get this psa under control so I can get back yo doing my everyday normal routine. today was my mtx day and it wasn’t too bad. again I appreciate all the advice 
Hi 27,
Hope that things have been a bit better for you and you are able to have some well time with your family! I am sure that CJ is a great motivation to be well, what a dear little man!
Good thoughts and prayers are with you!
SK
Are you also taking frolic acid with it? That should help reduce side effects. My rheumatologist prescribed prednisone with mtx to bridge the 12 gap before it kicks in.
Plenty of water helps no end.
folic acid damn that predictive text. Although frolic acid does sound quite interesting…
I just started Methotrexate this week. I am not newly diagnosed but have refused meds for a few years. I am only taking 4 pills a week, but I do take folic acid everyday. I did have slight side effects...nothing that kept me from doing my normal activites. I have only taken one dose so far. Did you find your side effects improved or worsened as you continued with the meds? PsA tends to make me very tired and knocks my energy level way down. I am hoping to find a med that will help with that....
Hello Ann,
It is very important that this med be taken each week on the same day, at the same time, do not take the folic acid on the day of the MX, stop it for that day. MX was my second med, unfortunately it did not help me, I am now on Enbrel shots, I seem to be feeling a bit better though all of these meds take 12 weeks to feel the full effect, and I am just about half way there. Some folks here have taken Mx for years either alone or in conjunction with another drug and find it to be effective, sometimes the dose of the med or the folic acid needs to be adjusted, so keep your Dr. informed. Write things down as you think of them to prepare for the office visit.
Of course we all get a bit better when the cold of winter finally clears, so sometimes it is difficult to tell if a med is helping or the change or weather is the cause of the improvement.
I have read your story, and I understand the denial, but I also understand the progression of this disease, and "once joint damage occurs, there is no restoring it to normal", and those words are straight from the mouth of my GP. Now here is one straight from the mouth of my Rheumatologist "Insurance dictates the drug treatment we begin with, if that treatment is unsuccessful, we move to the next".
This is the nature of the clinical trials, trial and error. We all suffer fatigue and exhaustion, some days are far worse than others, some have modified their diets, examined their vitamin needs, some find yoga helpful, few can sleep well, and none of us seem to get enough rest, so you try to pace yourself and rest when you can.
MX is in constant discussion, so please feel free to look about for more info. We all hope that you will find successful treatment that will help you to feel better, and are here to help when we can.
Wishing you a good, pain free day,
SK
4 tablets is a bery low dose 10 mg. You may not see any improvement until you are at 15mg to 25mg. My rhuem has all his patients at 25mg especially if you are on a bio. He says he sees the best results at that level. FYI.
SK said:
Hello Ann,
It is very important that this med be taken each week on the same day, at the same time, do not take the folic acid on the day of the MX, stop it for that day. MX was my second med, unfortunately it did not help me, I am now on Enbrel shots, I seem to be feeling a bit better though all of these meds take 12 weeks to feel the full effect, and I am just about half way there. Some folks here have taken Mx for years either alone or in conjunction with another drug and find it to be effective, sometimes the dose of the med or the folic acid needs to be adjusted, so keep your Dr. informed. Write things down as you think of them to prepare for the office visit.
Of course we all get a bit better when the cold of winter finally clears, so sometimes it is difficult to tell if a med is helping or the change or weather is the cause of the improvement.
I have read your story, and I understand the denial, but I also understand the progression of this disease, and "once joint damage occurs, there is no restoring it to normal", and those words are straight from the mouth of my GP. Now here is one straight from the mouth of my Rheumatologist "Insurance dictates the drug treatment we begin with, if that treatment is unsuccessful, we move to the next".
This is the nature of the clinical trials, trial and error. We all suffer fatigue and exhaustion, some days are far worse than others, some have modified their diets, examined their vitamin needs, some find yoga helpful, few can sleep well, and none of us seem to get enough rest, so you try to pace yourself and rest when you can.
MX is in constant discussion, so please feel free to look about for more info. We all hope that you will find successful treatment that will help you to feel better, and are here to help when we can.
Wishing you a good, pain free day,
SK
Are you taking Folic Acid with it? If so you may need to increase you dose of folic acid as it helps many with the side effects.
I hate Mtx, I was taking 40 mg every week...blah(thank god that is over). I took mine on the weekend at night so I could sleep off most of the biggest effects.
For the Nausea try Ginger(gingerale, ginger tea, ginger candy), for me what helped the most was sucking on lolipops or other hard candy(don't know why).
Some doctors say take folic acid everyday(like mine) and other say skip it on mtx day...seems to be a disagreement in the medical community.
What's up cjsmommy, how are you feeling?