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Methatrexate advice

Posted , 6 users are following.

keith73751
keith73751

Hi everyone.

I have just started weekly self-injections of Methatrexate (10mg) in respect of my psoriasis/arthritis.   Have had mild psoriasis all of my life however in the past couple of months it has shown up all over the body and is pretty severe.   It has never been this bad.   The arthritis is in the thumbs and finger joints however this is not to painful.

It is worrying to see so many negative comments in regard to Mxt and to be honest even at this early stage have felt very tired and have a general unwell feeling.

Been told to take the Folic Acid three days following the injection.

Has anyone actually found benifit from Mxt in regard to severe Psorisis and are the side effects worth putting up with in the long term?    Due to see the Consultant in two weeks time and have futher bool tests.

Thanks for listening.

Keith

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Lisa_Batts
    Lisa_Batts keith73751

    Posted

    Hi Keith. From my experience and I take it orally I was asking exactly the same questions as you at the beginning. It's works really well for the people it works for and some people can't tolerate it at all. All I can say from my experience is that I was told the full effect of the MTX can take anything from 3 to 6 months. I had every side effect going and was seriously thinking the pain was better than the mtx. Then by chance due to infections and a hospital 10 day stay I had to come off it for 6 weeks. It was heaven.....until at the end of that 6 weeks. I hadn't realised how much it had helped and was actually relieved to go back on it. Second time around my side effects are far less. Like anything else give it time. I would suggest you ask your Rheumy to put your folic acid up to 6 days a week to counteract the side effects. I'm sure other people will help on this forum. This is just my experience. I wish you luck with your journey. Lisa ☀️☀️
    • keith73751
      keith73751 Lisa_Batts

      Posted

      Hi Lisa.   Thank you so much for taking the time to write your comments.   I must admit that I am going through a stage in regard to stopping the injections as the side effects are pretty bad, however the replies to my post have given me hope and determination to give it more time.

      I have an appointment at the hospital in a couple of days and will mention the extra folic acid.

      I also wish you all the best on your journey and thank you again for the reply.   Keith.confused

    • Lisa_Batts
      Lisa_Batts keith73751

      Posted

      You are very welcome. I wish you luck and hope the side effects ease for you 😊😊 positive sunshine thoughts coming your way ☀️☀️

      Lisa

  • lucynewas
    lucynewas keith73751

    Posted

    Dear Keith - your body will take a couple of weeks to get used to the MTX - it's like having a hangover!

    Bear with it and the other side effects.  as long as your liver and kidney function tests are ok.  It's quite strange to start off with the injections.  I was started on the oral dose, and found that splitting it into two half doses eg on mon & thur, or tues & fri it was much easier to tolerate. 

    You could also ask to be prescribed a low dose of prednisolone (eg 5 mg) to take on the morning after the MTX, as this has been shown in a Danish study to help, and I found it out all by myself.

    Keep with it - the long term benefits are definitely worth it.

    • keith73751
      keith73751 lucynewas

      Posted

      Dear Lucy.   Thank you very much for your comments.   I must admit it did feel like I had had to much to drink the morning after the second injection.  At least if it is caused by alchohol you only have yourself to blameredface 

      In fact felt pretty bad for a couple of days and thought to myself, "hey, do you really need to feel like this every week!".   Anyway the replies to my post have been very encouraging and I shall stick with it for awhile longer.

      I have an appointment at the hopspital in a couple of days and shall mention the prednisolone.

      Thanks again for the reply and all the best to you.

      Keithconfused

    • lucynewas
      lucynewas keith73751

      Posted

      You are very welcome Keith.  If you like my posts, please do hit the vote button - they are flagged to me, so that I know how best to help people in future.
  • robert271163
    robert271163 keith73751

    Posted

    Hi Keith 

    I take MTX in tablet form i am on 15mg i have been on it for about 8 months. Since being on it my inflamation markers have come down and seem to be at the lowest they have been since being diagnosed with PSA. Alothough i still have a lot of pain in the joints. I also take Folic Acid 2 days after taking MTX. I have been lucky and so far not had any adverse side effects. I was started on 10mg but it was not working and so my dose was increased to 15mg. I am also on Sulfasalazine which i take 2 x twice a day, i also take ibrupen 3 x 400mg as well as co-codamol and tramadol. 

    I have found that a lot of these medications take a while to become effective, sometimes it takes up to 3 months for them to start working. My advise is to bare with it but ensure you have regular blood tests to make sure there are no side effects ask for your inflamation markers results this will indicate if they are coming down using MTX. 

    My Psoriasis how comes and goes i have no idea why but i dont think it has anything to do with the medication. 

    Hope this might help all the best 

    Robert 

    • keith73751
      keith73751 robert271163

      Posted

      Hi Robert

      Thank you very much for the helpful reply.   I do realise that it is very early days for me and must give it time.   The side effects are taking some time to get used to however others have also pointed out that this should wear off.

      My PSA is not to bad at present however the Psoriasis is pretty severe and covers a large ammount of the body.

      Regular blood tests have been organised and I have to say that the Doctors and staff at the RVI in Newcastle Upon-Tyne have been excellent.

      Thanks again for the reply and all the best to you.

      Keith

  • lol8
    lol8 keith73751

    Posted

    Hi Kieth, i don't have psoriasis but i have all the other problems with my joints..I inject 20mgs weekly of MTHX, I also take folic acid every day but not injection day. I did not have any side effects except for niggly mouth ulcers, I also inject monthly another biologic injection 20mg i feel so much better my energy levels are good my inflamatory markers are the best they have ever been!!

    I would not stop taking these wonderful drugs as i was so ill before, I live a very active life on a farm and try and ride my horse most days which i couldn't do before the DRUGS.

    No negative comments from me only good ones.

    Be posotive and give them time they do take a few months to work.

    Good luck

    • keith73751
      keith73751 lol8

      Posted

      Hi.   Thank you so much for the reply.   Other replies have also been pretty positive in regard to Mthx.   I did read that mouth ulcers were one of the side effects.   Hope they are under control for you now.

      Can I ask what the biologic injection is for.

      Its great to read that you are doing so much better now.   May it long continue.

      Thanks again and all the best for the future.

      Keith

    • lol8
      lol8 keith73751

      Posted

      Hi i take Golimumab, which works along side the MTHx,I had so many swollen painful joints my everyday living was getting so hard i was getting depressed at not being able to do simple things. My fingers are/were like sausages which wasn't a pretty sight and the pain was so painful i couldn't even hold a cup of tea!!!

      I also had pain in my knees, left foot, back, shoulders and hips.

      At the momment i only have problems with my right thumb, and some of my fingers, in the morning they are still very stiff and swollen but this goes after awhile.

      My mouth ulcers only lasted a short while, i do believe alot of it is down to the way i think, i will not let this awful disease get the better of me!!

      Thats why i think they are wonderful, I'm 59yrs it seems to effect any age!!!

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