Comments | rheumatoid: Starting a new medication

firehauke in rheumatoid

Starting a new medication

Jul 27, 2010 19:17

Any advice ( Read more... )

Comments 17

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funnel101 July 27 2010, 23:28:27 UTC

This. And buy some good lotion; mtx can dry out your skin. And avoid alcohol; mtx can negatively affect your liver.

firehauke July 27 2010, 23:55:04 UTC

I drink so little anyway, maybe a beer (or glass of wine or hard liquor) a month, if that. I'm not sure I'll totally give it up. We are monitoring my liver though, since it's fatty.

nessbutterfly July 27 2010, 23:31:23 UTC

Agree with this! At first I'd be wiped out for 2-3 days, but it got better in time and I was even mostly functional on the day after taking it.

But I will also add:

Take it at night. It made me extremely sleepy.

Make sure you start on a low dose and increase slowly.

Make sure you are taking folate. High dose folate, preferably. I switched from the low dose to the high dose and it really helped with the nausea.

Drink lots of water.

And (if you can) keep anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds on hand.

Thread 8

meaux30 July 27 2010, 23:45:21 UTC

I didn't have any fatique issues with methotrexate - I felt fine the day of and after taking the shots but I started developing erythena nodosum so my doc switched me to Humira which is awesome!!!! (And I beleive also reccomended for spondyloarthritis if you don't respond to MTX?)

I didn't do MTX pills, I did the sub cutaneous injection and I HIHGLY reccomend - no nausea or stomach issue and the shot doesn't hurt at all!!!!!

AND if the MTX works its not just pallitive like the celebrex - it really, REALLY helps alot of people,

Seriously if I had to do it over I would absolutely do the shots again - itty bitty needle, and you store the drug at room temp so it doesn't hurt being injected.

firehauke July 27 2010, 23:54:18 UTC

We're doing the pills first, will have to wait and see how it affects me before we consider the shots.

meaux30 July 27 2010, 23:56:35 UTC

Well I hope it does the trick for you!

meaux30 July 27 2010, 23:59:23 UTC

I started out on 7.5 mg sub cu and eventually was up to 20mg. At one point I noticed alot of hair falling out and we upped my dose of folic acid whihc resolved the issue. It really helped me and I felt a ton better taking it. I hope you feel better too

blackshini July 28 2010, 02:14:31 UTC

My advice would be to use the injectable form as opposed to the pills. The pills made me SO sick to my stomach, and with the injectable I had no gastro/intestinal side effects at all.

firehauke July 28 2010, 03:09:54 UTC

Too late now :P I have the pills. But if they give me too much trouble with eating, I see the doc again in just a month, so...

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firehauke July 28 2010, 04:47:11 UTC

Yeah, the doc actually said it's possible I won't have the nausea. I'm hoping so, rather addicted to eating...LOL

She suggested the folic to ward off mouth sores...

keeping my fingers crossed I come out fine!

yasako July 28 2010, 07:14:31 UTC

1) When I first started taking mtx something like 10 years ago, I took it at night right before bed, because it made me nauseous and gave me a headache. It doesn't do that to me anymore
2) When i first started taking it I also lost some hair. Not like OH MY GOD I'M GOING BALD, but expect more hair to come out while brushing/etc.
3) My first doctor told me it was ok to drink, and my doctor now would probably kill me if I drank anything. I'd be on the safe side and avoid it, since yeah, alcohol might be nice, but having a liver is probably better in the long run. lol