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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / April 2005mtx question
I have a question for all of you who have been or are taking MTX. I have been taken 12.5 once a week and it helped a lot but after about 4 months now the pain is in my hips and feet again, so the doc upped it to 15mg for 3 weeks and then up to 17.5. I had no side effects from the 12.5 but his morning I can barely move from exhaustion and bad stomach ache from just the jump to 15. I was going to do enbrel but I am still taking the TB med and the doc wants me to wait until I have a few more months of that under my belt. My question is if you up it like that does it take as long as when you first started for it to help? Or does it even help once you have taken it and it quits does upping the dose do anything? Thank you Becky > I have a question for all of you who have been or are taking MTX. I have > been taken 12.5 once a week and it helped a lot but after about 4 months now [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Thank you > Becky Ah, you are on the oral MTX? Have you asked your RD about splitting the dosage? I take 20mg a week, four in the am and four in the pm on Sundays. That seems to help greatly with the stomach upset (and even the extra tired feeling). The worst thing with me, was the mouth sores, but they finally went away (took freakin' long enough). Injection for me is no longer an option with MTX, but that could be one for you as well. I started with a low dose, rather like you have. It would work then begin to fade... It seems that it didn't pick back up (FOR ME) until I hit 20mg, YMMV. So, I think it's alright to up the dose, it's just finding the lowest dose that works for you. So, trust the doc, but do ask about splitting the dosage, my RD says it works just as well, so long as both dosages are taken within a 24 hour period. Smokie Darling (Annie) >I have a question for all of you who have been or are taking MTX. I have >been taken 12.5 once a week and it helped a lot but after about 4 months [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Thank you > Becky In the beginning (gosh, 7 years ago!) I started off at a low dose, and I think I psycho-somatic'd myself into thinking I was better. Then reality hit, and I had to have my dose upped. This happened over and over through the course of a full year before I got up to 25mg. I stayed at 25mgs, which worked famously for me for a good 5 years. , at a point I had to move to injections, but that only lasted for about a year and a half. I went back to oral, and have been weaning down from 25 mgs, currently I'm at 20 and holding. I honestly never had any 'bad' side effects except for the occasional MTX headache, or a bad case of the back-door-two-step (Green Apple Trots?...the Squits??) .. From what I've gathered from most successful MTX users is that it takes quite a while before your body adjusts, if it is going to adjust. If it ain't, there's plenny of meds out there to control your disease, this is just one (the cheapest) that they have to try before stepping up the aggressiveness. give it time... breathe in keep a diary be patient.. good luck! I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. If not, I hope your doctor is open to moving on quickly to other avenues of disease control. Uv > My question is if you up it like that does it take as long as when you > first started for it to help? Or does it even help once you have taken it > and it quits does upping the dose do anything? > Thank you > Becky My experience was that it took 3 or 4 weeks to see the affects of an increased dose. So yes, you need some patience. You might also need to increase your folic acid to reduce the side-affects. Also make sure you are well hydrated when you take your dose. I take mine (20 mg) just before bed so I sleep through the worst. As far as switching to injectable is concerned, my pharmacy is no longer having any trouble getting it and the supply appears to be normalizing. Injectable MTX dose have fewer side-affects for most patients, and you get by on a lower dose usually. Walt Walt, UV, And Annie, Thank you all for the information. I can not take the folic acid, I have a bladder problem that it flares up with, but so far I am fine without it. I do take cereal that has 400mg of folic acid in it and take it 2 times a day, so maybe that is why. My only other side effect is that is causing me to gain weight, which is weird, they say it should not do that, but everyone is different. This RA is really depressing stuff, but with support and being able to talk to people who have it helps tremendously, Thank you all again and wishing all of you pain free days; Thanks again Becky >> My question is if you up it like that does it take as long as when you >> first started for it to help? Or does it even help once you have taken [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Walt My main MTX symptom is feeling vaguely sleepy and *not quite right* Have had to lower dose because of liver enzymes up once--but with Enbrel on board, that seems to work ok--it does seem like I add and add and rarely take away medicine!! Oh well--I am still breathing in and out and that sure beats the alternative!! Alix > My main MTX symptom is feeling vaguely sleepy and *not quite right* Have > had to lower dose because of liver enzymes up once--but with Enbrel on [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Alix Oooh, I don't know,,,,, when I started Enbrel. I was able to stop prednisone and all other medications for RA. Harv >My question is if you up it like that does it take as long as when you first >started for it to help? Or does it even help once you have taken it and it >quits does upping the dose do anything? I take 20 mg. of injectable MTX weekly. No side effects except occasional mouth sores. I take 5 mg. of Folic Acid daily as well. Joan --- Joan My experience has been that with each increase in the mtx, it does help, but it does take a bit for the new higher dose to kick in. Also, a key factor for me in helping curtail some of the side effects is to drink lots and lots of water the day of and the day after the mtx dose. Keep yourself well hydrated. Also, like Walt said, sometimes taking it at night right before bedtime helps you to sleep through the worst of the side effects. Hope things improve for you for a bit until you can get on the enbrel. Donna G > My experience has been that with each increase in the mtx, it does help, > but it does take a bit for the new higher dose to kick in. Also, a key [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Donna G keeping well hydrated is key. When I was doing strict Atkins, my side effects seemed to be worse on MTX day, so I made that my Carb-Pig-Out day, and that helped immensely. Again, thank you to all who have replied. I have been drinking lots of water, I usually do but I have made myself drink more and it has helped. I Have somehow gotten some weird pain in my lower back and hip area, probably not related just another thing to deal with. Boy or Boy it gets to be to much sometimes which I'm sure all of you can relate to. I also have Fm real bad so sometimes it is confusing to know just what is causing the pain. Along with severe allergies and interstitial cystitis so it is always something, I know that the doctors love me Job security!! Thanks again Becky >> My experience has been that with each increase in the mtx, it does help, >> but it does take a bit for the new higher dose to kick in. Also, a key [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > effects seemed to be worse on MTX day, so I made that my Carb-Pig-Out day, > and that helped immensely. |
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