I have recently been diagnosed with inflamitory arthritis and will start injections of meth sence indocine, bextra have not seem to been any good. This is kind of scary to me because I have always been very active like sports, Hunting kind of things. What can I expect in the next year or so and is there any one that is using this medicine that is in the same position and if so how are you doing physicaly and mentality.

I've never personally had to take it however have run across some of the warnings and precautions if you were not aware already.

Side effects
Side effects from methotrexate are common and include:

thinned or brittle hair
blistering skin or acne
loss of appetite or weight
Tell your doctor if either of these symptoms is severe or lasts for several hours:

mouth blistering
fatigue
If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:

painful urination or red urine
black, tarry stools
unusual bruising or bleeding
congestion
fever
dizziness
chills
shortness of breath
sore throat
swelling of the feet or ankles
vomiting
pain in the joints
seizures
severe skin rash


Methotrexate can cause a decrease in the number of blood cells in your bone marrow. Methotrexate also can cause cancerous lymphomas, tumor lysis syndrome (electrolyte imbalances), severe skin reactions, infections such as pneumonia, bone and soft tissue damage, and severe damage to your liver, kidneys, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract (some of which can be fatal). Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order lab tests before, during, and after your treatment to see if you are affected by this drug. Tell your doctor if you have ascites (collection of fluid in the abdomen), kidney disease, or lung disease and if you are getting radiation therapy. Tell your doctor if you are taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or Nuprin), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Actron, Orudis), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn), or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: dry cough; diarrhea; loss of appetite; nausea, stomach pain; weakness; weight loss; excessive tiredness; lack of energy; yellowness of the skin or eyes; enlargement of the lymph nodes; blisters on the cheek, tongue and lips; or skin rash. Because of the dangers of taking methotrexate, this drug should be used to treat only life-threatening cancer or severe psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis that does not respond to other treatments. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking methotrexate.If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, especially if you have psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis, talk you your doctor about the risks of taking methotrexate for your condition. If you become pregnant, call your doctor immediately. Methotrexate may harm the fetus.

tomj
could I ask how you were diagnosed. I am having real problems with my hands and feet and joint pain. I can hardy use my thumbs on each hand. I had blood drawn and they said it was negative for rheumatoid arth. I am convinced this has to be some sort of arthritis. Just wondering what kind of tests you had to go through. thanks for any help

Thanks for the info on Metho....I am trying to decide as well if that is which one I should be on for my RA. I am very nervous about all of this and scared about going on a drug like this with such serious side effects (especially in regards to my liver).

I'd like to hear from people who have taken it. I have psoriatic arthritis and it has not responded well enough to the drug Arcoxia. So I am looking at Methotextrate as the next drug. My rheumy says it is safe so long as you have regular liver enzyme tests to check what it is doing. I've heard of a lot of people being on it, and they don't mention side effects, so maybe they are on the right doses for them.

I posted a message about methotrexate a few weeks ago...but I will answer in this thread also.

When my Rheumy first talked about putting me on Methotrexate, I told him HECK NO. I had read all of the warnings / side effects that could go wrong with the drug, and honestly thought I could do better without taking it.

I tried a couple of other drugs, found out I was allergic to sulphur when taking one of them -and was getting no relief. Every joint in my body ached, especially my hands.

The DR finally talked me into trying the Meth. He said that the company had to report side effects, even if one person out of a million had reported having a symptom. He also said that he would take a liver panel (bloodwork) before putting me on the drug, and continue to take bloodwork every 5 weeks to see how I was doing.

I started taking a low dose of the drug (7.5 mgs once a week) and within 3 weeks, I could not believe the difference. Most of my aches and stiffness had went away...and had went away gradually to where I just realized one day that I could move without hurting.
The only side effect I suffered with this drug, was diarrhea (sp?) and nausea the first time I took it. There are usually 'first time' side effects with any new drug you start taking.

I have been on the drug for 4 months now, and honestly wished I had started it earlier. I'm not sure how long it will help with the stiffness, or even how long I can continue at this low dosage and it be effective. Your body tends to get used to a certain drug at a certain dose, making the drug not work as well.

But I am glad that I am taking it now - and that it is working for me so well.

Hope this helps.

hugs

I went to see my rhuematologist yesterday for my regular visit, he suggested I try the methotrexate however we decided to wait a bit. I am curious now, I don't even have RA so would this even be effective for Osteo? I do suffer from a genetic disorder that does cause a severe problem with my ammune system.
I'm thinking it isn't a good option for me.

I'm not sure if the metho is prescribed solely for rheumatoid arthritis - or other forms or arthritis as well.

My Dr said that the metho worked on suppressing the immune system -which was attacking my joints....so - if your dr said/suggests/thinks you have an auto immune disease also - maybe it would help you also.
If you do decide to try it -make sure he starts you at the low end dose..I posted earlier that I took 7.5 mcg once a week - that was an error - it's 7.5 mg once a week.

Some meds can cause some people all kinds of side effects - and not bother other people. Good luck if/when you decide to try the meth. Let us know how things are going for you.

HUGS

The meth scares me somewhat, more so than any other med I'd read up on. I was on something pretty similiar during severe bouts of colitis flare ups and it actually seemed to help the joints some but the long term effects are scary.

I just want to say thank you ladywolfe for your responses. My R. Doctor says either Plaq for me mor Metho but was leaning more towards the Metho. I am really scared about what will happen but right now I am in so much pain and discomfort that I don't think I have much choice. Pluse I miss being the active person that I was now that it is so hard for me to even walk or get out of bed now. Did the Metho hurt your stomach? I have a stomach that is so sensitive and so now I am wondering how that will come into play with what meds I choose. I tried just Vioxx for a simple NSAIDS and it made me sicker than a dog. Maybe I will have to do the shots? I dont' know I am very scared, being a young single Mom and having to face this on my own is difficult. Any help, advice, or anything would be wonderful. Thanks for all the sharing!

I was on Plaquinil for over a year as my rhuematologist felt it might help my overall condition. I didn't really have any stomache problems with it at all and like you I have a very sensitive stomache.
I also couldn't take Vioxx but I could Enbrel and Bextra so maybe one of those may work better for you.

I would also suggest maybe you call your local arthritis foundation to see if they have a support group. It helps a lot to have others to turn to in helping you understand and cope with your condition.

Good luck

I've been on MTX for 6 months. I was diagnosed with RA in February. I started on 12.5 mg once a week along with 5mg Prednisone 2xday plus Bextra 20mg. The MTX made me sick to my stomache but found taking it at night about 1-2 hours before I went to bed was the best. Of course I always take it with a snack. I've had no other side effects from it. I also have a very sensitive stomache so I take 40mg Nexium daily. As I was getting weaned off the Prednisone my RA flared again so my MTX has been increased to 15mg once a week along with increasing the Prednisone for a few weeks. Best of luck to you.