Starting MTX

[jiml]

Thats kind of where I am at also annie.

The plaques are less agressive, non have disappeared but certainly less aggressive and I am not applying my usual lotions and potions so would normally look like a snowman in a blizzard.

Tonight I have my 4th dose, 15mg. I am reasonably happy that I haven't had side effect, its less aggressive etc. I would like to see it fading back a little more over the next week or so.

Looks like it's working for you as well Pingu .... I found the best side effect was not clearing all the scales up wherever I went ... I still glance at seats when I stand up just to be sure .

15mg that's six tablets isn't it, you may achieve clearance on that. Let's hope so
Thanks for the update  

[pingu]

Yes Jiml 6 tabs, seems like a lot but once a week isn't so bad. Still getting my head around folic acid as thats what pregnant women have LOL.

The 15mg was why I asked about if dosage may be dependent on weight as I am a bit of a unit at 100kg, want to get down to 95 but never been less than that and I look anorexic below that anyway.

I don't have a consultation until the 10th August when they may increase the dosage but I am on 15mg until then. 

I have also got my NHS referal so hopefully they don't change anything the private consultant prescribed although they are a well recognised dermatologist who works for the NHS as well.

[jiml]

Yes Jiml 6 tabs, seems like a lot but once a week isn't so bad. Still getting my head around folic acid as thats what pregnant women have LOL.

The 15mg was why I asked about if dosage may be dependent on weight as I am a bit of a unit at 100kg, want to get down to 95 but never been less than that and I look anorexic below that anyway.

I don't have a consultation until the 10th August when they may increase the dosage but I am on 15mg until then. 

I have also got my NHS referal so hopefully they don't change anything the private consultant prescribed although they are a well recognised dermatologist who works for the NHS as well.

I got up to 10 tablets and it was very effective I took them on a Monday and a folic acid tablet on Friday  my weight hovers around 83kg . We are all different and medications work differently on different people
So good luck I hope it continues and when you get to the NHS dermatologist I hope they will continue with your current treatment if it's working ....

[pingu]

Well no illness or side effects today, I wish this worked faster but the good news is that my psoriasis although it doesn't appear to be disappearing at present, it may be a slow process. It definitely is less aggressive. Less scaling, itching etc.

[jiml]

Well no illness or side effects today, I wish this worked faster but the good news is that my psoriasis although it doesn't appear to be disappearing at present, it may be a slow process. It definitely is less aggressive. Less scaling, itching etc.

Always good to hear that there are no side effects, and the psoriasis is less aggressive it's very positive. Stick with it you are seeing good results already, so it should keep improving don't worry if it takes a while when it does work you should be able to stay clear,  as long as your body can tolerate it and you have good blood results

[D Foster]

Well no illness or side effects today, I wish this worked faster but the good news is that my psoriasis although it doesn't appear to be disappearing at present, it may be a slow process. It definitely is less aggressive. Less scaling, itching etc.

Always good to hear that there are no side effects, and the psoriasis is less aggressive it's very positive. Stick with it you are seeing good results already, so it should keep improving don't worry if it takes a while when it does work you should be able to stay clear,  as long as your body can tolerate it and you have good blood results

You are definitely progressing so just relax and go with the flow , forget it now and let it do it's job.

[Fred]

Well no illness or side effects today, I wish this worked faster but the good news is that my psoriasis although it doesn't appear to be disappearing at present, it may be a slow process. It definitely is less aggressive. Less scaling, itching etc.

Yes it takes time, but you're on the right track.

[pingu]

Strange letter from my GP asking me to go and have my bloods done again and repeat in 3 months.

Seems rather strange so rather than getting down about it just assuming its a cock up and they don't seem to know whats what.

If there was an issue it would probably say urgent or they would have rang me. As for saying repeat in 3 months I am having it done in 10 days. 

So now I have to wait for Monday and call them.

[Caroline]

Strange letter from my GP asking me to go and have my bloods done again and repeat in 3 months.

Seems rather strange so rather than getting down about it just assuming its a cock up and they don't seem to know whats what.

If there was an issue it would probably say urgent or they would have rang me. As for saying repeat in 3 months I am having it done in 10 days. 

So now I have to wait for Monday and call them.

It is quite normal with this treatments to have your bloods checked regularly certainly at the beginning. This also holds for my treatment.
Mostly is it because of three things. There are occurrences that the medication reduces the lymphocyte count and that may not go lower than a certain level, your kidneys will have to be able to deal with it, which can be seen at some level of one of the blood elements and also your liver needs to be kept an eye on.
If all goes well and these three are good, then the treatment can be continued.

So it is purely for safety reasons.

[D Foster]

Strange letter from my GP asking me to go and have my bloods done again and repeat in 3 months.

Seems rather strange so rather than getting down about it just assuming its a cock up and they don't seem to know whats what.

If there was an issue it would probably say urgent or they would have rang me. As for saying repeat in 3 months I am having it done in 10 days. 

So now I have to wait for Monday and call them.

It is quite normal with this treatments to have your bloods checked regularly certainly at the beginning. This also holds for my treatment.
Mostly is it because of three things. There are occurrences that the medication reduces the lymphocyte count and that may not go lower than a certain level, your kidneys will have to be able to deal with it, which can be seen at some level of one of the blood elements and also your liver needs to be kept an eye on.
If all goes well and these three are good, then the treatment can be continued.

So it is purely for safety reasons.

Caroline is right ,when I first started ,well it will be nearly 12 years ago as I was on MTX 9 years, they did the blood tests every week for 6 weeks then every two weeks for a further 4 weeks then every three months. Stop worrying it's fine just normal.