Starting MTX

[jiml]

Great news pingu about the psoriasis ...it is great to be virtually free from it after years of suffering with it

Let's hope your infection clears soon and you will be able to resume the mtx it would seem sensible to stay on the 15mg dose as it has worked well for you without to many side effects

Thanks for the update it is good to hear the good news about the psoriasis, not so good about the infection  

[Fred]

Anyway the advice in my case will be any infection stop MTX to let your body have a little better chance of fighting it.

Thank you for the update Pingu and the good advise to others.

[mataribot]

Some antibiotics interfere with the bodies ability to get rid of the MTX - increasing the drugs toxicity. I think it's a wise choice to stop medication. I am glad to hear your skin is well. Let's hope it continues.

[Michele]

Hi guys,

First of all, a BIG thanks to pingu for this user guide, I just finished reading it

I started mtx last Thursday, 15 mg/week (5 mg/2 pills every 8 hours). On Friday I felt like a zombie, I had a terrible headache, and I threw up several times. Now, everything is good, and I look forward for the next Thursday. Tomorrow I will have my first set of blood tests 
I am covered with P about 3-4%, I hope to see big improvements soon. 
I will keep you updated.

M

[jiml]

Hi guys,

First of all, a BIG thanks to pingu for this user guide, I just finished reading it

I started mtx last Thursday, 15 mg/week (5 mg/2 pills every 8 hours). On Friday I felt like a zombie, I had a terrible headache, and I threw up several times. Now, everything is good, and I look forward for the next Thursday. Tomorrow I will have my first set of blood tests 
I am covered with P about 3-4%, I hope to see big improvements soon. 
I will keep you updated.

M

Hi Michele  it's good to see you are finding the forum useful, for finding out what to expect from your medication, yes you have had the usual side effects which hopefully will subside   I hope that the clearance will start getting better. Good luck with the blood test tomorrow  

Now might be a good time to start your own thread so it will be easier for you to look back on and will enable others to follow your journey
If you want to do that (and it's not compulsory   ) you can click on this link and then click on new thread button Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics you could call it anything you like for instance "Michele's methotrexate journey "

[Fred]

Now might be a good time to start your own thread so it will be easier for you to look back on and will enable others to follow your journey
If you want to do that (and it's not compulsory   ) you can click on this link and then click on new thread button Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics you could call it anything you like for instance "Michele's methotrexate journey "

Yes I agree. Like Jim said it's not compulsory but we do encourage our members to start their own thread as not only will it give them something to look back on, but their information could help others as you have found with Pingu's thread.

[Fred]

Now might be a good time to start your own thread so it will be easier for you to look back on and will enable others to follow your journey
If you want to do that (and it's not compulsory   ) you can click on this link and then click on new thread button Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics you could call it anything you like for instance "Michele's methotrexate journey "

Yes I agree. Like Jim said it's not compulsory but we do encourage our members to start their own thread as not only will it give them something to look back on, but their information could help others as you have found with Pingu's thread.

EDIT: Michele has started his own thread and you can find it here: Just another MTX story

[D Foster]

I was on MTX for nine years six at 25mg and three plus at 20mg injections and was always told that it takes several weeks for the MTX to get out of your system so even when I had the odd infection I continued with the MTX however I also ways checked on drugs dot com that the antibiotic did not clash with it.
I never got, in all the nine tears plus, anymore than around 80%ish clearance .
A lot of people don't like MTX but I think that out of all the treatments that cover both P and PsA it is a very good one, I had far better results for both problems that anything else . I am on Stelara now which I have 99% clearance but it not as good as MTX for the PsA , not that I would swop .

[pingu]

Michele at least someone read it!

I know when I started and restarted with my NHS consultant they both put me on 5mg to start and built me up slowly. Not sure if I would have had side effects otherwise but I am guessing, literally it is my opinion, that IF you start on relatively high dose then the side effect would be worse than a lower dose.

As has been said many times and to me on here, many many people do not like MTX and it doesn't work for everyone.

My consultant explained that this is a relatively successful, relatively low cost treatment. Pretty much they go through the available array of treatments and keep the expensive things until last. That said cost is not necessarily an indication of how good or effective it is.

What I have been recommended is that I should take my MTX with a snack and folic acid orange juice (only found out about the orange juice last week). Folic acid is not taken on MTX day.

[D Foster]

I was told that the folic acid was not to be taken on the same day as the MTX . I believe that it reduced the effect of the MTX if you take it the same time.
My doctor uses MTX for A and he is quite happy to use it. I found that the side effects just built up over time to a point that it got to much to put up with though my dose was 25mg on the tablets and 20mg on the self injections.