Methotrexate Puns

Hey y’all. It’s your girl, life long eczema sufferer. I recently hit my 6ish-7 months of being in MTX, steroid free and Eucrisa.

METOTREXATE (MTX)

I started in June 2021 so far so good! I went from 20mg to 25mg because it wasn’t doing much at the 20mg. Still minorly itchy in the crevice of behind the knees and inner elbows.

Some of my liver cell thingies from my blood test (I forget what they’re called LOL) was off the charts for that 1 month of adjustment period but did not feel any symptoms of liver damage/failure. My blood tests were back to normal ranges after that month.

I had a solid 3 months of pure ecstasy: clear skin with no itching, no rashes, just living life like a normal person? This was around September - November. That said, I had minimal stress and the weather was perfection for my skin: kinda cool, always damp lol(i live by the ocean that’s why) ‘hoodie’ season is what I like to call it.

Winter came and well… LOL. Don’t get me wrong, I am still doing way better pre MTX. But I’ve gotten these awful neck and hand rashes I still have today but is slowly healing. I’ve been using Eucrisa as I’ve kinda gone on a steroid free journey, and I especially want to avoid steroids on sensitive and folded areas like my neck. I think my hand rashes is because of all the hand washing I do and my work soap is like hardcore strength (I work in a health care facility). It ain't fun but I can deal.

My symptoms right now are minor nausea the first 16ish hours after taking it. I played my cards right and make myself take it on a Sundays 12:00AM so I can sleep through any symptoms and give myself the day to rest before the work week.

I live a relatively sober life style as I drink/do drugs once a year so that gives me a peace of mind to make sure my liver isn't dying.

PSA BREAK:

That being said, I AM NOT ANTI-STEROIDS*.* Eczema is such a personal and awful conditions and we may share similar symptoms but at the end of the day, everyone's conditions is unique to themselves. Just use with caution.

BACK TO REGULAR PROGRAMMING

STEROID-FREE and EUCRISA

Again, not anti-steroids but won't use it if I don't need it. I've been doing fine with no TSW-like symptoms. I have a small jar of hydrocortisone from August and it's still full which I am very proud of! To heal rashes a bit quicker, I've been using Eucrisa. I HATED protopic so Eucrisa is god send without steroid side effects.

FUTURE PLANS

• Probably stay on MTX for another

Anyone used this and have any experience?

I HAVE to try it before going on to biologics - it’s a rule in my area so there’s no avoiding it. I’m pretty nervous! To date I’ve been on cyclo and it’s been incredible, but it’s starting to impact my kidneys, so it’s time to move on.

I’m wondering how long it takes to determine which auto immune disease it is or if it even matters. Also wondering how long you all were on methotrexate. I read about all of these symptoms posted here and it breaks my heart for her. I wish you all the very best.

Hey all - confirmed ectopic :(

Gave us the option of surgery or methotrexate. Any opinions on either?

They said one benefit of the surgery is that it would help prevent it from happening again in the future. While the drug would also have a chance of leading to needing surgery anyway.

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

As the title says, how do you guys relieve Methotrexate nausea? I don't use the drug myself but I have a lot of clients who do and sometimes increasing folic acid supplement doesn't work and some are sad to stop taking the MTX because it works so well on their joints. That's when I remembered about ginger tea for pregnancy nausea and wondered if anyone has any experience with something similar. Let me know of your tricks!

Hello. In you opinion do plaquenil or methotrexate have helped with your symptoms?? Which ones??

For how long were y’all still tired after the methotrexate injections? I had 2 rounds, my second around 3 weeks ago and I still feel so tired throughout the day. I feel like I need a daily nap and have a hard time working the full day. I know the tiredness comes with the side effects, and it was definitely more for the few days immediately following, but have any of y’all experienced this for more than immediately after the treatment? If so, how long did it last and did you try anything that helped?

Has anyone here ever experienced severe nerve pain after getting SI steroid injections? Also has anyone here ever had RF Ablation? I'd love to hear your experiences.

I had 2 bilateral SI steroid injections (12/3 and 12/17) with the intention of getting RF Ablation. On Christmas morning I woke up and noticed something was really off in left hip and it was really stiff and difficult to walk. It got progressively worse by the end of the night. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't go from sitting to standing or put any weight on my leg. If I did it felt like a sharp, electrical jolt up and down my inner thigh, leg, and up towards my ribcage. Also pain in the back and lower back, but I've never had an instance where I couldn't put weight on my leg/hip. Similar to sciatica pain, but in different places. I spent the week crying in bed w/my hip propped up with a pillow. I'm able to put weight on it again, but very carefully. I'm still getting jolts of what feels like sharp electricity up & down by body. I almost went to the hospital, but figured I already had what they would give me. Pain medication, muscle relaxers, & anti-inflammatories did not relieve the pain. I was supposed to see them again for neck injections & cancelled because I couldn't even make it to the car.

The timing of all this made me think that it was related to the injections, but when I reached out to the pain dr & they said that since I tolerated both injections well up until that point, & the onset of my pain wasn't until 12/25, they didn't think it was related. They said anything could cause it like coughing (my asthma has been making me cough a lot lately), systemic inflammation, etc. and encouraged me to follow-up with my rheumatologist.

HISTORY

I have an extensive history of back, hip, and neck pain dating back to childhood. Scoliosis, degenerative disks, wore a back brace, was sent to a spine surgeon, and had several epidurals all before I was 18. I'm now 35 and as you can imagine, things have gotten progressively worse. More details on that below.

My rheumatologist who I've been seeing for the past two years, referred me to a pain specialist because I have a lot of "mechanical" issues in addition to autoimmune symptoms. We know there's autoimmune involvement, but she's hesitant to make an official diagnosis until we have more information. Historically, I've had relatively low systemic inflammation, but we've attributed

Last summer (July 2021) my family doctor ran some labs (finally after looking for YEARS for a dr to listen & help) & said “you have some sort of autoimmune disease, not sure which tho.” So he put me on methotrexate & prednisone. I finally got in with a rheumatologist, & she diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis. I just took my first humira injection this past Saturday, & took my normal dose of methotrexate on Monday like usual. Wednesday my back kind of started cramping, Thursday was pretty crappy, but yesterday and today it’s been absolutely excruciating. Like, to the point that had I fallen or something I would think something was broken. Could it be my body not doing well with the humira, or the both of them together? Has anyone ever had any issues like that?

Dumb question, but will my immune system still work? I am a germaphobe, but with three kids, it is going to happen. Experiences?

Diagnosed with PSA in December after a year of symptoms, started MTX on Sunday - woke up this morning with the least amount of pain in my hand in about 6 months. Is it far too soon to put this down to starting MTX? Know all the literature says 3-6 weeks for effects.

Hello everyone, 23/F and diagnosed. Long-time lurker and first time poster! Colchicine has been pretty decent for controlling my ulcers, however, joint pain has gotten progressively worse. I’ve had steroidal injections, but now my rheumatologist has recommended I start methotrexate.

Has anyone experienced significant relief with methotrexate? Any awful side effects? As vain as it sounds the hair loss side effect has panicked me a little, I would of course rather not be in pain but I also wouldn’t mind keeping my hair.

Thanks in advance and hope everyone is doing ok!

Has anyone been prescribed methotrexate? I'm also on remicade but dr. Wants me to try both. Just want to see if anyone had good experiences.

Hi everyone! I was diagnosed with RA 3 years ago, Im a 28F, I have been on methotrexate for about 6 months and I have not seen any improvement other than my hair falling out like crazy which is making me feel extremely insecure, has anyone seen a major improvement within a couple of months? Or should I have the doctor switch up the medication? Just FYI Im stiff in the mornings but my RA symptoms have significantly decreased due to changing my diet and also exercising however I dont think the meds are doing anything for me, has anyone switched from methotrexate to something else?

I have what is believed to be ocular sarcoidosis with bilateral retinal vasculitis and they have me on 25mg weekly while still on 10mg of prednisone. I just read a small study where 12.5 has shown to be effective. I’m not trying to be an internet doctor here but this stuff just rips through me, my hairline is just getting destroyed and my stomach is so rough the two days after the dose. Curious what everyone else is on.

Hello. My partner and I are trying to make the best (/least worse) treatment decision for our teenager who was just diagnosed w/ PsA + mild plaque Psoriasis. Her Rheumatologist says both are mild because we caught both early, but they strongly recommend she begin treatment asap. She had taken methotrexate before for a different autoimmune issue and experienced the typical side effects (fatigue, nausea, hair loss, etc). Her doctors recommend a biologic (specifically Cosentyx or Humira) because less side effects = better quality of life and it will likely work faster (if it's going to work), but they also note that methotrexate has a longer safety history. I'm leaning towards Cosentyx but what scares me most about Cosentyx (or Humira) is the risk of infection. Any thoughts you might be able to provide would be helpful. This really sucks for her but we're trying to keep it positive.

Edit: update - thank you so much for these helpful responses! We have decided to go the biologic route. While it hurts my heart to read about your experiences with this condition, it's a nice reminder that community support is here for her if and when she is ready to consider what it means to have PsA.

I’ve been on methotrexate and have not had the common side effect of fatigue but i am losing my hair. Has anyone had experience with this? Did your hair regrow? How did you cope?

Hi team, I recently started seeing a new rheumatologist who was very concerned about peripheral joint problems I've been having the last few years (including two connective tissue surgeries in under a year for unrelated issues). In addition to Humira every two weeks, he started me in methotrexate. I've been doing once weekly doses for two weeks now, and the side effects are almost unbearable. He also started me on daily folic acid, to help with the side effects, but so far I'm not sure it's helping. I have constant nausea and fatigue, plus one day a week I'm completely useless. Has anyone else ever taken methotrexate? Do the side effects get better over time? It's been about 2.5 weeks and I'm already considering calling it quits. What's the point of having less joint pain and damage in the long run if my current quality of life is hot garbage?

Hey guys,

I've been working from home for the last 6 months and haven't had to go to work after a methotrexate day. As I work shift work I can't really plan my days around it.

Does anyone take pre workout or methotrexate to combat the nausea and other symptoms?

I've been diagnosed with juvenile RA since I was 16, and recently I've had a flare and my doctor put me on methotrexate. I wanted to know how to deal with the side effects from it, I feel them very heavily and its difficult to take it weekly, my gums bleed, I get nauseated, it can be worse than the arthritis pain itself sometimes. I do take folic acid to help with this too but it doesnt help much

(50m) diagnosed with RA 7 weeks ago. Started on Prednisone and Methotrexate same day. Prednisone 10mg for 2 weeks, then 5mg for 2 weeks, then 5mg as needed. MTX 15mg for 4 weeks, now on 20mg going forward. The prednisone kicked in after 2 1/2 days and it was glorious(major stiffness and pain mostly went away). Was worried about going down to the 5mg dose, but it was still working. I have now been off Prednisone for 2 weeks, and I seem to be regressing every day(stiffness and pain slowly returning), beginning to wonder if the MTX is working. Can it take longer than 6 weeks to feel relief from MTX?

Instructions on the Prednisone now is take as needed, but if it takes 3 days to work I'm not sure what to do.

Hello, I got the methotrexate injections on Sunday dec 26th and today I started having pain in my abdomen when I urinate. It hurts the absolute most when my bladder is full. This morning I woke up and was in so much pain from my bladder that I had to pee while my husband was in the shower because it felt absolutely horrible.

I called my doctor and she said it sounds like a uti and bladder pain isn’t a side effect of methotrexate. I’ve had uti’s before and I’ve never had this pain in my abdomen.

I want to clarify that it’s not an excruciating pain but it is painful and an uncomfortable “full” feeling. It even hurts when I walk.

Anyone else feel this? Should I be concerned?

Have any of you gotten a vaccine shortly after getting the methotrexate injection? I am three weeks post methotrexate and may need to get a tdap booster due to a cut. I am still waiting to hear back from my doctor if it is safe or not but I was just curious if anyone on here has gotten a vaccine shortly after the methotrexate. I know they say to avoid live vaccines but the tdap is not a live vaccine.

Has anyone tried the injection form? My RA doc wants me to try it because the pill form sucks but he is adamant that it's going to help.

Background 35F I've had swelling in both hands for over a year. Not able to work and needing to go back to work. If I hit my knuckles on anything I'm blacked out in pain. I work with my hands so I kind of need them back. I've had four surgeries in the last year to elevate pain in my wrists and hands before RA even came up in conversation with any doctor. Constant pain in joints in other areas. Just a shit storm apparently. Is it this insane to get treatment or finding something to put it in remission? Oh and diagnosed sero negative. I guess this just turned into a rant. I'm so frustrated and doctors really don't understand what this does to your soul after so long. Sorry, vent over.

is this true? i thought it was the most commonly prescribed for jia/ra? is it also a really really scary drug? like is it worse than biologics like remicade? they said they more often give plaquinil first

Edit: Conception, not getting jiggy!

Had my 2nd appointment today. Already adding Humira. I was diagnosed back in October and been struggling mentally since. I’m worried about infection risks. Well I’m worried about everything but…. Just feeling really low….

Just got my Humira! But I just injected methotrexate last night. I also am going to have to throw a monthly migraine med injection into the mix soon.

My rheumatologist prescribed me methotrexate but it makes my birth control ineffective at suppressing my endometriosis. For any women on birth control and methotrexate, if you don’t mind sharing, what type/brand of birth control works well for you?

Hello everyone,

I got diagnosed with undefined colitis ~1 year ago and I have been taking Mesalazine for some months. After starting mesalazine, my symptoms reduced to only mild body pain and fatigue/lethargy. I know people here have a lot worse. My condition basically prevents me of doing physical activities — before my diagnosis I would go to the gym daily. Today I just don't have the energy to do anything and, if I try, I feel really bad the next day. Apart from that, my life is pretty normal, apart from some bad days that I will feel more lethargic than normal and, therefore, less productive.

That said, my GI asked me to stay on Mesalazine hoping that I would eventually feel 100% better. However, my symptoms never changed. Today, my GI suggested Methotrexate 25mg as a next step. I've been doing some research and to be honest I don't feel like taking this drug. To me, it seems too much of a risk given that my symptoms are not that bad and are stable. At the same time, I really wanted to achieve 100% "remission".

I'm thinking about getting the opinion of another GI. I see a lot of people in this sub talking about Humira, Entyvio, Remicade, etc. And, by searching a lot the threads of this sub, it seems that people tend to be more successful with these medications. I don't know, Methotrexate seems so extreme and the injection itself causes fatigue/nausea/etc. which could be just as bad as the symptoms that I have.

Long text, I know. I'm a bit indecisive at the moment and I would really appreciate your opinions and inputs.

Thank you all!

I used to take cbd like once I was first diagnosed with UC while I was on mesalamine and it helped in some ways. I stopped taking it and like 3 months later ended up really sick. Haven't taken it in a while but have been pretty sick for 3 months now but am on remicade and methotrexate and have been thinking about taking cbd again a little bit. Has anyone tried this?

Hi all,

Today marks exactly four weeks since my first dose of methotrexate which didn't work (my hcg increased from 2000 to 4000). Also, today marks exactly three weeks since my second methotrexate shot.

My hcg levels were as follows: Day of second mtx shot: 3959, 1 week later: 2957 (25% drop), 2 weeks later: 1596 (46% drop), 3 weeks later (today): 1288 (19% drop).

I know hcg drop isn't linear but I'm still getting so frustrated that it's dropping so slowly! I am doing all I can, I'm avoiding folate rich foods, I'm drinking green tea.

And I keep reading stories here about hcg dropping 50% or more each week. Does anyone have a similar example to me, where the drop is varied and slow? Please share, because I keep on thinking there's something wrong.

At this rate, I will be lucky if my hcg will be 0 in March 2022 😕

So i will go see my rheumatologist a week from Tuesday. He’s been warning me since i first got diagnosed that methotrexate is likely in my future. I’ve been on Humira for psoriasis since 2019, but i think i probably had some arthritis symptoms prior to then (running gave me plantar fasciitis, jump rope killed my knees), but after going on Humira that stopped being a problem. After getting covid in Feb, running started to kill my knees and i started getting pain all over in many joints. Saw my rheum in July and he diagnosed me with PSA. I’m now on Diclofinac, plus HUmira (which is still controlling my skin).

My pain started in my right side, but now it’s on the left, primarily knee and ankle (is that strange?). My right shoulder was AWFUL this summer, where i couldn’t even brush my hair a few days, but that’s FAR better now. So on one hand, I’m better than I was earlier this year, but I’ve had several knee / ankle attacks where it was swollen and popped when i walked. I’ve had to cancel on two hiking plans in the last few months due to the discomfort / pain, and I’d say that I had flares in knee 3 out of 4 last weeks. When it flares, it hurts, but i can still get around, although my foot can swell and thank god for All Bird shoes!

Long story short, if I do have to go on Methotrexate, I’ve read that it can wipe you out with fatigue. My job is stressful, and I’ve got a decent amount of responsibility, so I’m worried that going on this med would interfere with my ability to do my job. Is the fatigue a guarantee, or if it is, how long does it last? Constant? Is it permanent or go away after you get used to it? Anything else i should expect?

I just want to prepare myself, I definitely want to get ahead of this and prevent further damage, but i am concerned about how that will impact my other responsibilities.

I posted a little while ago about 2 concerns I had with starting prednisone treatment, and I had a lot of good feedback- thanks!

Just met with my doctor and he actually suggested methotrexate instead - I’m going to start in January, go about a year with breathing tests sprinkled in, along with testing to make sure my liver is doing well, and then a CT scan to see if my lungs have improved.

I was actually good with this just because of the issues with prednisone and side effects.

Any thoughts, tips, warnings?

Thanks!!!!!

Hello. I went into the hospital on Wednesday having hard terrible, debilitating cramps 2 nights in a row. Despite my IUD I got pregnant and the fetus was implanted in my fallopian tube. They said it ruptured a little, as they saw fluid in my ultrasound, but because I was so stable and not showing signs of major internal bleeding, they gave me a dose of methotrexate to stop the cells from dividing.

However, the hospital did a poor job explaing how long until I miscarry the fetus. I was referred to an OBGYN at the hospital to check my levels but because of the holiday they are closed until Monday. They assured me that they will get me in quickly to test my HCG levels but I'm still nervous. I've been crampy since Wedneaday and have had no signs of bleeding. I feel the effects of the methotrexate and am exhausted and nauseous and feel sickly but am curious if I should go into the ER over the weekend to get my levels tested anyway. I really don't want to rupture any further and have to go into surgery.

So in your experiences, did you start bleeding right away? Did you bleed at all in the beginning? Can you all help me figure out what's normal since the hospital did such a shitty job explaining everything to me? Thank you.

i feel so stupid. what happens now? does it negate the effects of the mtx?

edit: thanks for the reassurance everyone!

Ok so I’m going in week 9 tomorrow of methotrexate. Oral pill form. About 2 weeks ago I really started to feel the side effects (and not the pain reduction ones). My GP said it will be 4 more months until they reassess the medication. I’m a full time working mother of 3, and life is getting hard. It’s been a struggle, a major struggle to get up and do all I need everyday. The brain fog, the gastric problems, the sore body, the headaches, the mouth ulcers, so many hairs falling out everywhere!!! I’ll have one good day followed by 4 bad ones.

So I need you guys- give me all the things that help. I have 4 months to get through.

Did anyone else experience changes in their cycle after starting methotrexate?My periods were very irregular and heavy before, started mtx in October and have only had one day of minor spotting since. Not pregnant. No other changes to meds. Covid vaccines all done months before. I’m only 37 so prob kind of early for “the change” lol. Rheum is impossible to get a hold of and don’t have a follow up booked till March, so thought I’d ask here.

TW: MC, Loss

I feel as though I am spiraling. I found out I was pregnant on 11/14 and started spotting 11/23. It worried me since I had miscarried my first pregnancy at 5w4d in May. My doctor squeezed me in and there was nothing on the US and my hcg was low at 253. I had another US and scan on 11/29, and there was still nothing on the US and my doctor said it was possibly another early miscarriage but if my hcg rose, it could be PUL. The next day and my hcg was 480. I was experiencing a dull ache on my right side for the third day in a row, and my doctor advised me to go to the ER.

At the ER, the US showed a 1.7cm mass in my right tube and my hcg was now 609. I was treated with two shots of Methotrexate. I've been bleeding & cramping since 11/30, including a lot of tissue and clots. At my 4 day hcg pull (12/3), my numbers were 1040. No worries, they told me numbers initially rise and the fall between day 4 and day 7 was what was important. I had another hcg test yesterday (12/6) and my numbers are now at 1080.

I'm so tired and so heartbroken and I really just want to be on the other side of this. I hate living in this uncertainty of whether my tube will rupture at any moment. I accessed my results before my doctor informed me and maybe that was a mistake... but I was so anxious to know and thought it would bring my relief if it was good news, and now it's had the opposite effect while I wait for my doctor to call me.

I do want to say that I have found this subreddit incredibly helpful. Everything I've learned about ectopics and treatment, I learned browsing here. So thank you for sharing your stories for others to find.

------------ 12/28 Edit ------------

My second dose of MTX worked. I'm editing to add a full look at my HCG draws during this journey for anyone who stumbles across this:

11/24 - 253

11/29 - 480

11/30 - 609 *ER Visit & First dose of MTX*

12/3 - 1015

12/6 - 1060

12/7 - *Second dose of MTX*

12/8 - 787 *ER Visit*

12/10 - 685

12/13 - 479

12/20 - 49

12/27 - 5

1/3 - <1

So i was diagnosed with non-radiographic Spondyloarthritis back in June after a severe flare. I have been on Methotrexate tablets since then (started on 15mg, but now on 20mg weekly with 5mg folic acid all other days)

I am also undergoing investigative procedures for a respiritory thing (2 rounds of biopsies and a 3rd planned to identify if its sarcoidosis or Neuroendocrin lung carcinoid tumors) found during the CT/MRI diagnosis for the SA.

The longer im on MTX the worse my side effects seem to be each week, i took my dose this morning, as normal, and i get about 2-3 hours of normal living before the side effects kick in.

The side effects are: General nausea feeling, never enough to be physically sick, but enough to put me off doing anything. Acute joint pains - it feels like the pain i experienced during the initial flare but it moves all over the body, mainly hitting the major joints and the sacroiliac area. Mental fog. General Toxic feeling - it feels like my joints is giving off some kind of toxic chemical/energy that spreads through my body making it feel like its poisoned

These effects last 2-3 days, severely impacting my functionality and mood.

These effects are getting worse with each dose, I have discussed these with GP and Rheumatologist, i have been prescribed Cyclizine for the nausea but they havent arrived yet (dumb ass royal mail left a reattempting delivery note today, which boiled my p*ss, normaly they just leave it in the shed, which they happily do with my GFs Opioid based and heavily controlled medication)

Rheumatologist wont move me on to injectable MTX or other alternatives because of the ongoing respiritory thing.

Does anybody else get this level of side effects and if so what do you do to manage it.