Re: a~ such fatigue not usual

March 20, 2006

Tess,

You're taking 20 mg. which is the maximum recommended dose. But when

you started, you may have

started at half that amount and then had it increased. Starting back

at 20 mgs may be the reason

you're not feeling so well. Maybe your body needs to readjust to the

mtx.

a

On Mar 20, 2006, at 6:12 PM, Grammi B wrote:

> Hi a...my mtx. rx is a .8 cc injection weekly. Is that small,

> medium, or large?

>

> Gentle hugs...

>

> Tess

>

March 20, 2006

In a message dated 3/20/2006 5:12:49 PM Central Standard Time,

grammi_love@... writes:

Hi a...my mtx. rx is a .8 cc injection weekly. Is that small, medium,

or large?

sorry Tess hon i dont know. i am on the pill form. 15mgs weekly... hugs

March 20, 2006

I was prescribed what I was told to be the max injectable of 1.2cc . Fatigue

seems to follow dosage. Shortly after starting the 1.2cc, I wanted to take

the car to the track, so I went out and hooked the trailer up, loaded the

race car, and strapped it down. My idea was that by the time I did all that,

I would feel better and be ready to go. WRONG!! I came back in the house and

collapsed on the couch. So much for my day at the track. :<( I still

haven't got there and it's been over 2 years, and now the track is closed so

I have to drive twice as far and pay more. It's not for me now, I guess.

Dennis

Re: [ ] a~ such fatigue not usual

> Tess,

>

> You're taking 20 mg. which is the maximum recommended dose. But when

> you started, you may have

> started at half that amount and then had it increased. Starting back

> at 20 mgs may be the reason

> you're not feeling so well. Maybe your body needs to readjust to the

> mtx.

>

> a

>

> On Mar 20, 2006, at 6:12 PM, Grammi B wrote:

>

>> Hi a...my mtx. rx is a .8 cc injection weekly. Is that small,

>> medium, or large?

>>

>> Gentle hugs...

>>

>> Tess

>>

March 21, 2006

Dennis,

Many people are on higher doses than what is recommended. Also there

is a large disparity

among doctors as to what is considered the maximum dose. I go by the

recommendations

of the Arthritis Foundation, who says 7.5 to 20mgs is the recommended

dose:

http://arthritis.org/conditions/DrugGuide/chart_dmards.html

Hopkins says 25 mg weekly is the max recommended dose:

http://www.hopkins-arthritis.som.jhmi.edu/rheumatoid/rheum_treat.html

This site says 15mgs:

http://arthritis.about.com/cs/mtx/a/mtx.htm

This one says 30 mgs

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001001/1607.html

You might think that they'd at least agree with treatment, but since

they can't even

agree on the cause of RA, I guess we can't expect them to agree on

the treatment.

Did you start off with 1.2cc's? Most doctors start out with a lower

dose and increase it as

the patient tolerates it. No wonder you collapsed if you started out

with the high dose.

I hope one day you get there.

a

On Mar 20, 2006, at 10:49 PM, betnden@... wrote:

> I was prescribed what I was told to be the max injectable of

> 1.2cc . Fatigue

> seems to follow dosage. Shortly after starting the 1.2cc, I wanted

> to take

> the car to the track, so I went out and hooked the trailer up,

> loaded the

> race car, and strapped it down. My idea was that by the time I did

> all that,

> I would feel better and be ready to go. WRONG!! I came back in the

> house and

> collapsed on the couch. So much for my day at the track. :<( I still

> haven't got there and it's been over 2 years, and now the track is

> closed so

> I have to drive twice as far and pay more. It's not for me now, I

> guess.

>

> Dennis

>

> Re: [ ] a~ such fatigue not usual

>

> > Tess,

> >

> > You're taking 20 mg. which is the maximum recommended dose. But when

> > you started, you may have

> > started at half that amount and then had it increased. Starting

> back

> > at 20 mgs may be the reason

> > you're not feeling so well. Maybe your body needs to readjust to the

> > mtx.

> >

> > a

> >

> > On Mar 20, 2006, at 6:12 PM, Grammi B wrote:

> >

> >> Hi a...my mtx. rx is a .8 cc injection weekly. Is that small,

> >> medium, or large?

> >>

> >> Gentle hugs...

> >>

> >> Tess

> >>

March 21, 2006

It looks like I'm in a really safe zone on the Pred. Those sites have real

numbers for us to work with, so I'm good up to 97.5 mg/day. To get that

number, I added them all together. That'll work, won't it?? ;<)

Seriously, thanks for the info, I'll study more on it and maybe learn

something new today.

Dennis

Re: [ ] a~ such fatigue not usual

> Dennis,

>

> Many people are on higher doses than what is recommended. Also there

> is a large disparity

> among doctors as to what is considered the maximum dose. I go by the

> recommendations

> of the Arthritis Foundation, who says 7.5 to 20mgs is the recommended

> dose:

>

> http://arthritis.org/conditions/DrugGuide/chart_dmards.html

>

> Hopkins says 25 mg weekly is the max recommended dose:

> http://www.hopkins-arthritis.som.jhmi.edu/rheumatoid/rheum_treat.html

>

> This site says 15mgs:

> http://arthritis.about.com/cs/mtx/a/mtx.htm

>

> This one says 30 mgs

> http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001001/1607.html

>

> You might think that they'd at least agree with treatment, but since

> they can't even

> agree on the cause of RA, I guess we can't expect them to agree on

> the treatment.

>

> Did you start off with 1.2cc's? Most doctors start out with a lower

> dose and increase it as

> the patient tolerates it. No wonder you collapsed if you started out

> with the high dose.

> I hope one day you get there.

>

> a

>

> On Mar 20, 2006, at 10:49 PM, betnden@... wrote:

>

>> I was prescribed what I was told to be the max injectable of

>> 1.2cc . Fatigue

>> seems to follow dosage. Shortly after starting the 1.2cc, I wanted

>> to take

>> the car to the track, so I went out and hooked the trailer up,

>> loaded the

>> race car, and strapped it down. My idea was that by the time I did

>> all that,

>> I would feel better and be ready to go. WRONG!! I came back in the

>> house and

>> collapsed on the couch. So much for my day at the track. :<( I still

>> haven't got there and it's been over 2 years, and now the track is

>> closed so

>> I have to drive twice as far and pay more. It's not for me now, I

>> guess.

>>

>> Dennis

March 21, 2006

LOL! Oh how we all wish. With that dose, we'd be trying out for the

olympics.

Prednisone is the drug we love to hate. It is such a great pain

reliever, but it comes with

such a high price. Hopefully one day we'll have better options.

What get me is that doctors use prednisone as a first line drug and

patients don't realize how dependent

they can become on it. Yet these same doctors won't prescribe pain

medicine because

we'll become addicted. It's ok that we become addicted to something

that can give us

osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cataracts, weight gain, destroy

our adrenal gland, and a host of other things,

but it's not ok if we become dependent on our pain medicine to

relieve our pain.

I realize that pain medication also has it's side effects, but in my

mind they don't compare

to those of prednisone. I wish they'd prescribe pain medication and

save the prednisone

for those that have no choice. I guess I'd better get off my soap box.

I've collected some links and put them on my site if you want to read

more:

http://arthritissupport.info/drugs.html#prednisone

a

On Mar 21, 2006, at 9:37 AM, betnden@... wrote:

> It looks like I'm in a really safe zone on the Pred. Those sites

> have real

> numbers for us to work with, so I'm good up to 97.5 mg/day. To get

> that

> number, I added them all together. That'll work, won't it?? ;<)

>

> Seriously, thanks for the info, I'll study more on it and maybe learn

> something new today.

>

> Dennis

>

> Re: [ ] a~ such fatigue not usual

>

> > Dennis,

> >

> > Many people are on higher doses than what is recommended. Also there

> > is a large disparity

> > among doctors as to what is considered the maximum dose. I go by the

> > recommendations

> > of the Arthritis Foundation, who says 7.5 to 20mgs is the

> recommended

> > dose:

> >

> > http://arthritis.org/conditions/DrugGuide/chart_dmards.html

> >

> > Hopkins says 25 mg weekly is the max recommended dose:

> > http://www.hopkins-arthritis.som.jhmi.edu/rheumatoid/

> rheum_treat.html

> >

> > This site says 15mgs:

> > http://arthritis.about.com/cs/mtx/a/mtx.htm

> >

> > This one says 30 mgs

> > http://www.aafp.org/afp/20001001/1607.html

> >

> > You might think that they'd at least agree with treatment, but since

> > they can't even

> > agree on the cause of RA, I guess we can't expect them to agree on

> > the treatment.

> >

> > Did you start off with 1.2cc's? Most doctors start out with a lower

> > dose and increase it as

> > the patient tolerates it. No wonder you collapsed if you started out

> > with the high dose.

> > I hope one day you get there.

> >

> > a

March 21, 2006

I'll chime in here with a I am with you on that one. Too much

hoopla is made about pain meds being addictive for those in

excruciating chronic pain. Not that my poor stomach could handle the

pain meds anymore, but it sure would have been nice to have a pain

med that worked as well as prednisolone or prednisone or Medrol

dospaks, I have taken them all, instead of giving us the toxic

steroids for years. I had the corticosteroid injections too for

years, relief didn't last long though, a couple of days. I don't

know if they have even designed a pain medication like what we are

talking about. And forget addiction, everything most RA docs

prescribe is addictive and toxic to boot. Anytime you have to keep

up 'ing the dose to get relief, you are addicted to it, especially if

you have to be weaned off of it, you are addicted. I was given so

many steroids while in the hospitatl 6 months ago. And had to be

weaned off prednisone 60 mg once I got out. My body resisted with

every ounce of its being. ha! However, I was given morphine once

while in the hospital last year and let me tell you, I made them

promise NOT to give me anymore of it. I could no longer keep

anything down and had dry heaves until it wore off. I was so sick

from the morphine, I don't know if it helped the pain or not. So, the

pain meds they have on the market probably need a little updating.

peace to everyone,

Ebony

>

> LOL! Oh how we all wish. With that dose, we'd be trying out for

the

> olympics.

> Prednisone is the drug we love to hate. It is such a great pain

> reliever, but it comes with

> such a high price. Hopefully one day we'll have better options.

>

> What get me is that doctors use prednisone as a first line drug

and

> patients don't realize how dependent

> they can become on it. Yet these same doctors won't prescribe pain

> medicine because

> we'll become addicted. It's ok that we become addicted to

something

> that can give us

> osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cataracts, weight gain, destroy

> our adrenal gland, and a host of other things,

> but it's not ok if we become dependent on our pain medicine to

> relieve our pain.

> I realize that pain medication also has it's side effects, but in

my

> mind they don't compare

> to those of prednisone. I wish they'd prescribe pain medication

and

> save the prednisone

> for those that have no choice. I guess I'd better get off my soap

box.

> I've collected some links and put them on my site if you want to

read

> more:

>

> http://arthritissupport.info/drugs.html#prednisone

>

> a

>

March 21, 2006

a & Ebony, Another couple of side effects to prednisone that are not

mentioned as often are insomnia and mood changes- both depression and agressive

tendencies. When I was first diagnosed my labs were very high and my family

doctor put me on a dexpak (similar to medrol dosepak except higher dosage and 2

weeks instead of 6 days). After being on it for a couple of days I was averaging

2 hours sleep a night with no naps during the day and was ready to " kill "

anything or anybody that crossed me. I am normally a very mild mannered and

even tempered person. I scared myself driving one day when I really thought

about ramming a driver that cut me off in traffic until I realized that it was

the meds. I tapered the dosage and did lower dosage over a longer period of

time. I have been on short term therapy a couple of times since then and have

experienced insomnia but like everyone else us loved how good it made me feel.

Some people will experience depression while on the meds

expecially if there are tendecies already there. We need to be aware of these

problems also.