Re: How do YOU dose your MTX?

[Guest guest]

HI KAMI, I TAKE 7 MTX PILLS EVERY FRIDAY. I SPLIT THEM UP. 3 IN THE AM & 4 IN

THE PM. I'VE NEVER TRIED THE INJECT. DO U THINK IT WORKS BETTER??? LET ME KNOW?

GOD BLESS, MELYNDA

________________________________

From: ~ Kami ~ <kamilleon@...>

< >

Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 12:12:19 PM

Subject: [ ] How do YOU dose your MTX?

So I am back on MTX... 4 tabs weekly as opposed to the 8 I was previously

taking. This is my 3rd week of dosing and lemme tell you.... I can already FEEL

the return of its wonderful effects! MTX seems to be the only thing that can

quiet the elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle pains I experience.

On the downside... I am back to not feeling like " myself " ... I am moody, snappy,

and downright miserable at times. This week I am adjusting the way I dose..... I

am splitting the dosage in 2, 12 hours apart, and seeing if I still have " peaks

and valleys " .

I am also wondering.... For those who INJECT MTX, if you did the pills first, do

you feel that there is any difference in side effects vs the pills?

I LOVE the way MTX really seems to work in relieving the inflammation but I

cannot handle not feeling like... " ME " .

w] ~]ss Kami  ss] ~]w   

[Guest guest]

Kami,

It sounds like you are on 10 mg of MTX (2.5 x 4). I took the pills for a

couple years

and when I got above 10 mg, I noticed nausea for about 24 hrs after dosage and a

slight

headache. The nausea felt different than prenatal nausea, but I did feel that I

might

vomit occasionally. The dr told me to try injecting it (in my leg or abdomen)

and it would

be more readily absorbed, bypass my stomach, and possibly have a quicker, more

thorough result. He was absolutely right. I continued to take it, in

increasing doses, for

the next 10 years (always followed by folic acid or leucovorin). Now, after 15

years, &

reaching the maximum dose of 25 mg injected each week, it seemed to stop

working. So

last January, my rheumatologist put me on Humira (injected every other week),

combined

with a lower dose of MTX (17.5 mg/wk).

That absolutely " did the trick. " Gone is all my awful pain and I feel like a

normal

person again. The moral of this story is, if you have any trouble at all, as

far as MTX not

being as effective, or nausea/headache with it, definitely try injecting it. It

is no big deal

whatsoever, to put a very small needle into your thigh, and oh, oh, oh, does it

help.

Ordinary (healthy) people think it's weird that we have to take low doses of a

chemotherapy agent, but anyone who's experienced RA knows that it's a godsend.

And

to " modify " the disease the way it does, means our joints will not be destroyed

and

getting worse, if it's working.

I get " scared " when the throes of rheumatoid pain takes over. Last January

it seemed

to be in every single joint in my body. So many were swollen and I had such

trouble

getting out of bed, after not sleeping, with such extreme pain. To return to

feeling

normal and to know that those wonderful drugs are " modifying " the disease is a

relief

and a blessing.

I do have trouble sleeping, though and I think it's a combination of

menopause

(decreased estrogen) along with all the drugs for RA and high blood pressure

stuff that I

take. My rheumatologist does NOT want to prescribe sedatives for me and I

notice so

many of you have them. I'm to the point where I'd like to order ambien or

another

sedative online somewhere because my dr thinks I may get " dependent " on them if

he

prescribes them for me. Is there anyone else in my situation?

He did give me amitryiptyline once but I didn't think it did anything.

Feel better, Kami,

Joy

>

> So I am back on MTX... 4 tabs weekly as opposed to the 8 I was previously

taking. This

is my 3rd week of dosing and lemme tell you.... I can already FEEL the return of

its

wonderful effects! MTX seems to be the only thing that can quiet the elbow,

shoulder,

knee, and ankle pains I experience.

>

> On the downside... I am back to not feeling like " myself " ... I am moody,

snappy, and

downright miserable at times. This week I am adjusting the way I dose..... I am

splitting

the dosage in 2, 12 hours apart, and seeing if I still have " peaks and valleys " .

>

> I am also wondering.... For those who INJECT MTX, if you did the pills first,

do you feel

that there is any difference in side effects vs the pills?

>

> I LOVE the way MTX really seems to work in relieving the inflammation but I

cannot

handle not feeling like... " ME " .

>

>

> w] ~]ss Kami ss] ~]w

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