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Author	Topic:   Treats the disease, but at what cost?!?!
Nch0202	posted 06-03-2003 00:35 ET (US)      Hi, I was just wondering if anybody else has had the same experience as me. My doctor never considers how medications affect the rest of my life, as long as they are treating the arthritis. For example, he wanted me to stay on Methotrexate even though I was sick from it. Well HELLO!!! Puking every day is just as bad the arthritis pain. Eventually, I told him that I WOULD NOT take it anymore; since then he has been better about considering the side effects & quality of life:)
Michelle	posted 06-03-2003 09:40 ET (US)          I haven't had that experience yet, but just give me some time. I eagerly look forward to the vomiting. I just started my Methotrexate on Sat, and seem to be OK so far. I promise to be aggravated with you if my experience matches yours!
Abercrombieswmr3	posted 06-03-2003 19:15 ET (US)          I was happy to find you talking about Methotrexate because today my doctor told me she's thinking about putting me on it in the Cortizone shot didn't work. I've heard some things about it and it's only making me more nervous. I was just woundering how it worked for you, obviously throwing up everyday isn't a nice side effect but did it help at all?
courts	posted 06-03-2003 21:26 ET (US)          i've been on and off methotrexate several times across a few years. at first, it was a miracle drug. the nausea took a while to develop. when it did develop, it was incapacitating for about one day a week (i took the dosage once a week). i kinda took myself off of it a few times. my doctor put me back on... i took myself back off... but he never got mad at me when i explained that i just couldn't handle the nausea.   with that said, that is NOT a reason to not start the drug!!! if it works for you, then you'll be quite pleased. if it doesn't, then you might have some time of relief before the side effects kick in. don't avoid a drug just because of the hearsay of other people... we all have different physiology and you can't predict which drug might just be the golden ticket for you.
Nch0202	posted 06-03-2003 23:20 ET (US)          The nausea from the methotrexate also took awhile to develop for me. I was on methotrexate for 6 years, it just gradually got worse. As far as the JRA goes, it worked wonderr! That's why my doc (and me for awhile) was so hesitant to go off of it. I tried it in various forms-pills, mixing the liquid from a shot in a drink and drinking it(its horrible-don't try it!), and shots.   Courts-I was sitting here laughing at your description of you taking yourself off the metho...I like that:)
Abercrombieswmr3	posted 06-04-2003 01:30 ET (US)          Thanks for all that info! It was just really intimidating to hear it was once used for chemo...I tend to get worried by little facts like that which I know I shouldn't do but I still do. NONE of my family or friends have Arthritis (Except all the grandparents etc.) so it's hard for me to get the info on the meds and how they effect each person. Thanks Everyone :) Sara
Michelle	posted 06-04-2003 11:16 ET (US)          I took it for the first time on Sat. and it didn't do anything exciting either way -- not that I was expecting it to. I had been told previously that both the beneficial effects and the unpleasant side effects take a while to kick in. I guess I'll just weigh the two when it does happen and see what to do then. I'd like to feel 26 years old again instead of 86.
StephS	posted 06-05-2003 15:23 ET (US)          Methotrexate sucks at first. I've been on it for 1.5 yrs. The first 3-4 months I thought I was losing my mind because it felt like I had worms squirming around in the back of my brain. Others who had been on MTX encouraged me to stay on it for just a while longer. After about the 4th month, the benefits began to far outweigh the negatives. I've found that taking MTX on a full stomach, with a glass of milk, keeps the stomach pain away. I hope it works for all of you. I (almost) feel 29 again, instead of 89. Hang in there!
kate	posted 06-05-2003 21:54 ET (US)          hi... i have been on mtx for a little over a year. at first it was sort of ok, but we've been ramping up the dose, and now it makes me SOOOOOOO tired and nauseus on the day i take it. now i split it up into morning and night doses, to make the stomach stuff better and it does help. and now my doc says i can even split it into three doses 12 hours apart, which i have done for the first time this week SO hopefully that helps. he says i can try the shots... did you guys do that? how was it? basically i want to try to make it work, but man oh man, do i hate this nasty stuff!!! :-).
Abercrombieswmr3	posted 06-06-2003 14:09 ET (US)          Hi! I just wanted to say thanks for filling me in on all the info on the meds! It helped to hear what you all had to say and I really do appreciate it! I think i'm just worried because i've heard some bad stuff but as most of you have said, the good it does outweighs the bad! so thanks again :) Sara p.s. I'll tell you all if the dr. tells me to take i!
courts	posted 06-09-2003 15:09 ET (US)          two more points:   1. DON'T GET PREGNANT WHILE ON METHOTREXATE!! that's really important but my doctor never mentioned it to me and when i read about it in a book after being on the drug i felt a bit violated for not being informed. of course, i wasn't planning on getting pregnant, but it's just good to know what kinds of things are in your body.   2. mixing a shot into a drink is NOT a good idea. the meds are made/packaged in different forms (pill, liquid, shot, etc) for a reason. the way something is processed in your blood is different from the way something is processed in your digestive tract. using the drug the way it is prescribed is the best way to get the intended effects out of the medication.   good luck with the new drug! courts
Michelle	posted 06-09-2003 16:53 ET (US)          Sara,   Tell me how it goes if you do it. I was sick this morning, but am not sure what caused it -- could have been too much caffine. I took it on Sat. night and was looking for signs of not feeling well on Sunday, but felt great. I wasn't thinking about it at all this morning and I was sick at work. Ahhhh.. nothing like being sick in a public restroom. There are so many little things to look forward to with RA. All these little hidden jewels...
TVandenberg	posted 06-10-2003 18:01 ET (US)          My doc told me I could put my methotrexate into orange juice and drink it to avoid having to stick myself again. It worked okay and bypassed the gastro symptoms I had when I took the pills. Might want to check it out with your doc, though.
hotpink	posted 06-13-2003 16:36 ET (US)          my doc said that if u want to drink mtx its the same thing as the shot. also, i was on mtx on and off for ages. originally in pill form, though that didnt work, then last yr the shots. we replaced the mtx with cytoxan, but im weaning off of that now because it can cause infertility and is a chemo. my limit was supposed to be a yr and its already been more than that. anyway, by next fall i should be back to getting those lovely little shots once a week and missing every monday of school. good luck to everyone else- the stuff is so icky that every bit of positive thinking helps. ;)sara
Carolan	posted 06-13-2003 18:46 ET (US)          The only time MTX makes me sick is if I take it on an empty stomach. Now I try to at least have some milk and toast along with it.
marcela	posted 06-13-2003 22:24 ET (US)          have you tried taking it before you go to bed? that's the only way i can take the shot without being all sick
pitbull1977	posted 08-03-2003 22:05 ET (US)          I've been on MXT for about 17 years now, and at doses at 75mg-500mg, oral and injectable, and have never been sick from it or have lost any hair. I'll keep all of you in my prayers, though, for I hate to think that a drug that doesn't bother me in the least is making all of you so deathly sick. Please let me know if there is ANYTHING that I can do for ANY OF YOU. With lots of prayers and caring thoughts from Kentucky, From, Dona-Lea (pitbull1977)

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