I started taking methotrexate last night, 4 pills,, have been taking folic acid about 2 weeks and I feel terrible today. It seems every ache I have had in the past due to RA is magnified. I also feel bad In general, fatigued, tired, sore. Is this normal?
Do not take folic acid on the day you take methotrexate.Also it can take up to 4months for methotrexate to take effect completely so you may have to take painkillers till then
Hi Pesh
I experienced the same at the start. Now after 4 months I still have some stomach issues, but fatigue and feeling bad is much better after the first 24 hours...try to drink a lot of water... I stick with starchy foods...seems to help. The MTX has really helped me one day you will notice the absence of a lot of your aches and pains...hang in there it gets better!
Good luck,
Sally
Thanks, I appreciate your taking the time to respond.
thanks, I have always been an avid "no pill" fan,however, with this newly diagnosed fibromyalgia and RA, I decided to try the folic acid and methotrexate, I'll bear thru it and hope it gets better. Thank you for responding! : )
Hi Pesh,
I felt exactly the same for 2 days after taking Mtx. I've been on it 7 weeks and now only feel seriously crappy for a day!
To be honest I'm still trying to weigh up pain v gain! If you get there first please let me know. My RA is easier now but the headaches, and general feeling of " blech " is getting me down.
I'm going to persevere for now but who knows how or what I'll feel in the next couple of months.
Good luck.
Hi Pesh
Yes it is perfectly natural to feel like that. The good news is if this drug works for you (which can take 3 to 6 months to fully work) your body gets used to the MTX and I've now been on it about 18 months and it just becomes part of life. I feel yukky the day after I take it and sometimes into the next morning but a bit of yukky is far better than fully untreated PSA.
Give it time, be good to yourself on those days particularly and I'm sending loads of positive vibes to you, that you are one of the people this works for.
Make sure you take the folic acid the other six days and get your bloods done regularly.
Unfortunately as I say many times on this site it is a chronic illness with vile treatment and the beginning of the journey seems so daunting but if you tolerate mtx and it works for you life should get better and better.
One thing I was never told us keep an eye on what your body is telling you. Don't dismiss 'just a virus, a cough etc' Always go to your doctor if you feel unwell as the treatment and the illness wreck the immune system and we often need help (antibiotics) for things doctors wouldn't usually prescribe them for. I'm just putting it out there because a cough/chest infection which the doctors and I didn't treat seriously made me end up in hospital.
Best of luck with your journey
Lisa 😊😊
Thank you Lisa that's very encouraging. As I said before I will try to persevere and your words will push me on to do so
☺
Dear Pesh:
My experience was that it takes a while for the MTX to build up in your blood. It may be that you would have felt lousy even without the MTX. It took me a year of adjustment in dose to finally feel consistently okay. I still get some fatigue now and then and an occasional pain, but I only get one flareup a year or so (that might be happening to you right now) and then i go on to a short burst of prednisone.
So hang in there and keep an open line to your rheumatologist. If yours is like mine, he/she will respond to your phone calls usually the day of the call.
BTW are you on plaquenil with your MTX? That also helps. The two are often used together.
Good luck!
You guys are awesome! This is my first post and I appreciate everyone's response! I will continue on this journey with your positive words and keep you guys posted. Thank you and I hope everyone feels better and better! We are in this together! God bless and stay positive! Gotcha!
What a lovely reply to read 😊😊
Hey Michelle, how'd it go?
Hi Pesh,
It's going Ok thank you. Are you feeling any better?
Yes, glad you are...day 1st day...nauseous and tired, 2nd awful, 3rd fuzzy, 4th..back to normal...those are some powerful little pills! LOL
Thanks Timothy, I'm not on plaquenil. I've never taken any prescription drugs, now have a cocktail... Percocet, MTX, folic acid, gabapentin, vitamin D, extra calcium and flexiril. Sigh....I talked to my doctor today and she said my reaction was similar to 60% Of her patients.
Hi Pesh: When I saw that you were taking flexoril, some lights went on. I took it for a couple of months and it made me feel AWFUL and I was lethargic and in a fog bank.......all on 1/2 pill per day! It was given to me so I could relax enough to go to sleep at night. I am one of those people who cannot tolerate it well. Perhaps you could skip 2 or 3 days of flexoril and see how you feel?
Second dose of methotrexate about 6 hours ago...stomach hurts, can't sleep...hope tomorrow is better!
Hi Pesh,
I know this is no fun...don't give up it will get better. I eat crackers and try to drink fluids, nothing acidic. I have started taking a pill for acid reflux to settle my stomach on "Dose" day and it seems to help. Remember to breathe deep and relax. Hang in there!
Sally
Hi Pesh
A glass of milk always cleared my stomach aches when I got them. You seem to be suffering many of the symptoms I had at first. If you can hang in there they should subside.
Not sleeping was common for me too. The day before I took it because of sheer anxiety and the day I took it too. These are other symptoms which have passed too. I know it seems like sheer Hell but if you can hang in there and give it a good run these symptoms subside/even go. I would say after 12 weeks if your symptoms aren't getting better go back to the Rheumy. I think we've talked about this before but folic acid 6 days a week made a huge difference to my symptoms. You could always see your doctor for a short term prescription for diazepam or sleeping pills just to get you through that once a week night.
Bless you
Sending you some peaceful sleepy vibes
😊😊💤💤
Reading Sally's answer jogged my memory on something else as well. I take Labzoprozole which is just a stomach protector against the harsh meds 😊😊