I an taking 17/5mg/week of MTX for the past 6 years with very good results,

Hi Amberhere. I take Imuran and I am fine. The doctors watch you very carefully on these second line drugs and pick up anything before it actually happens. For me it was a matter of 'taking a leap of faith' in my doctor and getting well or not taking the med and remaining very ill or worse. These drugs are borrowed from the Oncologists but we are only given very tiny doses in comparison to that given to patients with cancer. Hope you reach the right decision for you. Autumm

Hi Amberhere, MTX is used as a common medication for DM/PM. I took MTX at 17.5mg for one year, and later moved up to 20mg per week. I did fine for three years on MTX until I had a bad reaction. I switched to Cellcept and that is what I am taking now. It is common to switch DMARDs with DM/PM.

I could discuss my opinions all day on this issue. The bottom line is that your doctor knows your health. All the DMARDs have scary looking side effects. Discuss your autoantibodies and which DMARD would be the best match for your situation.

Good luck with your choice.

I take MTX injections weekly and have for a few years. It allowed me to get off steroids completely. I take equal to 25 mg weekly. I understand that is a "normal" dose for us. I also take Folic Acid to counteract the side effects.

For me, it has been great and helped me feel better. I was very glad to get off Prednisone. I do get tired of having one "dull" day a week (day after injection). But I think we could all use a down day to rest, read books, watch movies, and take a nap.

None of the drugs to treat Myositis are a picnic. You should weigh out the pros and cons with your doctor and decide which one is the best for you to control your disease. Everyone is different.

Hi amberhere,

I am now on Cell Cept as I was still flaring on MTX. Although I now see MTX was better than this!

Anyways, I was on 25mg/week oral MTX and after the first week I had no side effects. I took it at night so if I had any nausea I slept through it and aside from being slightly sluggish the next day I felt great. It curbed the rash moderately but helped with the muscle/joint pain a lot.

Meow,

Hi Amberhere. I 've been taking 15mg every Sun afternoon with my lunch, and the first month I had tummy cramps with dairy. Now, it's okay. I also take Folic Acid once a day to protect my hair. I have baby fine dry hair, and so far, no bald patches/spots. I think it has helped me keep my CPK under 500.

Purr,
=^.,.^=

Many thanks for your comments everyone, it is like a minefield this DM for trying to find the right drugs. I think it may well be the MTX as this Plaquenil doesn't stop flaring and I have had to up the Prednisone again to try to calm it down - I don't think that is the idea. Hopefully the MTX will work.

Hi Amberhere. Just to remind you that the MTX will take up to six months to work but may well 'kick in' at 6-12 weeks. Your Rheumatologist will also start to taper the steriods as you respond. Don't forget your Folic acid. I think its to be taken about two days after you take the MTX. Best wishes. Autumm

I am taking the MTX on friday. and on Sundy ,Tuesday and Thursday i am taking 5mg of folic acid.

Amberhere, The DMARDs will not stop a flare from happening. Doctors do not know what triggers flares. Any time someone has a flare, then they will need to go up on a steroid. The purpose of DMARDs is they deal with B cell and T cell activity. The DMARDs slow down disease progress by killing unwanted cells. The more bad cells that are eliminated means better disease control. You will also feel better and be able to do more activities with correct medication dosages.

The doctor goes by the blood work to adjust medication dosages.

The autoantibodies of disease have a "plan" on which organs get attacked. I have an autoantibody that goes after liver & kidney. Keep in mind that when there is a problem with one organ then it effects all the organs. It is much like having a transmission problem in a car. My Cellcept is good for killing off B cell activity. My kidneys and liver will benefit and work better with the help of the DMARD.

FYI: folic acid is not as good as folate. Some people may say they are the same but they are not. Read up on it and get folate next time.

I did take it for two weeks and then my blood cell levels dropped and now my Ruehmy wants me to waite another week or so, till my blood level cells counts get better. I hope i can take it..I want to be off this darn prednisone.

I found it helpful. Pills made me lose my hair, but injections did fine for me. Also, 12 hours after the injection I took 5 Leukovorin pills to prevent side effects. Then I took folic acid daily as well. After many nonths on it, I got an unproductive cough, so stopped the MTX. When the need arises, I'll go back on it again.

Hi Pluggington. I have JO-1 antibody which is the marker for lung issues. My Rheumatologist here in London told me that MTX is not the drug for those of us with lung issues. There are lots of other second line drugs we can use. I have been on Imuran for eighteen months now and finished my steriod taper in December. My lung specialist sees me once a year now and says the Imuran is 'key' to keeping my lungs stable. I think its really important we know about MTX and lungs, so many of us don't and I read all the time about it. I am not a doctor but I have complete faith in mine and trust what he tells me. Autumm

autumm
I also have JO-1. and for the past 6 year i am taking MTX.
For the first 5 year i had each year a CT scan of the Lungs and lung funcation.
Now my lung specialist want me to do the CT scan once in 2 years.