Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Lori57703 09/16/2015

I have always taken my MTX and Humira at the same time and on the same day. The Humira helped with the debilitating fatigue and flu-like feeling that lasted for 36 hours after the MTX. Well, now that I recently started taking Enbrel and it is not going so well my rheumy wants me to take the MTX one day and then 3 days later take the Enbrel. So this means I will sleep most of Friday and Saturday which will cause me to lose half a day of work on Friday. Then I will take my Enbrel on Tuesday and have no clue how I will feel come Wednesday which could cause me to lose another day of work.

For those of you on DMARD and Biologic how do you take them? Any input will be appreciated greatly. Thank you!

racerunner 09/16/2015

I take my methotrexate on Wednesday. I take half the dose in the morning the other half at night or else if i took all 6 tablets together i slept for a day or so and felt horrible. And now i dont even know that i have taken my methotrexate no effects. Then i take my orencia shot usually on friday mornings. No side effects at all. Are you taking folic acid?

Lori57703 09/16/2015

I am taking folic acid. I was taking 2400 mcg a day until 3 weeks ago when I started taking 3200 mcg. My rheumy had me increase because I was starting to get mouth sores which I thought was strange because I've been on the MTX (injectable) since 11-13 and the mouth sores just started recently. However, I have not had a mouth sore since the increase so it works!

How much MTX do you take? I take 20 mg each week. It has always wiped me out except for when I was taking it at the same time as my Humira. The last 2 weeks I took it with the Enbrel and Friday night and Saturday were awful. Pain all over, weak feeling, and exhausted.

Sk8ingjudge 09/17/2015

I take 15 mg of MTX orally per week. I have found that taking it with dinner ( Monday is the best day for my schedule) works best for me. I always plan a quiet evening then sleep through the worst of the side effects. Tuesdays are my 'sick days'. I have found that over time my side effects have lessened. Tuesdays now are not as bad as they used to be. Just a little fatigue and upset stomach.

When I was on Humira, my rheumy said I could take on the same day ( I took weekly) as MTX if I wanted, but I never did.

When the Humira stopped working and I was switching ( now on Simponi) I had some bad days/weeks as the Humira went out of my system and the Simponi was building up. I am now 6 weeks into the Simponi ( two shots) and things are a little better. Hoping in a few more weeks, things might get back to where they were when the Humira was working wonders!
Because the Simponi is once every 4 weeks, I can't really take it with my MTX regularly.
I hope you can figure out a schedule that works for you soon!

aggie83 09/17/2015

I take 25 mg mtx every Tuesday morning. I have monthly Orencia infusions (just started two months ago). I had not considered the combo on the same day. Guess I'll try to avoid Tuesdays for Orencia.

MarleneJ 09/22/2015

I am just starting on Orencia. Since Arava is a daily pill, I probably will have to take it on the same day as Orencia.

I always find it so strange that people are exhausted after mthx. After my injections, I always had so much energy and felt so good. I would go back on it in a minute if my liver enzymes didn't mess up so badly.

It just goes to show how different we respond to these meds!

depotblue 09/22/2015

the biologics all of the ones I have taken: enbrel, humira, orencia injections or infusions have no effect on me whatsoever, NONE :). I was able to do my injections at work in my closed door office (I had an office fridge)

i split the stuff - isn't it better for our kidneys and liver drug wise? i inject mtx whenever I do not have an infection (which is more and more these days). i just recently had mtx sores (hello magic mouthwash) then strep then strep again.

i take folic acid daily and i take leucovorin 12 hours after I inject the weekly mtx whenever I inject it.

after all these years yeah I have LESS fatigue and nausea from the mtx but I still have some. it also depends on the dosage of mtx.

depot

Lori57703 09/22/2015

Thanks for everyone's response. I separated the MTX and the Enbrel. It is not going well for someone who needs to work full time.

I worked 6 of 8 hours Friday after I took my MTX. I slept 26 of the 48 hours following the injection. I worked Monday and did okay. Took my Enbrel today. I had already arranged for the day off. Good thing because I would not have made it very far.

I now know why I felt so bad when I took both of them together. Today I feel week, tired, have a dry mouth and tremendous pressure in my head. I am not thinking clearly at all. Not good for a practicing nurse.

I will talk to my boss and give it a few more weeks. I'm supposed to take call this week starting on Friday and do insulin shots over the weekend. Thankfully I have a coworker covering my insulin shots for me.

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