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...
I take 1ml/25mg of injectable mtx once a week with 1g Folic Acid daily. I'm still having some pain and stiffness, but I can live with that. My main problem is the fatigue. I have NO energy to do anything! I still do what I need to do, but it comes at a great cost.
I know RD causes fatigue, but mtx can also cause it. I talked to my rheumy's pa about the fatigue. She doesn't think it's caused by the mtx. She really didn't want to change my meds since my labs are looking good. She said I needed to exercise more and that should help. I had already been walking a month before this apt, without any energy increase. I still walked on average about 5 days a week. No energy change.
I came down with a bad cold a couple weeks ago. I skipped my mtx dose that week (Thursday) and by Monday I felt great! I had energy, my thinking was clearer and I felt like doing things. I took my mtx that week, and all the fatigue/sluggishness returned.
I really don't want to stop my meds. I do not want the joint deformities, but I also want to have a life.
My question is to those who have/had fatigue with mtx, did it improve any if you decreased your dosage? If so, what does did you find that helped the RD without the fatigue?
I know RD causes fatigue, but mtx can also cause it. I talked to my rheumy's pa about the fatigue. She doesn't think it's caused by the mtx. She really didn't want to change my meds since my labs are looking good. She said I needed to exercise more and that should help. I had already been walking a month before this apt, without any energy increase. I still walked on average about 5 days a week. No energy change.
I came down with a bad cold a couple weeks ago. I skipped my mtx dose that week (Thursday) and by Monday I felt great! I had energy, my thinking was clearer and I felt like doing things. I took my mtx that week, and all the fatigue/sluggishness returned.
I really don't want to stop my meds. I do not want the joint deformities, but I also want to have a life.
My question is to those who have/had fatigue with mtx, did it improve any if you decreased your dosage? If so, what does did you find that helped the RD without the fatigue?
The rest of the week I just know I have to pace myself. Some days I manage to get to work and back and that is it. Other days I can work, cook dinner and do some light house work. It just depends on the day. I do what I can and worry about the rest later.
My plan is stay on the MTX for 6 months and see what happens. I think it is helping some with the joint pain and stiffness even though I am not up to full dose. I hope that as time goes by my body will adjust to the medicaiton and the energy level will improve. If not, I will speak with my rheummy about other options out there.
I hope you feel some improvement soon!
Then when the dosage increased to 6 pills I noticed a slight afternoon fatigue about 2hrs after the dosage was taken, as if I just needed a power nap.
And I notice Monday nights I'm pretty much ready for bed at around 9:30pm instead of my usual 11pm. But that's fine. I just don't like the moderate nausea I get.
@altoclef~ I see the pa in January. I plan on asking her about reducing the mtx dose and maybe upping the Folic Acid. I don't know at what point the mtx needs to be to prevent joint disformity. I'm assuming it's different for everyone.
@Grandpa2one~ Plaquenil was the first drug I was placed on. I loved it! I had no side effects, no pain and just felt great all over! Sadly, about 2 months into it I developed a severe rash, so had to discontinue it. It took over 2 months for the rash to clear up before I could start the mtx.
@Lori~ Hopefully the fatigue eases as you continue your meds. I know it does with a lot of people, guess I'm just not one of them!
@oceans11~ If the nausea continues, maybe you can switch to the injectable? I've never taken the pills, was placed on the injectable from the start. No nausea whatsoever.
@Kiddogal~ I hope your good fortune with the mtx continues!
@msr12gone~ You would think Rheumatologist would "get it". I don't think anyone, doctors included, understands what it feels like unless they have had this horrible disease.
All I know is something has to change. Hopefully the pa will agree to let me lower the dose and see if that helps with the fatigue.