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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Angelpuss 05/11/2010

Have you experienced mood changes or depression when taking/injecting MTX?
I know much of how we feel with RA mirrors depression symptoms - fatigue, lack of motivation, brain fog, trouble with sleep etc -.
I'm interested in your input as my pdoc increased the antiD I'm on and when I asked him why, he said,"Just a precaution given that you will be on methotrexate for a while by the looks of it".
To put you in the loop, my being on Effexor XR has nothing to do with RA.
Four years ago I crashed with major (clinical), complicated depression, completely out of the blue but had come well along the road to recovery thanks to this very caring, clever pdoc. the last thing I want is for RA medication to put me into the spiralling blackness of depression.

thinksRAstinks 05/11/2010

Not sure. I have been in a lot of funks since RA onset and started MTX immediately. I didn't know it was a side effect. I thought just the thoughts and experiences RA brings was bringing me down.

deleted_user 05/11/2010

My guess - and it's only a guess - is that your physician wants to forestall any major depressive episode. Let's face it, RA can be pretty depressing to think about. The fatigue, the pain, and the chronic nature of it could cause depression in a person who never had it before. I think the MTX increases fatigue and causes bad headaches for me. My rheumatologist said that was normal, and while it is manageable, sometimes I lose all of a Sunday because I take the mtx on Saturday. At first the mtx made me feel kind of foggy for a few days, but that has subsided. Just take care of yourself.

deleted_user 05/11/2010

I had no mood changes at all on MTX, but I was miserably sick with constant stomach cramps and was exhausted for 2 full days after every shot. I quit MTX after trying it for about 3 months. I kept thinking I would get used to MTX after a while, but instead, I just got sicker. Some of us get miserable side effects and need to stop a drug and move on to something else.

deleted_user 05/11/2010

I talked with my psychiatrist about this very issue, after I took a small amount after being off of it for 6 months. I was very agitated, upset, couldn't sleep. He said it definitely triggers moods swings in many people. I really wanted to stay on the drug, but my liver specialist nixed that idea, after the 3rd time it sent my liver enzymes up. I was constantly exhausted without it, and getting a lot of flares. However, I will admit I am so much calmer not on it. So there is the fact that coping with this disease is a big issue in the first place, but mthx is a hormone and a trigger. It can also cause extreme uterine bleeding, just to warn you, and no one seems to have that recorded as a side effect.

deleted_user 05/12/2010

Hi Angel,

I've been on MTX 25mg for 18 mths now & it doesn't create mood changes for me. I think the Prednisone may cause a little anxiety & agitation at times, but I don't experience any mood swings. I am quite 'upbeat' even with this chronic illness but of course I do have down days sometimes when RA is causing chaos in my life.

It sounds like your Psych. is cautious which is great. Maybe keep a diary and rate your mood/depression & any symptoms so that you can act quickly to keep another depressive episode at bay if MTX was to lead you that way.

It's certainly a challenge to manage several illnesses but sounds like your Drs are very competent.

Take care, Anna

deleted_user 05/12/2010

Angel, I too am on on anti depressants for a previous meltdown! I have been on injectable MTX forever and I don;t think it has made any difference in my mood swings. In fact, if indeed the MTX helps your RA pain, then I would think you would have a better overall feeling in general. Each of us reacts so differently to drugs it is hard to predict what side effects you may experience. If it is of any consolation, sounds like you are under the care of a pretty good doc who will have your backside!

Angelpuss 05/13/2010

Thanks, everyone, for answering. Whether it's mind over matter or not, I'm feeling pretty good with the increase in the antiD and MTX.

Yes, Anna, I feel blessed to have very caring and competent doctors who liaise with each other re meds etc. I wasn't feeling depressed at all but he upped the antiD as a precautionary measure.

Wishing everyone an easier day tomorrow

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