Sorry to hear that you are having problems with the mtx...if you are on the pills you may want to change to the injectable... I had some of the same problems with pills...changed to injections and only had a slight problem with that sick feeling..but if I ate first then did the shot I was fine...I have been on the shots since 2004 and no other problems with it.... Hope it works better for you..

wishing you a pain free day

Hi RCross. Sorry you're having the problems. I have had 4 5 pill doses of MTX (on Thursday mornings) with some fatigue Friday nites and Saturdays, but it seems to wear off by Monday nite. MTX hasn't really seemed to work any magic (wishful thinking on my part). Took all my logs,spreadsheets, etc, to my rhuemy last Tuesday and she said it takes several months for MTX to really work and she offered me the shots (I pass, too chicken) and she offered Enbriel (sp). I passed again. I don't want the extra strain on my internal organs. SO she upped the dosage to 7 pills a week and I supplement with Tylenol as needed (maybe onc pill every other day or so). I am having some really eye watering pain in my shoulder and hands but if MTX will EVENTUALLY kick this thing then for now, I'll just hang on without extra pills. Again, sorry you having such a time of it.
Bluedogs2

Thanks Cassie! I hope my rheumy will which to injections for me. I do feel like the mtx is working if I can get past these side effects.

Bluedogs...Thank you. I hope you start to see some improvement soon!!!

Mtx, by itself, never worked for me. After 3 months, Humira was added, along with the Mtx. It made a huge difference, felt so much better before the 2nd dose.

I started mtx - 6 pills a week - in June (2012). In Feb., my liver enzyme numbers went from under 60, to over 200 - not a good thing. I was taken off mtx for 2 weeks, then i was put on 3 pills a week. Liver numbers were at 59, acceptable. Now, we are trying 4 pills a week, see how that goes.

MKP....My rheumy doesn't want to add anything else for 3 months. He thinks it will help my liver by adjusting to one med at a time. Right now we're doing blood work every two weeks. I'm starting to feel like a pin cushion!

RCross, I was on 8 tab of MTX weekly have switched to injections and get better results personally. My biggest issue with the pills was nausea. I started taking them at night and it seemed that I could then sleep through the worst of the nausea. The MTX associated fatigue seemed to get better the longer I was on it - the RA fatigue is just a fact of life I'm afraid. Hoping you feel better soon!

Hi RCross.
Sorry to hear about the MTX side effects you're having. Has your doc prescribed Folic acid too? It's supposed to help with side effects. I take 10 MTX pills once a week and folc acid every day and have no side effects (except for some slightly thinning hair).

I think there's another thread about MTX side effects on this forum. There's probably more good info there.

Good luck.

Thank you all! I have an appointment with the rheumy on May 6th and I'm definitely going to ask about injections.

I feel like I'm in a catch 22....I don't want the rheumy to take me off mtx because I feel like it's starting to work. Then on the flip side, there's probably a different med that would work for me without the stomach issues. The life of auto-immune! Every person is different which makes very person's disease different.

I'm on the metho pill. Was taken 6 pills to about 6 weeks ago. My blood work had been coming back bad for the liver, I am down to 3 and I can tell.

I'm only 39 about to be 40 and I do not want liver damage. I debating oon coming off it totally, but I believe it does help some. I'm about to start Enbrel as well, just stopped Orencia it didn't work.

Good luck!

Thanks Busymom. I don't want liver issues either! My rheumy is definitely doing a great job on tracking my liver/kidney functions. We're testing every two weeks for the first 3 months. Then will add other meds, if necessary.

I hope Enbrel works well for you!!