do you take leucovorin also? I am just curious. My rheum has me take it (one pill) about 8 hours after the mtx injection. this is in addition to daily prescription folic acid. over the years it has helped with my nausea

depotblue

The first time I was on mthx, about 17 years ago, I was nauseous for the first 5 or 6 weeks. The second time, starting last fall, the first injection I was sick for 2 days, the second injection for an hour, and then never again. Although the mthx was long out of my system, somehow it must have remembered how to get over the nauseau or something?

So don't give up hope. It may take a while for your body to get used to this drug. For me, not having bad flares and exhaustion is motivation enough to slog through the initial side effects.

Hi nickiraleen,

I too recently relapsed on a mild scale & didn't want to take the chance of the RA coming back full blown so my Rheumatologist & I decided to get back on the MTX as well. Yes you're going to feel a little crappy depending on your dosage.

I started last Sunday with 5mg & then 1 folic acid tablet I think it's 1mg can't remember. Basically I tell my wife, "Hey after I take this I'm out for the day so if you need anything done, errands etc let me know before I take it". She get's it, she remembers this first round I was on it 2 years ago.

On 5mg I basically have slight nausea nothing big & feel a little malaise in the mind. Like I took it last night & today I'm fine. It seems to have kicked in much faster this time of relieving any pain. I'm pretty much 98% free of any weird nagging pain that I had a few weeks ago.

Or maybe it's this weird weather we're having that caused the flare up who knows. All I know is if my liver enzymes stay normal I'm just going to stay on it this time instead of being so antsy about being in non medicated remission.

How much MTX are you taking? With the higher oral doses, sometimes your doctor may have you split it into 2 doses.
Eat before you take it.
Also, a lot of people will comment on the reduced side effects of the injectable form.
I am on oral 4 tabs in the am and 4 in the pm for total 20 mg per day. I have mild nausea but I recently restarted (like Oceans) and went right up to my old dose without gradual increase like I did the first time. Mainly I stick to bland foods, and try to milk as much sympathy as I can out of my family. (Just kidding).

Oh yes, injectable for sure. In Canada, they are not prescribing oral first unless there is some major reason to go for the pills. My rheumatologists have all told me it is not absorbed well by oral form. To say nothing of what it did to my stomach. Ask about injectable, is my opinion.

Thank you!!!!!!

MTX injectable is much easier on my system compared to the tabs. One folic acid tab everyday. I avoid milk products, eat a few ginger snaps. Be careful consuming too much ginger though or you'll block-up, stop-up the train.

@nightshades2, LOL!!

I didn't know too much ginger could do that! So for the Folic Acid I've always wondered are you supposed to take this everyday or only if you feel the effects of nausea or any other side effect from the MTX? I just take it on the day I take my MTX for nausea, other then that I don't take it afterwards??

ocean aren't you off and on your mtx?

I happen to take my folic acid times 7 days non stop. this was on the direction (my folic acid is through prescription not over the counter) of my rheumatologist when she writes the scripts. it might not hurt to ask the MD

depot

Hey depotblue,

Yeah I'm back on the MTX, 5mg once a week (Sundays). I'm not at home right now but my FA is presription & I believe the bottle does say 1 per day. I'll double check though. I'll also see what the Rheumy says.

Thanks for the input.

My first rheumatologist had me on 5 mg folic acid daily, with no break. It didn't help. My new rheumatologist has me only on 2.5 mg folic acid, and not on the day I take my mthx.

Mthx destroys the folic acid pathways of the liver. Hence the need for folic acid all the time, as prescribed by your doctor. It is not really about nausea, but rather about keeping the liver functioning, which in turn, might help the nausea. Everyone on mthx needs to take folic acid! Never stop because the nausea goes away.

Ahhhhh Okay good info MarleneJ,

interesting enough he never asked me if I was taking my folic acid on a daily basis when my liver enzymes were spiking here & there. We just figured that my every once in a while "Happy Hours" were effecting it. So maybe that was it, it was the folic acid or lack of? Well, I'll start with it again as well.

Hey Marlene,

Follow up: So I took my folic acid last night & noticed probably within a few hours & even this morning a few peculiar joint stiffness? Coincidence?

Wanna have an experience oceans? Go to the health food store and buy some ginger tablets. Go home, take two of them today, two tomorrow. All during the two days eat two bags of ginger snaps and drink two 2 liter bottles of ginger ale. The morning of the third day you'll be at the drug store waiting for them to open so you can get a bottle of "Thunder & Lightning" and relief.

@ nonightshades2

LMAO!!!!