Hi Mupuggles, If you are taking mtx pills you will notice the side effects the first day..When you get your prescription read about all of the side effects..I am not on the prednisone with the mtx but I do have the folic acid, hydroxychlor, and maloxicam I have since gone to the injectable mtx..you just have to keep track of all the symptoms and aches and pains when you first start on the meds..like keeping a daily record of everything..the doc will ask you allkinds of questions and the more you can tell him the better off you are..Good luck on your new meds

Hang in there!!!! If it helps....I did not have a single side effect for FIVE years! I was on the same as you plus some.
If there's anything I can do for you let me know. I've been living with JRA since age 3 and as you can tell with others in here, you can still survive and live life with it. Sometimes there are unexpected changes and you have to adapt to, but in reality, you have to do that in life even without this disease. :-)
Remember to breathe because the more tense you are, the more tense your body will be.

Thanks to both of you, how comforting your messages are.

When I was first diagnosed with RA in Feb 2007 my Ra doctor put me on MTX pills, Pred, and Darvacett. The combination worked for about a year then I had to on Enbrel. After about a year or so of Pred he started weaning me off of it. I have had no side effects from the MTX except for thinning hair. I am down to 4 pills once weekly now. Cannot go any lower. I only take Pred when I have a bad flare up and can't move which luckily has only happened twice in the last 2 years. I am 58 and am trying to hold out till I am 62 so I can retire but my job is getting harder and harder to do. Occasionally I take 2 Ibuprofen in the mornings. I hardly have to take any pain meds. I should probably take more than I do but I hate taking pain pills.

Terri do you take all 4 MTX at the same time or split them in a 24 hr period. I did not take the Pred, just 2 of the 4 MTX last night. I did take 2 Advil this am because my head hurt and I was achy. I didnt sleep well last night but I contribute that to my anxiety disorder, its all overwhelming for me.
Thanks, Laura

I beleive the standard procedure is take all your MTX pills at the same time, once per week. I do know of some who have commented that they do not do this, but I believe most people on MTX take the dose all at once. I also started on prednisone just to get some relief while the Enbrel kicked in. Enbrel didn't do the trick alone, so MTX was added. I was on prednisone for about 10 months, started at 20 mg then tapered down. side effects were minimal, except for the lovely moon face and weight gain. good new though is that once I went off prednisone, my moon face went away and I lost 20 pounds. With Enbrel I have had no side effects, and with the MTX the only side effect is that I lose a few strands of hair in the shower. I have had nausea from the MTX. I am on 3 pills per week, all at the same time. oh yeah, the MTX does cause liver enzymes to go up in some people, and I have had that issue, so I am only only 3 pills right now. was up to 6 per week. I function pretty well on my current drug regimen, and have also added a bunch of vitamins and supplements. I have not had to curtail my working, I still go to work every day and while some days I am not 100%, I probably work about 35-45 hours per week on the average. I have my own business. I think the key here is to give the drugs a try - if side effects are an issue, then speak with your RA doctor. No way could I have functioned as well as I do without the drugs. Yes, we are ALL afraid of the side effects, but we are probably more scared of what will happen without the drugs. Good luck to you, and keep reading the DS website. It has been very informative to me.

Correction to my last post: I have NOT had nausea from the MTX.

I couldn't take the mtx because It caused my liver functions to test high. I was told though to take all the pills at the same time, and it's also a good idea to take them in the morning and to drink plenty of water during the day. the other side effect I had with mtx was extreme fatigue

I take 6 MTX pills, Enbrel and presently on 30mg of Prednisone. I take all the MTX pills at the same time and have done some research and for some reason some research shows if you split the dose up it could cause your liver enzymes to go even higher. With the Enbrel, the MTX side effects are not bad at all, do not even notice hair loss. When I was only on MTX, 2 days after taking MTX so tired didn't want to get out of bed. I was sick for 6 weeks and off my Enbrel, and for 3 weeks no RA meds at all, it was horrible, but once back on Enbrel in one week so much better!!!! Hang in there!

Hi,
I've just had my methotraxate increased to 25mg weekly. I haven't really had bad side effects from it. I also take 10mg prednisone daily and planequil. I'm fairly new to all this just over a year since dx but my rheumy has decided that if things don't improve he is going to put me on humira.

Hugs. Kelly

so far two weeks have passed since taking Methtrexate followed by Folic Acid. I chose not to take the prednisone due to my anxiety, I dont want the side effects. so far I noticed I am a little tired but not much more than before, my stomach bothers me just a little but usually goes away by Monday. I take my MTX Friday night and I am still on the 4 pills dosage. What is the purpose of being on planequil, enbrel and mtx? I thought just one was needed.