My rheumy told me three to six months, and she gave me prednisone to bridge that gap to help with the pain. I have read some people say they had some relief in as little as three weeks. What other meds are you taking?

Right now i am on Mobic and Tylenol #3, Folic Acid and B12. Took myself off the Prednisone due to stomach pain. I had been on Plaquinil at one time also with no relief. Just wondering how long i should wait before throwing in the towel and moving on to next step. Thanks for any opinions on this.

Most docs want you to try a med for three months. Sigh.

I was on mthx for 5 years and it never really worked well on its own. I hope yours will kick in, but after 3 or 4 months, if you are still having major flares, I would suggest you ask your rheumy to add a biologic.

Maybe if you are lucky, you won't need to do that.

Totally agree with Angela. If you have been on the Methotraxate for months without seeing any improvement, your doctor needs to know about it and you should consider changing your treatment. My doctor told me that after starting the Methotraxate, I should see an improvment within three weeks - and I did! I was provided with Prednisone to bridge the time until the Methotraxate kicked in and it worked fantastically well for me. Basically, from the moment that my treatment started, I have been pain free and symptom free.

My rheumy said to be patient for several months. I started MTX at 4 tabs, but that dose had virtually no effect on my RA. After about 6 weeks, the doctor doubled the dose to 8 tabs. That seemed to help a little, but after another 6 weeks or so, we decided to add a biologic. In addition, I had cortisone injections in my knees to give me some relief till the biologic kicked in.

I have never had a "magic" moment of feel better from the mthx. The way it worked for me was little by little I felt less bad each week. This didn't occur for almost four months and then it only improved when I asked her to raise my dose another pill. I am on 17.5mg of mthx and while it does help, I am still dealing with active disease. I am working with my Rheumy to find a biologic that will help. How many of the mthx. are you taking?

My rheumy told me anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. It was about 3 months before I started to feel results. She also increased my dosage which may have been the reason. I hope you can find relief soon. When do you see your doctor again?

I should add that my Methotraxate dose was 6 pills for starters, and, then, as there were practically no side effects, my doctor raised it to 8 pills (20 mg per week) within two weeks. I have been on this high dose (just about the maximum) ever since and without any serious side effects. The reason the "cure" was so magical was that I was on Prednisone as well. The initial high dose of Presnisone wiped out all my symptoms instantaneously. I was still in the hospital corridor when all the joints that I could not move for months were suddenly pain free. And, yes, I have been just about pain free since- almost four years now.

My doc told me it can take a min of 3 mos. to know if MTX is working.

What dosage are you on? And for how long now?

It is also typical to start at a lower dosage, to see how your body tolerates the med and minimize side effects, and increase dosage gradually. So if you haven't had a dosage increase, it might be time to think about that. Also, sometimes you're switched to injectable from the oral form. Studies show that the injectable is slightly more effective.

And if still not much improvement, many docs will add another med or a biologic.

Thank all of you for your help with this subject! So good to have someone to ask that has been on this medication. Sometimes i think the doctors don't have a clue as to how we really feel. I am on 3 pills a week and have been about 7 weeks. Will see doctor again in September...if i don't see a big change i am asking for something else. Since i still have to work full time i need some relief from this pain. I can understand why doctors worry about patient taking pain killers, but give us a break! I know they are just covering themselves because of the people that do abuse pills. Saw some of that when i worked for a family practice clinic. I just find it sad that we all suffer so much!

Voodoo,
3 pills a week is only 7.5 mg, which is a pretty low dosage. Most people are on anywhere from 15 to 25 mg per week. You just may need your dosage increased. If you are not having any side effects or complications, that might be the easiest first step to giving you some relief!