a break from MTX

Hello everyone,

I had worked up to 20 mg of methotrexate (8 pills), with no side effects. One week recently I had a cold, did not take it. Then last week, I got bit by a possibly rabid wild animal... got a couple of big puncture wounds and some lesser ones and some scratch marks.

I called my rheumy's office and was advised, oh, no problem, keep taking your methotrexate. I DO NOT AGREE. I did not take my MTX this week and do not plan to take it next week, might not take it the week after that either!

Do you think I will suffer any ill effects from going 3 weeks without? I mean, not the joint pain and inflammation, but other ill effects (like what I do not know)?

I am wanting to give my body time to heal and fight any possible infections, viral or bacterial. It is my belief that this is the wrong time to take MTX. I am on the rabies vaccine series. Had 2 shots so far, have 2 more to go. The big hole and torn skin the animal left on me are still raw.

The animal (a raccoon) was not caught at the time and I don't know if the officials have had any luck catching one in that area where I was visiting. There's a chance it was not rabid (it certainly behaved like it was rabid), but who knows what other diseases it was carrying.

I was also given immune globulin, tetanus shot and antibiotics, plus prescription for antibiotics. The rheumy's assistant seemed to focus on the fact that I don't have an "active" infection, so don't worry. Yes, I feel fine, things are healing. It could have been worse, I'll probably be fine. But still... I want to take no chances with this wound.

Any thoughts?

-- MK

Yes, do hold off on the mtx, till you do heal...maybe go see your pcp primary care doctor
and tell him/her about the animal bite. sending you lots of well wishes and hopes that
you don't get rabies, keep us posted...

Hello everyone,

yes, you have to wonder what those health professionals are thinking. When I came back home and went for my 2nd shot, I was so pleased by how professional and kind they were at the ER that decided it would allow me to be a customer. Because otherwise I have run into some real  dip---ts in the health-care profession. One hospital's urgent care center here at home was so cranky, I just couldn't believe it. They wouldn't treat me because my first treatment didn't occur in their hospital system. What the????

I live in an area where there is probably an excess of hospital systems, so I said, tired of fighting with them, I will go elsewhere. I have a good health plan and and a good job, I don't have to be their customer anymore!

And the first hospital that treated me, when I first got bit, down in some itty bitty town, I just thought, "oh god, I hope these people haven't just killed me." I could go on and on about it, but later in the evening, when I discovered some untreated bites that they had not seen, it was like I could not believe how dumb they were in some ways.

by the way, I wasn't "doing" anything before I got bit. I was sitting by the water, relaxing in the middle of the day, when the monster ran down from somewhere at full speed and attacked me. I was barefoot and alone, pretty helpless. Yelling at it and beating it with my boot wouldn't make it go away. I don't know why it finally decided to stop gnawing at me and run away again. I just hope nobody else got attacked that weekend and that the raccoon is dead now.

-- MK

 

hi Mom to 3,

of course no one mentioned anything like that to me. I have a real bad penicillin allergy. So I am taking Vibramycin (doxycycline hyclate), which is usually for malaria, of all things. i don't know why.

thanks everybody for telling me not to jump back onto the high dose of mtx when i go back to it, i forgot about that.

Hi Daisy...ouch with all those shots! You poor thing! Yeah, I had never heard any such thing about the Cephelexan and MTX anywhere but my rheumy and Walgreens! So I always make sure that is what I get, if I need one.

I think there are a lot of antibiotics you can't take with MTX- tetracycline is one. In fact when I had a dental infection I had to take one because it was compatible with MTX yet had the possible side effect of colitis!

Daisy- we had a weird squirrel in the tree where we have a patio area. It was acting strange- coming close to us and chattering at us. My husband said somethings wrong with that squirrel I said maybe it has rabies! I started getting scared and wanted to go in the house. My husband said I'm not afraid of a squirrel,I said you don't understand- someone on my RA forum just got attacked by a raccoon and has to get rabies shots. She was just sitting minding her business by a lake and it attacked her. He said I would just kick the dang thing. I said I'm sure she tried to fight it off but they are biting you while you are doing it! Then it came out of the tree and ran away. Phew!

hi couch tater,

the doctor first started me on sulfazine for my reactive arthritis, but i was allergic to it. so we went to mtx. my checkup with her is in about a month, i wonder what she'll say about all this.

weary-- if it makes you feel any better, squirrels supposedly are not big rabies carriers. i guess it varies in the part of the country you are in, but raccoons are a big carrier in the south and the east. Someone at work said to me, "why didn't you just kick the raccoon?" And I said because I was in my bare feet. Also, a sick animal is very vicious. with big claws and teeth. I have read some things and watched youtube, and even if I had had a shovel I might not have been able to get it off of me! And if i had had a gun, probably would have shot my leg because i am a lousy shot.

i do see some swelling in my ankles, so i guess i'm looking forward to going back on the mtx. On the other hand, i often have swelling anyway even when i am taking mtx. ugh. so far, no side effects from drugs.

-- MK