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When do the Methotrexate side effect peak

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Posted 5/5/2013 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
I took 15mg of methotrexate Thursday night before bed and I feel like the side effects are hitting me worse today. My nose and cheeks are red and hot to the touch. Im nauseous and really fatigued. Anyone else experience this? When do side effects peak? This is my first week taking the drug as I was only diagnosed a week ago.
Posted 5/6/2013 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
Hi first Welcolme and sorry to hear your a Member of the RA club

you will get sick of hearing this But Everyone is Diffrent

some get No side effects and instant relief & some can't take the drugs at all

to my experiance with MTX with the first dose i was up all night being sick it would last for 3 days Vomiting

then when i took the 2 nd dose it was worse But my Rhumy did 3 things

the split the dose up so instead of once a week i took half the dose but twice a week

he also incresed the Folic acid and put me on Maxalon (metoclopramide) anti neausea

and it settled so now as long as i eat a good meal on the evenings i take it all i get is a bit neauseous the next day

i did loose some hair over the first few months but this has grown back

i guess the idea is tell your Rhumy and know that there is always a way to play with these drugs

 

Posted 5/8/2013 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, its different for everybody. I've been on mtx since 2006, and the only side effect I've ever had is that for a couple of days after I take it, my hair falls out, like when i wash it I have wads of it in my hands. Then it stops after a couple days. I'm thankfull I've never had it make me sick.
Posted 6/5/2013 4:28 AM (GMT 0)
It's, talk to your physician about increasing your folic acid to help with side effects. I wasn't nauseated but had terrible fatigue when I started it and my MD reduced my dosage a little and increased the folic acid and that helped a lot. I have few side effects now. Good luck!
Posted 6/6/2013 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
I was lucky and didn't suffer any side effects while on MTX. I started on 3 pills per week and every couple weeks as I tolerated it my dosage was increased until I took 8 pills a week. I was also taking prilosec & folic acid daily as a preventative. I always took it on a full stomach and increased my water intake to no less than 3 bottles daily. I had some hair loss until I started taking biotin 5000 mcgs. per day. I did have fatigue and brain fog more so than I do now that I am off the drug. It was all a tolerable trade off for the result it brought.
Posted 6/7/2013 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
Yikes, I hate to hear all of the hair stuff. I just started sat, 4 pills for two weeks then I go to six. Folic every day. So does the falling out hair problem result in you looking like you have abnormally thinning hair? Like you are sickly? I'm not goong to tolerate that, I can't present that as an independant consultant. I don't what I'll do, go super short, scarfs, hair thingies, and I am just going to hope it isn't a problem. I have a lot of hair, hopefully enough to spare.....
Posted 6/7/2013 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
it took me a month to get over the side effects and I upped my folic acid like the others did, so ask your doctor about folic acid if your not already taking it. and maybe switch to injections of methotrexate if the side effects are getting worse...
Posted 6/7/2013 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
Kate M,

I find that the worst of the effects of Mtx hit me the second day as well.Sometimes it can last a couple of days. I get nausea, fatigue, etc. I take my dose the first day that I am off work in the hopes that the worst of the effects will pass before I have to go back.

I also take it at night (which for me is in the AM since I am a night shift worker). This allows me to sleep through the worst of the effects.

Agree with the others that increasing you folic acid might help. Also, as BadDay states, dividing your doses might help as well. Ginger helps me somewhat with the nausea. I haven't lost much hair...so lucky there. I take 20mg. It does seem to help with the RA symproms though, so this makes it worth it for me. It can take 6 months to see full benefit.

Good luck. Hope you feel better soon.
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