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MTX and cold symptoms

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Posted 9/14/2006 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
hi everyone :-) ... been under the weather with a burning sore throat for two days now and only a low grade under 100 temp.... my question is normally i would just ride it out for however long it would take with salt water rinses and rest to get well.... i rarely phone my pcp for a common cold.... but i am on mtx now for the past 6 months and this is my first real illness..... does my pcp need to know?  or do wait til i have a fever over 102?  even my tongue is like burning with a bumpy feeling and i feel blah.... tired.

 

thanks for any input i will take plenty of fluids and maybe stay home tomorrow? exhausted today from working and driving tons.... missed my girls fieldhockey game for the first time ever, just couldnt sit in the rain and get sicker as i think that is what may have done me in the other day?

 

  well here to getting well soon!  yalinda tongue

 

ps the good news is joints are still doing great!

Posted 9/15/2006 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Yalinda, sorry to hear you're under the weather. If you're not feeling better by tomorrow after resting tonight, you might give your PCP a call. He/she will probably tell you to come in. I know--I never go to the doctor for a stupid virus either, but the mtx (I'm sure) can really mess things up a bit. Better just to know.

Get some sleep!
Elcamino
Posted 9/15/2006 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
thanx elcamino, been a veg all evening on the sofa, going to get some shut eye now i hope.... after i gargle with some salt water...... hope everyone is healing and feeling well..... yalin
Posted 9/15/2006 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
Yalinda,
Call your doctor to be safe. I too am taking mtx and I felt the same way last Thursday and thought it would go away, but ended up in the doctors office with Bronchitis on Monday. He put me on anti-b's and rest for two days. Take care, because the mtx lowers your resistance to colds and such. Drink lots of fluids. I hope you feel better soon! yeah

Ryoko :-)
Posted 9/15/2006 10:35 AM (GMT 0)
ryoko, thanks for the advice.... i think i will call as my mouth and throat are both sore feeling.... i also woke up with a funny taste in my mouth but see no sores or anything......

how are you feeling? hopefully better...... thanks again and nice talking to you. yalinda
Posted 9/15/2006 11:19 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Yalinda,  even the short time (5 weeks) I was on mtx I got some mouth sores. Definitely tell your rheumy about that--I think there's a mouthwash he can prescribe you if the mouth sores don't go away on their own.  Mine went away after about a week or so.  Your rheumy may also choose to up your folic acid, as that's supposed to minimize some side effects like mouth sores.

Let us know what you find out.

Elcamino

Posted 9/15/2006 11:42 AM (GMT 0)
opps this may be my fault..... i ran out of folic acid like over a week ago reordered it and never picked it up yet...... been so busy with the kids back to school and daily fieldhockey plus work etc etc etc and i havent passed the pharm all week ..... so what does this folic all do that i have missed like 8 or 9 doses... yikes confessions of an idiot :) yalinda
Posted 9/15/2006 1:24 PM (GMT 0)

In my own limited understanding, mtx interrupts the folic acid pathways, thus depleting our system of folic acid.  This leads to some of the (in my opinion) minor side effects of mtx.  That's why we take folic acid along with mtx, and I don't know about your rheumy, but my rheumy gave me a prescription dose of folic acid because he feels the OTC folic acid is not strong enough.  Even still, I only had to take 1 pill per day (not sure what the strength was).  Despite taking the folic acid, though, I still got the mouth sores (one on the inside of my cheek and one right inside my lower lip).  Never had them before in my life.  If I go back on mtx, I'll make sure my rheumy knows about the sores.  Perhaps if I increased the folic acid it might not happen again.  I believe you can have too much of it in your system, though.

Elcamino

Posted 9/15/2006 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
hi elcamino, thanks for the info. funny thing i slept all day and just woke up, but that is not the funny part. i must have been thinking in my head the guilt of not taking the folic acid so my dream was that all my teeth were falling out and i kept trying to shove them back in and they had these like 4" roots.......mind you my hubby also was at the dentist this morning.... in my dream i was diagnosed with scurvy from the vitamin B12 defeciency..... more detiled dream but i am certain no one cares about my self imposed nightmare.... hehehehehe

well i better pull myself together and pick up my script of folic acid before i do loose my teeth or come down with scury.... i need to refill my mtx for tonight too...not certain if i should take it with my cold this week?

i never did phone my doc yet for this sore throat but i think i will wait til monday?..... i hope it doesnt come back to bite me in the behind ....... ryoko, how u feelin?

take care everyone ~*yalinda
Posted 9/16/2006 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
yalinda,
Hanging in by a thread, I went back to work Wednesday. I think I should have taken just a little more time. I too have those mouth sores. I never really had them until the mtx. I even have one on the tongue! I don't think it helped that my rheumy forgot to prescribe folic acid until my fourth injection last week. eyes I hope you are feeling better and not having anymore scurvy dental dreams (shudder). Have a great weekend!

Ryoko :-)
Posted 9/16/2006 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
did you get your folic acid yalinda?
Posted 9/17/2006 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
yep and i started taking it last night and one today....still have some sores on my tongue and throat but feeling a bit better as far as my general sore throat.... thanks so much for caring.... how r u feeling?
hope everyone has a good weekend Yalinda
Posted 9/17/2006 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
I'm ok... trying to deal with this weather change... I love the fall and the cooler weather, but it wreaks havoc on my body for the first couple of weeks... thanks for asking! I am watching my Alma Mater play College Football, so it's not too bad of a Saturday... (as long as they win!)
Posted 9/23/2006 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
HI,I do agree if you don't feel any better by tommorrow you need to give your PCP a call.I'm no lnger on Methotrexate but my GI and my Rheumy both told me not to take it if I was running a slite fever and had a cold.Hope that you get to feeling well soon.
Posted 9/25/2006 3:57 PM (GMT 0)

My .02 cents:  I first went on methotrexate and prednisone at the same time last September, and the first illness was around February/March.  Ever since I've been sick about once a month.  After toughing it out for several days during the first few illnesses, I decided to always go to the doctor right away when I get sick.  

 

Glad things are better with this last illness of yours.  Keep the folic acid coming in and wash your hands often! 

Posted 9/25/2006 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
yeppers i think i am cured! whatever it was seems GONE! yalinda
Posted 9/25/2006 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Yippee for yalinda! :)
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