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Methotrexate Dosage/Form

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 2/21/2014 8:02 AM (GMT 0)
Hello, I've been using 15 mg methotrexate injection alone for four weeks for induction of remission. I was doing the injection myself and it was very stressfull for me, I can't go to the doctors office for injections so I want to switch from injection to oral form, it would be a lot more easier to me, so I talked the GI and he said ok. I will use the same dose(15mg) of tablets.
My condition was improving with the injections,and now I'm concerned about the effectiveness of tablet form.
Does effectiveness reduce dramatically? Would 15mg oral mtx be enough for induction of remission? Is 15mg low for oral form? If you switched from injection to oral form or opposite, did you see any effectiveness difference? If you used oral form, what was your dose?
Thank you very much.

Post Edited (xy123) : 2/21/2014 1:05:15 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/21/2014 2:58 PM (GMT 0)
I would stay with the injections if you can. They are more effective than the oral form and also less likely to cause nausea. If you do swap to pills, then I would consider upping the dose to 25mg.

What is it about the injections you find difficult? I took MTX injections for a while. The hardest part for me was sticking the needle in, but it only takes a fraction of a second and is miles less painful than a Humira shot (which stings like billy-o). Just grab about an inch of flesh on your thigh/abdomen, make sure the needle is roughly perpendicular (right angle) to the skin, then quickly insert the needle. Once it's in, slowly inject the methotrexate over 30 to 60 seconds: if you inject it slowly, there's no pain at all.

It's natural to be nervous, but just take your time and don't try to hurry anything. Re-read the instructions as often as you need to.

Hope this helps... :-/
Posted 2/24/2014 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
Regarding your question: Is 15mg low for an oral dose? I took 7.5mg/week for 9 months and that was all I could tolerate... and I was still wiped out for the entire day after taking it. So no, I'd say 15mg isn't low from my perspective. :)

I'd also agree with NCOT that taking the shot is probably better, although I can understand why you are struggling with giving yourself the shot. If you go with the pills, you can always start at 15mg and increase the dose if need be.
Posted 2/24/2014 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
NiceCupOfTea and vitaka, thanks for replies.
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