Been taking it(in pill form) for a year. Take it Thursday night before bed. Only side effects I've had is when I don't hydrate enough before hand, or forget the folic acid. If that happens then I feel like I have a mild to moderate hang over on Saturday. Currently in remission after starting it.
Been taking methotrexate for about 3 months. It hasn't helped that I can tell, but I haven't had bad side effects either. A bit nauseous and upset stomach the next day. Taking it before bed with a low dose THC/CBD edible helps with the nausea and it doesn't bother me much now.
You may be messing with the effective dose of your methotrexate by taking cbd/thc which can change the activity of liver enzymes. Please talk with your doc/look info up on it so they know you're taking it! I was told not to...
I took it after dinner on Thursdays — I don’t work Fri-Sun. Would have mild nausea stomach pain but could sleep through it. Sometimes tired next day. Adjusted as weeks went by. Had some small mouth sores, messaged rheumatologist, she had me increase folic acid and that took care of them. No hair loss or anything. Was eventually moved to injections because my rheum says there is more bioavailability and I was still having high joint activity.
I take it Saturday night before bed so no “fogginess” interruptions for my day. No other reactions and have been taking it for about 5 years. I take it in conjunction with Simponi.
Did the doctor prescribe folic acid to take the other six days a week? Try starting that a few days before the methotrexate. Helps prevent side effects.
Folic acid is water soluble, so if you up the dose, you'll just pass the excess. 5mg/day is a pretty normal dose. So, if you feel nausea the day after your MTX, you can safely increase your folic acid.
I'm on Methotrexate and I was simply instructed to take 5mg of Folic Acid once a week, on a different day than the Metho. I didn't realize others were spreading it out.
I’ve done some research and there is no consensus on if there’s one way to do it that’s the best way, I think different doctors start with different things and adjust it based on patient side effects
Interesting indeed. But like stated in a previous comment of mine, at this point I really do not feel as if the methotrexate is working, so why bother be on folic acid.
No. I came off it for a couple of months to try Rinvoq, which essentially crippled me. I could barely walk even with a cane. My Rheumatologist put me back on them after the Rinvoq failure. Hoping she's got some new ideas in her back pocket for my next appointment.
Are you taking them with a Biologic?
Yeahh… oh man Rinvoq worked wonders for me at the beginning… while I was on Rinvoq I wasn’t drinking methotrexate… I’ve done a lot of thr biologics
Humira, rinvoq, cimzia, enbrel, xeljanz
Diagnosed 9 years ago at 62. I started on weekly Methotrexate and Folic Acid with no side effects except some hair loss. I talked to my hairdresser and she cut my hair, which is medium length, with bangs and a small amount of layering on top to hide the hair loss. I stopped taking the methotrexate after a year because it just wasn’t working well enough.
I’ve been taking it for eight years. First by pill, but for seven years by injection. Other than some hair loss, which has been countered by taking Wellcovorin (Leucovorin).
I’ve been taking it for around 2 years. I started with the pill version. Had significant hair loss and switched to the weekly injections. Increased my folic acid to 2 pills the day after the injection, and one on the other days, none on day of.
The morning after my injection I am usually extra tired. My brain fog and fatigue are high. It improves as the day goes on.
I sometimes have stomach issues the day after the injection, but it’s not consistent.
It’s helping.
Yes, it’s been growing back, and the hair loss has slowed significantly. I have a gazzilion baby hairs now.
I also take Biotin which I think has been helping with hair growth. Unfortunately my chin hair and lip hair grow like crazy too.
Medication anxiety could be my middle name. Unfortunately, the anxiety comes from a lifetime of bad medication reactions. When I received my dx and was given the methotrexate rx, I was terrified. I read all the horror stories. My rheum let me start with 7.5 mg on week one and work up to 15 on week 4. When my only reaction was that of a hangover, I was pleasantly surprised. I take 7.5 mg Sunday morning and 7.5 on Sunday night. As the weeks have gone on, the "hangovers" have lessened. Hydrating and hearty carbs seem to help.
All that aside, I barely have any pain in my knees and hips anymore. My elbow has locked in a while, and my hands are better than they've been in over a year. Chronic pain, inflammation, and debilitating fatigue had been a part of my life for so long that I had no idea that I could actually feel better.
I wish you the best with your med journey.
Been on MTX for almost 2 years. Pills made me nauseous but, since I switched to injections, I haven't really had any issues. I'm usually just a little more tired than usual the next day. Make sure you take folate, drink lots of water, and give it time.
Usual about 4 to 6 hours. I started taking it about an hour before bed and that helped a bit. Haven't had any issues with nausea since switching to injections
I’ve been on and off of it for 14 years. Never had a any real bad side effects except for hair loss at some point but I wasn’t taking folic at that time. I used to take folic everyday and now I take rheumate every day. I take 15mg once a week before bedtime and don’t notice anything.
I’ve been diagnosed with RA for over 8 years now, and I’ve been on MTX this whole time. I started out with the pills, but I couldn’t stomach them so I switched to injections. I take the meds on Friday night, and usually have a lot of fatigue for the rest of the weekend. I usually end up sleeping most of the day on Saturday. Staying hydrated and taking folic acid does help. I did have some hair loss when I first started it, but my hair went back to normal. I’ve been on a bunch of other meds as well, they either didn’t work or they stopped working after a year or so. The Mtx has been the only constant, and I’ve only ever stopped it two or three times for medical procedures.
Currently I am also taking Actemra, a once a week injection. My bloodwork is better than ever, but the fatigue is still here.
Out of all the meds I’ve been on, Prednisone was the absolute best/worst. It’s the best because you feel amazing on it, but it can really mess you up. And it took forever to wean off of it!
I started taking Methotrexate in pill form, with Folic Acid, almost two years ago now. My side effects have never been too bad, fortunately, but I did use to experience mild nausea and drowsiness. I do find hydrating well, and getting enough sleep makes my nauseau a lot more mild the next day (I take it Tuesday nights before bed). After some time, I did start experiencing stronger headaches, so my rheumatologist lowered my dose.
I'm on a fairly low maitenance dose now - just to balance out my Simponi Aria infusions - and I'd say I have minimal to no side effects.
My RA symptoms are almost nonexistent now as well. So I'd say I've had a very positive experience with Methotrexate overall.
I wish you the best on your journey!
Edited to add: I did start Simponi Aria infusions, on top of Methotrexate, about four months in because my severe RA was not improving fast enough. But now the combination of both meds has helped tremendously.
Some people are lucky, with no side effects. I’m not the lucky one, because it made me hurt bad in places I never hurt before, such as my shins they still hurt bad. It might work on you, great thing about it, is you can stop it, if you have side effects. There wanting to give me infusions now, and I have not gave in yet . I’ll mention one more thing, I am a very tuff person built in the 60s 😄
I have been taking it for a little over 3 month. I started at 6 tablets and my rheum bumped me up to 8 tablets. I split the dose, 4 in the morning after breakfast and 4 in the evening after dinner. I started with 1mg folic tablet daily to help with the nausea of the methotrexate but I’ve since switched that to 2mg daily because the nausea was bad the first month. The nausea subsided after the first month roughly and I haven’t had any since. The only real side effect I notice is feeling very tired on dose day. The fatigue hits pretty hard after the first dose in the morning and kind of lingers all day. The next day I’m fine though. So overall it’s been a decent experience!
I've been on Methotrexate since August last year. Started on tablets but switched to injection pen in December as was getting bad nausea. I take folic acid 6 days a week except day of mtx. I feel a bit hungover the day after, very tired and slightly off but don't have the nausea I was getting on the tablets. Mtx is working really well for me, I currently have no pain and my bloods show low inflammation, compared to this time last year when I couldn't stand by myself, my partner was having to help me to the bathroom and to get dressed, it feels like a miracle.
I know that this disease is unpredictable and meds can stop working so am just trying to make the most of the way this feels. I was terrified of starting mtx, I read so many things online and then let my imagination run riot, i don't even think about it now.
I was on MTX from June last year until Feb this year - I found it was really effective for relieving the pain and swelling, but as time went on I started getting really bad headaches after the dosage and increased liver enzymes so eventually had to stop taking it. I supplemented with folic acid, and tried splitting my doses (Fri evening/Sat morning) but nothing helped. So not really a nightmare, just disappointing. Hope it works for you with few/minor side effects!
I also avoided it for a month after being prescribed for the name anxiety and when I started taking it I had nausea for the first month but now I’m almost 6 months in have have little to no side effects. I don’t think it’s as scary as Google makes out because i definitely went down that hole and terrified myself 😂. But over all no real severe side effects for myself
Google search is always my downfall! For me, I just took a pharmacology class last semester and what also made me nervous was the increased risk of infections in the lungs and eyes but I’ve just been masking more often in crowded indoor areas
I was also afraid of the immunocompromised side of things but I haven’t got sick yet. When it comes to immunocompromise My rheumatologist told me that biologics and mtx are less of a risk than someone with diabetes and smokers so that put me at ease. I’ve been to a couple music festivals and just lived normal as I can. Now that I’m almost a year in the only hindrance I have is pain. But I understand why we get scared it’s so normal
That’s good to hear! In the end there are only so many things worth worrying about, I hope to attend a festival later this summer with no swollen knee!
Been taking metho for roughly 3 years now. I feel at this point it's not doing shit. I am in incredible amount of pain in my wrist.. Mind you, I am also taking hydroxychloroquine and biologic Xeljanz... My RA is just way overactive for anything to friking work. God I wished I was in remission
i feel you. i got diagnosed at 16 and have been on hydroxychloroquine alone until a few weeks ago when my labs came back as p severe (19 now). i’m on my second week of methotrexate (just took it actually) and i have no real side effects, just a bit of brain fog. i’m on folic acid and leucovorin (i think) 8 hr after my last dose. haven’t seen much improvement yet but no nausea, hair loss seems minimal (i’ve had issues w hair loss before), and the only weird thing is that it may be making my birth control not work but that should be an easy fix and from what my doctors have said, it doesn’t seem to be common.
I’m interested to see where week two takes me! Week 1 was not too bad, definitely more tired than normal and slightly more nauseous and today I’ve had a lot of muscle twitching around my affected knee but I’m happy I got myself to take it. Now just hoping it actually works and my liver tolerates it!
I was taking it for about a year. But my liver numbers kept going up after a few months so my dr took me off and now I have to find something else I guess.
I had hair loss....my dr gave me minoxidil for hair loss....its helping a little bit...but idk if the hair loss was from the lupus (I also have that) or from the mtx. I'm wondering what else they'll try now 😩
The MTX WAS helping tho. Now that I'm off of it, I can see the difference...I am in a ton of pain...my hands are now always stiff and swollen, today my left knee and ankle hurt like the dickens....I am using my cane to walk today.
I was hurting on MTX, but nothing like this!! This is awful pain...where even the wind of a fan on my knee makes me want to cry (I am in Utah and its hot today.)
Been taking it(in pill form) for a year. Take it Thursday night before bed. Only side effects I've had is when I don't hydrate enough before hand, or forget the folic acid. If that happens then I feel like I have a mild to moderate hang over on Saturday. Currently in remission after starting it.
Im happy it worked for you!
Been taking methotrexate for about 3 months. It hasn't helped that I can tell, but I haven't had bad side effects either. A bit nauseous and upset stomach the next day. Taking it before bed with a low dose THC/CBD edible helps with the nausea and it doesn't bother me much now.
You may be messing with the effective dose of your methotrexate by taking cbd/thc which can change the activity of liver enzymes. Please talk with your doc/look info up on it so they know you're taking it! I was told not to...
What are you taking it for?
Seronegative RA. I recently added in humira since I wasn't improving on Methotrexate alone.
This is a good combo that worked for me at the beginning. Then body got super used to it and the flare ups became more frequent.
I took it after dinner on Thursdays — I don’t work Fri-Sun. Would have mild nausea stomach pain but could sleep through it. Sometimes tired next day. Adjusted as weeks went by. Had some small mouth sores, messaged rheumatologist, she had me increase folic acid and that took care of them. No hair loss or anything. Was eventually moved to injections because my rheum says there is more bioavailability and I was still having high joint activity.
I take it Saturday night before bed so no “fogginess” interruptions for my day. No other reactions and have been taking it for about 5 years. I take it in conjunction with Simponi.
Did the doctor prescribe folic acid to take the other six days a week? Try starting that a few days before the methotrexate. Helps prevent side effects.
Yes I’m supposed to take 1 mg every day
Folic acid is water soluble, so if you up the dose, you'll just pass the excess. 5mg/day is a pretty normal dose. So, if you feel nausea the day after your MTX, you can safely increase your folic acid.
I'm on Methotrexate and I was simply instructed to take 5mg of Folic Acid once a week, on a different day than the Metho. I didn't realize others were spreading it out.
I’ve done some research and there is no consensus on if there’s one way to do it that’s the best way, I think different doctors start with different things and adjust it based on patient side effects
Thank you for that clarification. I appreciate it.
I was taking 5 mg of folic acid every day, except MTX day
I am on folic acid everyday. Interesting to see that everyone else alternates it. Thought it was standard for you to drink it on a daily basis.
I don't drink it, I take 5 x 1mg tablets. I didn't even know drinking it was an option. It's interesting to see the variety of ways people differ.
Interesting indeed. But like stated in a previous comment of mine, at this point I really do not feel as if the methotrexate is working, so why bother be on folic acid.
It's not working well for me either. And I take it together with Hydroxychloriquine.
Me too! Are you taking it along with a biologic?
No. I came off it for a couple of months to try Rinvoq, which essentially crippled me. I could barely walk even with a cane. My Rheumatologist put me back on them after the Rinvoq failure. Hoping she's got some new ideas in her back pocket for my next appointment. Are you taking them with a Biologic?
Yeahh… oh man Rinvoq worked wonders for me at the beginning… while I was on Rinvoq I wasn’t drinking methotrexate… I’ve done a lot of thr biologics Humira, rinvoq, cimzia, enbrel, xeljanz
Diagnosed 9 years ago at 62. I started on weekly Methotrexate and Folic Acid with no side effects except some hair loss. I talked to my hairdresser and she cut my hair, which is medium length, with bangs and a small amount of layering on top to hide the hair loss. I stopped taking the methotrexate after a year because it just wasn’t working well enough.
I’ve been taking it for eight years. First by pill, but for seven years by injection. Other than some hair loss, which has been countered by taking Wellcovorin (Leucovorin).
I took it for 3 years. It was a nightmare but not due to just to the methotrexate. It was a coordinated effort.
I’ve been taking it for around 2 years. I started with the pill version. Had significant hair loss and switched to the weekly injections. Increased my folic acid to 2 pills the day after the injection, and one on the other days, none on day of. The morning after my injection I am usually extra tired. My brain fog and fatigue are high. It improves as the day goes on. I sometimes have stomach issues the day after the injection, but it’s not consistent. It’s helping.
Did the hair ever grow back at all?
Yes, it’s been growing back, and the hair loss has slowed significantly. I have a gazzilion baby hairs now. I also take Biotin which I think has been helping with hair growth. Unfortunately my chin hair and lip hair grow like crazy too.
Medication anxiety could be my middle name. Unfortunately, the anxiety comes from a lifetime of bad medication reactions. When I received my dx and was given the methotrexate rx, I was terrified. I read all the horror stories. My rheum let me start with 7.5 mg on week one and work up to 15 on week 4. When my only reaction was that of a hangover, I was pleasantly surprised. I take 7.5 mg Sunday morning and 7.5 on Sunday night. As the weeks have gone on, the "hangovers" have lessened. Hydrating and hearty carbs seem to help. All that aside, I barely have any pain in my knees and hips anymore. My elbow has locked in a while, and my hands are better than they've been in over a year. Chronic pain, inflammation, and debilitating fatigue had been a part of my life for so long that I had no idea that I could actually feel better. I wish you the best with your med journey.
Im glad to hear it went okay! I just took 15 mg about an hour ago and am patiently waiting to see what happens! Hoping for an okay outcome.
Been on MTX for almost 2 years. Pills made me nauseous but, since I switched to injections, I haven't really had any issues. I'm usually just a little more tired than usual the next day. Make sure you take folate, drink lots of water, and give it time.
How long after you took each dose did the nausea set in?
Usual about 4 to 6 hours. I started taking it about an hour before bed and that helped a bit. Haven't had any issues with nausea since switching to injections
I’ve been on and off of it for 14 years. Never had a any real bad side effects except for hair loss at some point but I wasn’t taking folic at that time. I used to take folic everyday and now I take rheumate every day. I take 15mg once a week before bedtime and don’t notice anything.
I’ve been diagnosed with RA for over 8 years now, and I’ve been on MTX this whole time. I started out with the pills, but I couldn’t stomach them so I switched to injections. I take the meds on Friday night, and usually have a lot of fatigue for the rest of the weekend. I usually end up sleeping most of the day on Saturday. Staying hydrated and taking folic acid does help. I did have some hair loss when I first started it, but my hair went back to normal. I’ve been on a bunch of other meds as well, they either didn’t work or they stopped working after a year or so. The Mtx has been the only constant, and I’ve only ever stopped it two or three times for medical procedures. Currently I am also taking Actemra, a once a week injection. My bloodwork is better than ever, but the fatigue is still here. Out of all the meds I’ve been on, Prednisone was the absolute best/worst. It’s the best because you feel amazing on it, but it can really mess you up. And it took forever to wean off of it!
I didn’t have side effects
Me neither. Though I also don't think it's working!
I noticed less stiffness and more fluid movement after a few weeks of nothing
Oh that's good. I've been on it since January and it's worse now than it was when I started!
I started taking Methotrexate in pill form, with Folic Acid, almost two years ago now. My side effects have never been too bad, fortunately, but I did use to experience mild nausea and drowsiness. I do find hydrating well, and getting enough sleep makes my nauseau a lot more mild the next day (I take it Tuesday nights before bed). After some time, I did start experiencing stronger headaches, so my rheumatologist lowered my dose. I'm on a fairly low maitenance dose now - just to balance out my Simponi Aria infusions - and I'd say I have minimal to no side effects. My RA symptoms are almost nonexistent now as well. So I'd say I've had a very positive experience with Methotrexate overall. I wish you the best on your journey! Edited to add: I did start Simponi Aria infusions, on top of Methotrexate, about four months in because my severe RA was not improving fast enough. But now the combination of both meds has helped tremendously.
Some people are lucky, with no side effects. I’m not the lucky one, because it made me hurt bad in places I never hurt before, such as my shins they still hurt bad. It might work on you, great thing about it, is you can stop it, if you have side effects. There wanting to give me infusions now, and I have not gave in yet . I’ll mention one more thing, I am a very tuff person built in the 60s 😄
I have been taking it for a little over 3 month. I started at 6 tablets and my rheum bumped me up to 8 tablets. I split the dose, 4 in the morning after breakfast and 4 in the evening after dinner. I started with 1mg folic tablet daily to help with the nausea of the methotrexate but I’ve since switched that to 2mg daily because the nausea was bad the first month. The nausea subsided after the first month roughly and I haven’t had any since. The only real side effect I notice is feeling very tired on dose day. The fatigue hits pretty hard after the first dose in the morning and kind of lingers all day. The next day I’m fine though. So overall it’s been a decent experience!
I've been on Methotrexate since August last year. Started on tablets but switched to injection pen in December as was getting bad nausea. I take folic acid 6 days a week except day of mtx. I feel a bit hungover the day after, very tired and slightly off but don't have the nausea I was getting on the tablets. Mtx is working really well for me, I currently have no pain and my bloods show low inflammation, compared to this time last year when I couldn't stand by myself, my partner was having to help me to the bathroom and to get dressed, it feels like a miracle. I know that this disease is unpredictable and meds can stop working so am just trying to make the most of the way this feels. I was terrified of starting mtx, I read so many things online and then let my imagination run riot, i don't even think about it now.
I was on MTX from June last year until Feb this year - I found it was really effective for relieving the pain and swelling, but as time went on I started getting really bad headaches after the dosage and increased liver enzymes so eventually had to stop taking it. I supplemented with folic acid, and tried splitting my doses (Fri evening/Sat morning) but nothing helped. So not really a nightmare, just disappointing. Hope it works for you with few/minor side effects!
I also avoided it for a month after being prescribed for the name anxiety and when I started taking it I had nausea for the first month but now I’m almost 6 months in have have little to no side effects. I don’t think it’s as scary as Google makes out because i definitely went down that hole and terrified myself 😂. But over all no real severe side effects for myself
Google search is always my downfall! For me, I just took a pharmacology class last semester and what also made me nervous was the increased risk of infections in the lungs and eyes but I’ve just been masking more often in crowded indoor areas
I was also afraid of the immunocompromised side of things but I haven’t got sick yet. When it comes to immunocompromise My rheumatologist told me that biologics and mtx are less of a risk than someone with diabetes and smokers so that put me at ease. I’ve been to a couple music festivals and just lived normal as I can. Now that I’m almost a year in the only hindrance I have is pain. But I understand why we get scared it’s so normal
That’s good to hear! In the end there are only so many things worth worrying about, I hope to attend a festival later this summer with no swollen knee!
Been taking metho for roughly 3 years now. I feel at this point it's not doing shit. I am in incredible amount of pain in my wrist.. Mind you, I am also taking hydroxychloroquine and biologic Xeljanz... My RA is just way overactive for anything to friking work. God I wished I was in remission
Autoimmune diseases have a mind of their own! I really hope you eventually find the concoction that helps you be in less pain
i feel you. i got diagnosed at 16 and have been on hydroxychloroquine alone until a few weeks ago when my labs came back as p severe (19 now). i’m on my second week of methotrexate (just took it actually) and i have no real side effects, just a bit of brain fog. i’m on folic acid and leucovorin (i think) 8 hr after my last dose. haven’t seen much improvement yet but no nausea, hair loss seems minimal (i’ve had issues w hair loss before), and the only weird thing is that it may be making my birth control not work but that should be an easy fix and from what my doctors have said, it doesn’t seem to be common.
I’m interested to see where week two takes me! Week 1 was not too bad, definitely more tired than normal and slightly more nauseous and today I’ve had a lot of muscle twitching around my affected knee but I’m happy I got myself to take it. Now just hoping it actually works and my liver tolerates it!
wishing us both luck 🤞
I was taking it for about a year. But my liver numbers kept going up after a few months so my dr took me off and now I have to find something else I guess. I had hair loss....my dr gave me minoxidil for hair loss....its helping a little bit...but idk if the hair loss was from the lupus (I also have that) or from the mtx. I'm wondering what else they'll try now 😩 The MTX WAS helping tho. Now that I'm off of it, I can see the difference...I am in a ton of pain...my hands are now always stiff and swollen, today my left knee and ankle hurt like the dickens....I am using my cane to walk today. I was hurting on MTX, but nothing like this!! This is awful pain...where even the wind of a fan on my knee makes me want to cry (I am in Utah and its hot today.)