How long has methotrexate taken to work for you?

[Volksgirl7]

Hi all,
I'm on my fifth week of methotrexate injections and no changes yet. I was told by my GI that it may take up to 16 weeks to see full effects but I'm hoping this will work faster. In the meantime I of course am experiencing a flare and have been for a little over 3 weeks. My GI has since put me on a tapered dose of prednisone which is making me feel even worse (I think I'm going to stop the prednisone on my own). I can't imagine continuing to feel they way I do for another 11 weeks (there goes my summer)! Can anyone share any info about how long it took for you or how you were feeling after being on it for 5 weeks? Much appreciated.

Diagnosed in August 2010

Things that didn't work:
Prednisone
6-mp
Asacol

Things that worked clinically for Crohn's but gave me psoriasis:
Remicade
Humira

Currently on:
Methotrexate
Folic acid
Vitamin D
Iron supplements

 

[KayleighMeek]

Hello,
I am not on methotrexate injections but have the tablets it took me around 3 months to notice a difference. Unfortunatley a lot of the drugs do take around this amount of time to start working. It worked well for me for just over a year I am now having to add another medication to keep things under control. Try and stick with it; it can be frustrating waiting but its worth it if It keeps you well in the long term.
Also please don't just stop taking prednisone as it can be very dangerous, you may already know this but wanted to put it out there. If you want to stop speak to your doctor and agree on a taper that won't put you in danger.
Hope it starts working soon for you x

 

[Volksgirl7]

Thanks for your advice. I am on a tapered dose. I was at 3 mgs a day and now am at 2mg for a few days until I reach 1. I have been on prednisone countless amounts of time and it has never really worked for me. I started the tapered dose last week and since then have felt extreme fatigue and joint pain that I didn't experience when I was just taking the injections. I can only think that this has something to do with the way I'm feeling. I would think being on two immunosuppressants might make you feel like this but that's just my thinking.

 

[KayleighMeek]

Sometimes it's hard to know what is causing the problems if its meds or the disease itself or a mixture. I really hope you feel better soon

 

[JudithC]

Kayleigh, I would like to follow up on your last statement. " Sometimes it's hard to know what is causing the problems if its meds or the disease itself or a mixture."

I'm having similar issues, lots of aches and joint pain, but I don't know if this is part of the disease or a side effect of the meds. I have mentioned to two Doctors who really don't seem concerned at all. Does anyone know if there's any type of bloodworm that can show what is causing pain? Do I need to go to another specialist...a rheumatologist?

 

[JudithC]

*blood work.

 

[KayleighMeek]

I think if you are having joint problems its best to get it checked out by a rheumatologist they may be able to rule out a few other things it could be. I think it's unfortunatley a process of elimination which can take a while. Keep on at the dr's until you get it sorted joint pain is not fun.

 

[sickofcrohns]

Not necessarily comforting, but in my case, methotrexate did absolutely nothing to control the Crohn's, and gave me stupid side effects, too: dry mouth, dry eyes, bleeding every time I brushed my teeth, etc. I was on it for about 2 years. The side effects quit as soon as I stopped using it. Most people have a better response than this.

Now I've been on Remicade 9 years. It's mostly successful, and though I did get psoriasis, I'd rather be on Remicade and deal with the psoriasis than without it and rapidly wasting away.

As for the prednisone, tapering generally (for most people) feels awful. KayleighMeek is 100% right that you should NOT quit it cold turkey! Even a mild drop in dosage can cause big problems for some people. (Trust me here. I took 10.5 years to get off it!) If your Crohn's is being controlled by the other drugs you are on, you will probably have all of the prednisone out of your system and be back to producing your own complement of adrenal hormones in around 6 weeks to 2 months (if my experience is anything to judge by -- apparently, I'm more sensitive to that stuff than most, and you weren't on it as long, so you should be feeling better more quickly than that).

I hope your flare clears up soon and that your medications will get sorted out quickly, too. And JudithC, yeah, see a rheumatologist or at least a more sympathetic other doctor! More easily said than done, I know, but doctors who ignore you when you come to them with real symptoms that are impacting your quality of life are not doing you any favours.