Starting Methotrexate and worried

[LindaS]

My colonoscopy revealed new ulcers since a flex sig in March, even while taking Humira. So I'm starting methotrexate on Monday. I'm very worried about the side effects, especially since I'm already suffering fatigue and can barely get through my life because of it. I guess I just want reassurance that it won't be miserable.

Also, I'm worried about the injections. I give myself Humira, but those are preloaded pens. These are syringes. It must seem silly to worry about that after all the other stuff I'm going through, but this is starting to freak me out.

 

[jecoll]

I used to take Humira but I started having side effects due to it. So I was moved to MTX to control my Crohn's, as well as psoriatic arthritis which my docs believe was caused by the Humira. The syringes from the MTX are MUCH less painful than the Humira pens. You can try asking your doctor/pharmacy for the smallest needles they have if you still aren't comfortable.

As far as post-injection, I get a little tired the day after the injection. I inject Monday evening. Around Tuesday evening I'll feel pretty fatigued, so I just take it easy. Sometimes I'll still feel tired on Wednesday, but that's usually when I start getting my energy back. Some people do their injections on the weekend, but I like to be active on the weekend and don't have time to feel tired!

Speaking of weekend: be careful with your alcohol intake. MTX taxes your liver, so it doesn't need that extra abuse. A drink or two here and there is fine, but don't go having a few glasses of wine every night.

And make sure to take your folate supplements. I take 1 gram/day ...some people skip their folate on the day of injection, thinking that it cancels out the effects of MTX, but I haven't noticed that to be true. Worth the shot, though, if it doesn't seem to be working. I also take a B-complex supplement as well, which is helpful while taking MTX and, really, for anyone that has Crohn's.

Hope this helps! And I hope you have good luck with it!

 

[chrisss]

Methotrxate

Hi Linda,I was on methotrexate for 9 months by weekly injection and it did nothing for me,the only good situation was the side effects were low I did end up getting a chest infection which had to be treated with antibioctics I have been on Ascoli pentasa methotrxate encort and the only thing what's help me is I think the disease is burning itself out as I have had crohns for 6 years I have heard this theory a few times my crohns is not as bad as it was 3 years ago. One thing I am very interested in is that in England in two hospitals in london they do a treatment for crohns which involves filtering the blood they take all your blood out of your left arm then the blood flows through a filter and is then is flowed back into your right arm The reason for the filtering of the blood is that it gets rid of the TNF the main chemical in the blood what causes cronic inflamation in the gut Its a expensive tratment around five thousand pounds but is suppose to give you around two years of remisson and cuts out all the nasty side effects of the other drugs what are perscribed for crohns i am thinking of taking a bank loan out to go for this treatment have you heard about this tratment anybody in america I would be interested to know chris

 

[raechel]

I have not heard about this filtering treatment, but it sounds intriguing!

 

[Aura]

Hi, I've been on Mthx for over a year now. I inject myself weekly on a Friday avo. I have a quiet Sat and normally pick up quite well on Sunday. I do find myself battling my mind over matter just before injection time. But I overcome that with a small reward for injecting myself . I have good days and bad days, but they seem to balance out. It's a good place for support here. One thing I am careful of, or try to be, is not getting a flu bug. I got one recently and that was nasty. My crohns has been managed well and I have not had a flare since I started. Good luck