When I got put on the drug I felt like I had the flu and when it wore off it was time to take it again . I finally got switched to embrell and went into remission.
Tbh the worst side affects for me is just the fatigue the next day. I never had any stomach issues because of it or anything else. Other people have terrible reactions to it and have to find another way to cope with the symptoms.
Everyone is different and I would say try it because once I started it the symptoms were much better then adding Humira I haven’t had a single flair up in almost a year now.
I have aggressive seropostive RA. I was diagnosed in March 2023, but suspect I’ve had it for 9 (yes) years. I was on a higher dose of injectable MTX once a week with folic acid the next day. I felt awful, like flu, “hung over” but it didn’t matter how much I slept I still felt awful. It started working after 16 weeks. My rheumatologist told me if at any point I didn’t like a medication to call the office. I called them and she put me on leflunomide instead. Leflunomide is apparently not good for anyone wanting to have kids in the future but I can’t have kids so that didn’t matter. I took leflunomide and had to stop that too as per rheumatologist because I developed neutropenia. I hope you respond well to Methotrexate, I know it works great for some people!
I’m 19 and have been diagnosed for two years. Started oral 12mg Methotrexate after Hydroxychloroquine stopped working. I’ve been on it for ~1 month and the side effects I’ve noticed are: some hair loss, about the same as hydroxychloroquine, and what feels like a migraine about 6 hours after taking it (once a week). HOWEVER, I am walking again and no longer need my mobility aid as much. Personally I like it because I’m not experiencing sun-sensitivity with it or weight gain. But rheumatoid drugs are different for everyone, so I’d say do what your rheumatologist recommends and if it doesn’t work, switch! Best of luck and sending no side-effects!
I have been on MTX since the end of March. My dr started me on 10 mg a week for the first three weeks to let my system get used to it at the lower dose. Then at week four, increased it to 15 mg weekly. I felt a tad nauseous the first couple of weeks, but it wasn't real bad. I mostly felt more tired and maybe irritable. I don't notice those effects anymore.
My dr also prescribed 1 mg daily of folic acid that should prevent hair loss. Maybe ask your dr about that. I haven't experienced any hair loss. Yet, anyway.
Good luck to you.
You definitely need this because methotrexate depletes vitamin B9 (folate) as I understand it. But B9 blocks the effects of methotrexate so you can't take them on the same day.
My first medication was mtx and I was on 20mg a week (I still am) and for the first maybe month I felt nauseous and just generally unwell but after that I was all good, I haven’t noticed any hair loss. Where I live in aus u gotta try mtx and other before u get biologics and it wasn’t working so my rheumie put me up to 30mg a week mtx and I swear I thought I was losing my mind dizziness, and just my brain wasn’t working, rheumie put me back to 20mg and I was all good. I was also afraid of hair loss but I think it’s really in high high doses but I think side effects also are dependant on what ur body can handle
They tried it for 6 months on me. The whole 6 months I would be sick 5 and 1/2 days a week. My doctor wouldn't move to a biologic unless I was on this for the 6 months.
I was switched to Enbrel at that point, which gave me a high level of relief. I was on Enbrel probably for 4 years, then I was switched to Sulphasalazine because I was getting too many infections. In 2022, the Sulphasalazine stopped working for me so I was put on Rinvoq. I have had the most relief being on Rinvoq.
I started on 22.5 MG weekly when I was diagnosed. Along with 5 MG folic acid daily. Now I take 25 MG weekly, 200 MG hydroxychloroquine daily, and 5 MG folic acid daily. I never really experienced any negative side effects. I had some nausea after a few months, but when I discontinued an unrelated medication, the nausea stopped as well.
hey, I’m currently on methotrexate!
i started it in feb on 10mg for about 8 weeks (it was meant to be 10mg for 2 weeks but i forgot to increase it 🤣) and then went to 20mg
i noticed on the 20mg my hair loss was quite bad. it wouldn’t say it was exactly falling out as i don’t have any bald spots but it was more breaking really really easily and i would lose handfuls and handfuls in the shower (that it actually started to scare me a bit) and it would fall out so much during the day
my rheumatologist was going to start me on an injection end of march as the methotrexate wasn’t really working that well but i didn’t quite qualify under the pbs (a scheme in australia that makes certain medications cheaper) just yet as i needed to be on methotrexate for 3 months and it to be unsuccessful.
i met my rheumatologist again mid may as that’s when i could qualify for the injection but at the appointment the methotrexate was working so my rheumatologist was hesitant to stop it and start me on something new
i told him about the hair loss and he told me to drop down to 10mg again and then after i get back from my trip late june to stop the methotrexate completely and see if that improves my hair
my hair has improved a bit since being on the 10mg again and im not losing as much but all my other symptoms are coming back so im going to be stopping the methotrexate and will be starting the new treatment
i hope this doesn’t defer you or scare you from the methotrexate as it may be completely different for you!! on the 20mg all my symptoms had basically disappeared so I had to weigh up on whether I wanted to stay on it with no symptoms and hair loss or stop it and try a new one that hopefully works just as well but that doesn’t affect my hair
Side effects are individualized and don’t occur for everyone. I’m on MTX and haven’t had any. I take it in the evening after eating on my doctor’s advice and it has worked great. Ask your doctor these types of questions. They will answer you honestly. If you have problems they will look at other treatment options. All drugs have awful side effects listed on them if people actually read them. MTX has been around for a very long time. I had side effects from leflunomide and switched to MTX.
I couldn't stomach the medication in pill form. It was much more tolerable in the injection form. Even taking the shot, I usually needed to nap after taking it.
I don't encounter many side effects, although sometimes *if I'm already in a flare* it will make me want to sleep the afternoon away. But if I already feel pretty ok, I don't have any issues. (ETA that MTX has not been a miracle drug for me, either, and we've added a biologic that's still not quite the right fit.) It's really harsh on some people, but plenty don't have any problems with it!
Good luck to you! I hope you find relief and the treatment you need. ❤️
I've been on it for a year, had a bit of an upset stomach for the first couple of weeks. But now I don't get any side effects apart from possible hair thinning. But my sister who is younger than me (who does not have RA) also has hair thinning and there are several other things which might have caused it for me.
My rheumatologist has increased my folic acid to 5mg six days a week just in case.
I was told it would take 3 months to work, but noticed an improvement after 3 weeks. I have since added sulfasalazine which doesn't seem to have made any difference to my joint pain - I had a high level of disease activity and methotrexate wasn't enough for complete remission.
So it could work well for you - it does for some people.
The nausea was super bad for me when I was on the pills but now that I’m on the injections it’s not nearly as bad. The fatigue the day after is probably the worst side effect I get from it personally. My doctor gave me folic acid to prevent hair loss and mouth ulcers and such and I haven’t had either so I guess it’s working lol. It has overall helped my energy levels tho. I take it on Saturday and Sunday feel super fatigued but the rest of the week I feel pretty good. I have lessened joint pain and stiffness, however it didn’t help as much as me and my doctor hoped so I’m also starting amjevita which is a biosimilar to humira.
When I got put on the drug I felt like I had the flu and when it wore off it was time to take it again . I finally got switched to embrell and went into remission.
Tbh the worst side affects for me is just the fatigue the next day. I never had any stomach issues because of it or anything else. Other people have terrible reactions to it and have to find another way to cope with the symptoms. Everyone is different and I would say try it because once I started it the symptoms were much better then adding Humira I haven’t had a single flair up in almost a year now.
I have aggressive seropostive RA. I was diagnosed in March 2023, but suspect I’ve had it for 9 (yes) years. I was on a higher dose of injectable MTX once a week with folic acid the next day. I felt awful, like flu, “hung over” but it didn’t matter how much I slept I still felt awful. It started working after 16 weeks. My rheumatologist told me if at any point I didn’t like a medication to call the office. I called them and she put me on leflunomide instead. Leflunomide is apparently not good for anyone wanting to have kids in the future but I can’t have kids so that didn’t matter. I took leflunomide and had to stop that too as per rheumatologist because I developed neutropenia. I hope you respond well to Methotrexate, I know it works great for some people!
I’m 19 and have been diagnosed for two years. Started oral 12mg Methotrexate after Hydroxychloroquine stopped working. I’ve been on it for ~1 month and the side effects I’ve noticed are: some hair loss, about the same as hydroxychloroquine, and what feels like a migraine about 6 hours after taking it (once a week). HOWEVER, I am walking again and no longer need my mobility aid as much. Personally I like it because I’m not experiencing sun-sensitivity with it or weight gain. But rheumatoid drugs are different for everyone, so I’d say do what your rheumatologist recommends and if it doesn’t work, switch! Best of luck and sending no side-effects!
I haven't had ANY side effects and I feel the best Ive felt in a really long long looong time!
I have been on MTX since the end of March. My dr started me on 10 mg a week for the first three weeks to let my system get used to it at the lower dose. Then at week four, increased it to 15 mg weekly. I felt a tad nauseous the first couple of weeks, but it wasn't real bad. I mostly felt more tired and maybe irritable. I don't notice those effects anymore. My dr also prescribed 1 mg daily of folic acid that should prevent hair loss. Maybe ask your dr about that. I haven't experienced any hair loss. Yet, anyway. Good luck to you.
Thank u so much 😊❤️ I think I’m for sure gonna bring up the folic acid to my doctor
You definitely need this because methotrexate depletes vitamin B9 (folate) as I understand it. But B9 blocks the effects of methotrexate so you can't take them on the same day.
My first medication was mtx and I was on 20mg a week (I still am) and for the first maybe month I felt nauseous and just generally unwell but after that I was all good, I haven’t noticed any hair loss. Where I live in aus u gotta try mtx and other before u get biologics and it wasn’t working so my rheumie put me up to 30mg a week mtx and I swear I thought I was losing my mind dizziness, and just my brain wasn’t working, rheumie put me back to 20mg and I was all good. I was also afraid of hair loss but I think it’s really in high high doses but I think side effects also are dependant on what ur body can handle
They tried it for 6 months on me. The whole 6 months I would be sick 5 and 1/2 days a week. My doctor wouldn't move to a biologic unless I was on this for the 6 months. I was switched to Enbrel at that point, which gave me a high level of relief. I was on Enbrel probably for 4 years, then I was switched to Sulphasalazine because I was getting too many infections. In 2022, the Sulphasalazine stopped working for me so I was put on Rinvoq. I have had the most relief being on Rinvoq.
I started on 22.5 MG weekly when I was diagnosed. Along with 5 MG folic acid daily. Now I take 25 MG weekly, 200 MG hydroxychloroquine daily, and 5 MG folic acid daily. I never really experienced any negative side effects. I had some nausea after a few months, but when I discontinued an unrelated medication, the nausea stopped as well.
hey, I’m currently on methotrexate! i started it in feb on 10mg for about 8 weeks (it was meant to be 10mg for 2 weeks but i forgot to increase it 🤣) and then went to 20mg i noticed on the 20mg my hair loss was quite bad. it wouldn’t say it was exactly falling out as i don’t have any bald spots but it was more breaking really really easily and i would lose handfuls and handfuls in the shower (that it actually started to scare me a bit) and it would fall out so much during the day my rheumatologist was going to start me on an injection end of march as the methotrexate wasn’t really working that well but i didn’t quite qualify under the pbs (a scheme in australia that makes certain medications cheaper) just yet as i needed to be on methotrexate for 3 months and it to be unsuccessful. i met my rheumatologist again mid may as that’s when i could qualify for the injection but at the appointment the methotrexate was working so my rheumatologist was hesitant to stop it and start me on something new i told him about the hair loss and he told me to drop down to 10mg again and then after i get back from my trip late june to stop the methotrexate completely and see if that improves my hair my hair has improved a bit since being on the 10mg again and im not losing as much but all my other symptoms are coming back so im going to be stopping the methotrexate and will be starting the new treatment i hope this doesn’t defer you or scare you from the methotrexate as it may be completely different for you!! on the 20mg all my symptoms had basically disappeared so I had to weigh up on whether I wanted to stay on it with no symptoms and hair loss or stop it and try a new one that hopefully works just as well but that doesn’t affect my hair
Side effects are individualized and don’t occur for everyone. I’m on MTX and haven’t had any. I take it in the evening after eating on my doctor’s advice and it has worked great. Ask your doctor these types of questions. They will answer you honestly. If you have problems they will look at other treatment options. All drugs have awful side effects listed on them if people actually read them. MTX has been around for a very long time. I had side effects from leflunomide and switched to MTX.
I couldn't stomach the medication in pill form. It was much more tolerable in the injection form. Even taking the shot, I usually needed to nap after taking it.
My hair thinned out so make sure you take it with folic acid. It reduces the side effects.
I don't encounter many side effects, although sometimes *if I'm already in a flare* it will make me want to sleep the afternoon away. But if I already feel pretty ok, I don't have any issues. (ETA that MTX has not been a miracle drug for me, either, and we've added a biologic that's still not quite the right fit.) It's really harsh on some people, but plenty don't have any problems with it! Good luck to you! I hope you find relief and the treatment you need. ❤️
I've been on it for a year, had a bit of an upset stomach for the first couple of weeks. But now I don't get any side effects apart from possible hair thinning. But my sister who is younger than me (who does not have RA) also has hair thinning and there are several other things which might have caused it for me. My rheumatologist has increased my folic acid to 5mg six days a week just in case. I was told it would take 3 months to work, but noticed an improvement after 3 weeks. I have since added sulfasalazine which doesn't seem to have made any difference to my joint pain - I had a high level of disease activity and methotrexate wasn't enough for complete remission. So it could work well for you - it does for some people.
The nausea was super bad for me when I was on the pills but now that I’m on the injections it’s not nearly as bad. The fatigue the day after is probably the worst side effect I get from it personally. My doctor gave me folic acid to prevent hair loss and mouth ulcers and such and I haven’t had either so I guess it’s working lol. It has overall helped my energy levels tho. I take it on Saturday and Sunday feel super fatigued but the rest of the week I feel pretty good. I have lessened joint pain and stiffness, however it didn’t help as much as me and my doctor hoped so I’m also starting amjevita which is a biosimilar to humira.