Guest guest Posted June 25, 2007 Report Share Posted June 25, 2007 Dear Lynda- MTX can dehydrate the doodah out of you. I know. That could be why you are cramping. Talk to your DR. about Cyclosporine. Its been around for ages and might help. IT binds TNF as remicade or enbrel but is also an anti malarial to address your ESR or sed rate levels too. It worked well for me for five years before going onto remicade. It comes in 100mg capsules or liquid also I think. That taken daily with weekly MTX still sees good results. Drink lots of fluids. I make iced tea and add Lemon to it. It really does help with dehydration. You should be taking a super multi vitamin with folate, iron, calcium biotin, panetholinic acid, A,C,D,E,K and B complex too. Have a bone density done right away to find out if MTX is leaching Calcium out of your bones. I take actonel to help with that. Also have a regular thyroid test. Your thyroid can also be affected by RA!!! I really feel for you. Psychologically it is very upsetting and exhausting too. Try to get as much rest as you can, ask others to help with chores etc or childcare, and say no to grandchild care if you are in alot of pain. Putting stress on fingers or your back by lifting weight etc can be damaging. Check out www.arthritisfoundation.org for more information. Hugs, Deborah Maine USA On 6/25/07, kenneth194542 <lynda.parton@...> wrote: I am taking methotrexate - 17.5 mg per week, which I have been on for 12 weeks now after having ESR reading of 130 approx 16 weeks ago !My pain levels have finally started to improve, and ESR now down to 70 which is still high I understand (not sure how to measure ESR - ie whats good and whats bad).During the last 2 weeks I have noticed I am having quite severe cramps in my feet (the toes going into a complete spasm) can anyone advise me if they have had this problem whilst taking methotrexate and if so, do I need to speak to Rheumatologist about it - I have been completely wiped out by my RA this past 6 months - only having been diagnosed 16 weeks ago, after many years of suffering.Here in the UK we are unable to get Enbrel and Remicade without having to try methotrexate first, as it is so much cheaper. I might end up on one of these drugs eventually but meanwhile I have to carry on with MTX. I am 58 years old, mum to three grown ups and grandma to one 4 year old, and my family and husband want their mum/wife back !!best wishes to all - Lynda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 I can usually tell when I am going to have leg and foot cramps and it is usually because I change shoes during the day. I have found through trial and error that the easiest way to avoid this is to try to wear the same type of shoe all day and not change from heels to sneakers or vice versa. If it does become necessary to change shoes I always try to get a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade or something similar) in me before bedtime. Sometimes making sure I eat banana also helps. But if I forget any of the above I will fall back on taking a quinine tablet. According to my rheumatologist, it is potassium depletion that causes the worst of the cramps, but I know through experience changing shoes doesn't help.I was diagnosed over 35 years ago and just started showing symptoms in the last 15 years. I do have joint damage and am on both methotrexate and Enbrel. I tried Humira for 2 months but was changed back to the Enbrel when I started showing an allergic reaction to it and was actually getting worse again. Congratulation on getting your pain under control. Unfortunately for me I also have had a number of reactions to most over the counter pain medications and even many prescription ones. (I had biopsies to rule out skin cancer when I was on Naproxen). I have learned to live with the pain and figure that when I wake up pain free I will be worried. At least with the pain I am sure I am alive. kenneth194542 <lynda.parton@...> wrote: I am taking methotrexate - 17.5 mg per week, which I have been on for 12 weeks now after having ESR reading of 130 approx 16 weeks ago ! My pain levels have finally started to improve, and ESR now down to 70 which is still high I understand (not sure how to measure ESR - ie whats good and whats bad). During the last 2 weeks I have noticed I am having quite severe cramps in my feet (the toes going into a complete spasm) can anyone advise me if they have had this problem whilst taking methotrexate and if so, do I need to speak to Rheumatologist about it - I have been completely wiped out by my RA this past 6 months - only having been diagnosed 16 weeks ago, after many years of suffering. Here in the UK we are unable to get Enbrel and Remicade without having to try methotrexate first, as it is so much cheaper. I might end up on one of these drugs eventually but meanwhile I have to carry on with MTX. I am 58 years old, mum to three grown ups and grandma to one 4 year old, and my family and husband want their mum/wife back !! best wishes to all - Lynda Take the Internet to Go: Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Ive been on MTX for 6 weeks now and am waiting to notice any improvement, apart from painkillers that's all i am taking i used to get bad cramps before i took MTX when i was on sulfasalazine and haven't noticed it getting worse. i drink tonic water before i go to bed has anyone else had pains or weird feelings in the tops of their fingers on MTX; my doctor says it isn't a symptom of MTX Caz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I've been on methotrexate since 2004 and pretty much in remission for the past two years. The cramps are common but there are two major treatments that work for me. To prevent them, drink at LEAST two quarts of WATER a day, this is in addition to coffee, soda, anything else you drink. I keep a two leter jug of water by my chair and it must be empty at the end of the day. For treatment when they happen, rub your feet with rubbing alcohol. This always relieves the cramps for me so I can go back to sleep. Sharon > > I am taking methotrexate - 17.5 mg per week, which I have been on for > 12 weeks now after having ESR reading of 130 approx 16 weeks ago ! > My pain levels have finally started to improve, and ESR now down to 70 > which is still high I understand (not sure how to measure ESR - ie > whats good and whats bad). > > During the last 2 weeks I have noticed I am having quite severe cramps > in my feet (the toes going into a complete spasm) can anyone advise me > if they have had this problem whilst taking methotrexate and if so, do > I need to speak to Rheumatologist about it - I have been completely > wiped out by my RA this past 6 months - only having been diagnosed 16 > weeks ago, after many years of suffering. > > Here in the UK we are unable to get Enbrel and Remicade without having > to try methotrexate first, as it is so much cheaper. I might end up on > one of these drugs eventually but meanwhile I have to carry on with MTX. > I am 58 years old, mum to three grown ups and grandma to one 4 year > old, and my family and husband want their mum/wife back !! > > best wishes to all - Lynda > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Like any medications ~ it takes time to get into your system and start doing what it is suppose to do ~ I was told that the combo you are on should work together ~ and halt any destruction ~ My feet were hurting ~ that is how I discovered I had RA ~ I also take folic acid ~ from a drug store ~ so I dont get an upset stomach ~ you may want to also ~ -- In Rheumatoid Arthritis , CAROLE MCGINLEY <scotconnect@...> wrote: > > Ive been on MTX for 6 weeks now and am waiting to notice any improvement, apart from painkillers that's all i am taking > > i used to get bad cramps before i took MTX when i was on sulfasalazine and haven't noticed it getting worse. i drink tonic water before i go to bed > > has anyone else had pains or weird feelings in the tops of their fingers on MTX; my doctor says it isn't a symptom of MTX > > Caz > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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