help

[Guest guest]

I can't find much conclusive info on the net. One short article is at:

http://www.lifescience-zurich.ch/knowledge/askus.asp?id=86 & lc=en

Suggest you use the " Search Archive " feature to look at back posts on

Propecia. You'll find a lot of people who are reasonably sure Propecia

screwed up their hormones, big time. I doubt you'll find one person who would

go back on it.

You might want to ask the same question at:

finasteride_side_effects/

If you have low T and TRT is contributing to the hair loss, seems you have two

choices. On one side of the scale is hair loss and self-image. On the other is

loss of energy, drive, libido, potency, focus, bone density and self-image. Me,

I'd stop the Propecia and continue the TRT. Then try to look like my bald,

head-shaven, chick-magnet stepson. If the hair loss caused too much

depression I'd see a good psychologist.

Bruce

>

> Its been a few weeks since last posted. Still on 300mgs shot every

> two weeks, due for blood test second week of jan. I still do not feel

> good. I do have days that i feel good but not alot of them. Last time

> i talk to doctor he told me to stop taking propecia. I`m losing hair

> like mad and this has caused me to go into a depression state. What

> can i do? do I stop with the shots? What is everyone else doing? Does

> trt cause this much hair loss? I need advise, thanks for any help.

[Guest guest]

Yes, T can play with red blood cells. But it shouldn't take much to

beat your anemia. Did he give you an idea of how long?

You also may want to try 100mg weekly instead of the big doses. This

evens things out a bit and most guys here feel much better on that

regimen...

Regards,

K4

>

> Doctors office called today and said they were going to have to cut

> back my shots because i`m anemic. I received a 400mgs shot

yesterday.

> Thanks for any help.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Do they think the anemia is caused by the T injections, or are

they saying to cut back until anemia is resolved? Is there a plan

to treat the anemia?

From what I've read here, supplemental T is more likely to cause

excessive red blood cells. Then again, anemia might cause

fatigue similar to hypogonadism, and should get priority

treatment. Do you know if anemia showed up in prior tests?

Bruce

>

> Doctors office called today and said they were going to have to

cut

> back my shots because i`m anemic. I received a 400mgs shot

yesterday.

> Thanks for any help.

[Guest guest]

>

> Doctors office called today and said they were going to have to cut

> back my shots because i`m anemic. I received a 400mgs shot

yesterday.

> Thanks for any help.

Everything I have read has said nothing about HRT testosterone

causing low number of red blood cells. If anything they said it

might cause high red blood cell count in some guys.

Your anemic problem may be cause by something else.

I have the high RBC problem & have to watch the Red Blood Cell count

as well as T & E2. They can get so thick that the blood does not

flow easily, High blood pressure, head aches, muscle aches, rapid

heart beat, & stroke if the blood is not thinned out. The thinning

is usually taken care of by Red Cross blood donations.

I have been taking Indolplex DIM for 10 days, my E2 went from 54 to

22.

One 120mg DIM & two 50mg copper tablets per day was the only thing

different. I was already taking soy isoflavones, 1000 mg C, & 160 mg

Saw palmetto.

[Guest guest]

<snip>

> One 120mg DIM & two 50mg COPPER tablets per day was the only thing

> different.

Sorry I made a mis-take & can not find the edit button.

The above COPPER should be ZINC.

[Guest guest]

The best thing I can tell you is to get your Dr. to work with Dr. over the

phone he dose this all over the world. www.allthingsmale.com

Phil

vallandar <vallandar@...> wrote:

Looking for a doctor who will prescribe hcg shots and antiestrogen

pills for man taking androgel 7.5 per day and hgh shots. live near

louisville ky thanks p.s. have some testicular shrinkage

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Hi Amarissa

I am SO sorry that youre going through this...

I can only make a few suggestions as I am just a parent and fellow Lymie; and

like most of us here, I " m not a physician.

-try to research and copy articles showing congenital Lyme IS possible ( my 17

yr old is living proof of this)perhaps showing your current Drs these articles

theyll try to have a more open mind.

- contact the LDA at www.lymediseaseorganization.org for a Dr referral list AND

a support group list

-try to find the Lyme support groups in your state...if you tell us your state

we can try to help with this-

these people are " all knowing " when it comes to LLMD's ( those Drs familiar and

experienced with Lyme)

-unfortunately finding a pediatrician experienced with Lyme is a needle in a

haystack...and with poor Dr. in Ct battling the medical board and nearing

retirement, he has his hands full...but he is the only one I know of.

-ALWAYS follow your gut instinct...keep searching until YOU are comfortable with

the baby's care- and be careful of children's hospitals...most are horribly in

the dark about all this

good luck and I hope your son heals quickly!

Finette

[some men see things as they are and say why... I dream of things that never

were and say why not.

G.B. Shaw]

[ ] help

To anyone who can help:

I'm not sure where to turn or what to do. I have a six month old baby boy who is

very sick. My lyme disease doctor says that he has congenital lyme disease. But

all of his other doctors, pediatrician, genetics, neuro, and gi say that its not

possible and keep treating him for other things. My lyme disease doctor is in

another state since I've moved since I was diagnosed and unable to treat him. I

can't find a LLD where I am living now. Everyday he seems to have new symptoms

and has been in and out of the hospital since he was born with all unexplainable

conditions. He has recently started having seizures and today I noticed a weird

rash. The rash is unusual, it goes in a strait line, raised light red colored

dots and is slowly spreading. He has lots of other symptoms and is on several

meds that all of his doctors have put him on for different conditions. None of

the doctors can decide on what he has but all of them agree that it is not

possible that I passed

lyme on to him. I believe in my heart that lyme is the answer and wish there was

a doctor I knew to take him to that has treated other children with lyme. Does

anyone have any suggestions on finding a doctor or anything else to do? I am a

young new mom, suffering from lyme myself, and don't know where to turn.

Thanks so much,

Amarisa

---------------------------------

Cheap Talk? Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

[Guest guest]

Where are you located?

[Guest guest]

Amarissa, I agree with Finette, ALWAYS follow your gut

instinct. My daughters both have congenital Lyme,

they were not diagnosed till they were 5 and 8 but

have now been under treatment with Dr. (we

travel from Oregon to CT every 6 months) for a little

over a year and my eldest has been off antibiotics for

a week and a half now and doing very well and my

youngest continues to improve. I wasn't diagnosed

until March 2005 but had Lyme for at least 16 years.

My girls both had strange illnesses and rashes when

they were babies but they weren't ever as sick as your

son. I don't know where you are in the country, but

it sounds like from his symptoms you need to get him

under treatment for Lyme ASAP. If he hasn't been

tested I would INSIST that he be tested. Don't back

down! Also check out igenex.com to make sure you get

the proper testing. I'm not a doctor either, but a

Mom who has Lyme with two kids who have congenital

Lyme, and I would say he needs to be treated with

antibiotics before he gets worse. I wish you the best

in your quest!! Prayers with you and your son.

Barbara

--- FinRussak@... wrote:

> Hi Amarissa

>

> I am SO sorry that youre going through this...

> I can only make a few suggestions as I am just a

> parent and fellow Lymie; and like most of us here,

> I " m not a physician.

>

> -try to research and copy articles showing

> congenital Lyme IS possible ( my 17 yr old is living

> proof of this)perhaps showing your current Drs these

> articles theyll try to have a more open mind.

>

> - contact the LDA at www.lymediseaseorganization.org

> for a Dr referral list AND a support group list

>

> -try to find the Lyme support groups in your

> state...if you tell us your state we can try to help

> with this-

> these people are " all knowing " when it comes to

> LLMD's ( those Drs familiar and experienced with

> Lyme)

> -unfortunately finding a pediatrician experienced

> with Lyme is a needle in a haystack...and with poor

> Dr. in Ct battling the medical board and

> nearing retirement, he has his hands full...but he

> is the only one I know of.

>

> -ALWAYS follow your gut instinct...keep searching

> until YOU are comfortable with the baby's care- and

> be careful of children's hospitals...most are

> horribly in the dark about all this

>

> good luck and I hope your son heals quickly!

>

> Finette

>

> [some men see things as they are and say why... I

> dream of things that never were and say why not.

> G.B. Shaw]

>

>

> [ ] help

>

>

> To anyone who can help:

>

> I'm not sure where to turn or what to do. I have a

> six month old baby boy who is very sick. My lyme

> disease doctor says that he has congenital lyme

> disease. But all of his other doctors, pediatrician,

> genetics, neuro, and gi say that its not possible

> and keep treating him for other things. My lyme

> disease doctor is in another state since I've moved

> since I was diagnosed and unable to treat him. I

> can't find a LLD where I am living now. Everyday he

> seems to have new symptoms and has been in and out

> of the hospital since he was born with all

> unexplainable conditions. He has recently started

> having seizures and today I noticed a weird rash.

> The rash is unusual, it goes in a strait line,

> raised light red colored dots and is slowly

> spreading. He has lots of other symptoms and is on

> several meds that all of his doctors have put him on

> for different conditions. None of the doctors can

> decide on what he has but all of them agree that it

> is not possible that I passed

> lyme on to him. I believe in my heart that lyme is

> the answer and wish there was a doctor I knew to

> take him to that has treated other children with

> lyme. Does anyone have any suggestions on finding a

> doctor or anything else to do? I am a young new mom,

> suffering from lyme myself, and don't know where to

> turn.

>

> Thanks so much,

> Amarisa

>

> ---------------------------------

> Cheap Talk? Check out Messenger's low

> PC-to-Phone call rates.

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>

________________________________________________________________________

> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of

> free safety and security tools, free access to

> millions of high-quality videos from across the web,

> free AOL Mail and more.

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

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[Guest guest]

I just got my first Humira from the Walgreens

pharmacy, and for my surprise, the health insurance

DIDN'T cover it!!!! It covers Enbrel, but not Humira,

is it like this for everyone? What should I do?

, my insurance is Humana, and they have several conditions that

I have to meet before I can get my Humira (and that I had to undergo

before I could get the Enbrel when I was on it, and that I would have

to undergo if I were ever to be prescribed Remicade.) I would

contact your insurance company and make sure yours doesn't have

similar policies.

First off, I can't just take the script the doctor wrote to

Walgreens. Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Xolair, Insulin, Synagis.....all

these are injectable medications and are therefore considered

SPECIALTY medications by Humana. The doctor has to send a

preauthorization form to Humana (I went to their website, downloaded

it, filled out what I could, and faxed it to the doctor to complete,

sign, and send in) which includes diagnosis code,

name/strength/dosage of the medication she's prescribing, and what

other meds I've tried for the condition. THEN, if Humana APPROVES the

Humira, the doctor has to send a prescription to the SPECIALTY

PHARMACY Humana prefers (in my case, it's Caremark. Other insurances

have different specialty pharmacies they want you to use. For

example, Aetna has Aetna Specialty Pharmacy, Blue Cross Blue Shield

uses McKesson, Cigna used to be with Tel-Drug, and many of the

companies under the PHCS umbrella use Nova Factor.) Again, the

prescription not only has to include name/strength.dosage of the

medication, but your insurance information, where the drug should be

shipped to, # of refills, etc. (Again, I downloaded that form off the

Humana website as well, and filled out what I could, and faxed it to

the doctor to complete and send to Caremark.) What happens then is

that Caremark will check with Humana to make sure it is approved by

them, and how much I will have to pay. (Humana requires that I pay

25% of the cost of ALL injectable medications, including Humira. The

market price for Humira, like Enbrel, is $1303 for a month's supply,

so I'm going to end up paying at LEAST $325 a month, and possibly

more for it.) Humana also limits the amount of medication that can

be prescribed in one month. (For example, the rheumy offered me the

choice of simply taking 75 or 100 mg Enbrel each week, versus

switching to Humira. However, Humana allows a MAXIMUM of 50 mg Enbrel

to be dispensed each week; for more to be dispensed the doctor would

have to send through yet another preauthorization form appealing that

which they might or might not deny, and I didn't feel like dealing

with yet another hassle, so chose to go with the Humira.) USUALLY,

if you're getting medication from a specialty pharmacy by mail,

you're allowed to receive 90 days of the medication as opposed to

30....however, I can't afford to pay $975 at once, so I asked to have

the medication shipped monthly. ($325 is going to be hard enough! I

may make a nurse's salary, but dh's meds cost $250 a month, and the

rest of my meds cost about that as well. Not to mention groceries,

bills, college tuitions, gas, etc. I've checked into patient

assistance programs, but they all look at my PRETAX salary and tell

me I make too much income. I contribute the maximum to a Flexsource

medical savings account that I can use to pay medical expenses

through my employer, but the maximum I can contribute to that is

$2400 a year.....the Humira would blow through that in about 6-7

months, leaving me still with nearly half the year that I have to pay

out of pocket.)

But anyway, I suggest that you check with your insurance. You may

have to go through a similar precert process and use a specialty

pharmacy to get the drug more cheaply.

Blessings to you.

[Editor's Note: My insurance works the same way. The Blue Cross Blue Shield

plan I have uses Caremark Specialty Pharmacy and my Humira and now Enbrel had to

be pre-approved. I have an outstanding (and very costly) plan now that I'm on

COBRA but my Enbrel only costs me $50 for a 3 month supply which is wonderful.

When I used to use a different health insurer, I told CVS not to order Humira

UNTIL they received word that my order was approved by my insurance company.

Each health plan is different so it is important that each person understand

exactly how their plan works before ordering medication and before allowing your

rheumy to prescribe something you may not be able to afford. Kathy F.]

[Guest guest]

Call your rheumy and let her know immediately. Ask to be switched to

Enbrel so your insurance will cover it. If you already accepted the

Humira from Walgreens, I guess you're stuck this time.

>

> I just got my first Humira from the Walgreens

> pharmacy, and for my surprise, the health insurance

> DIDN'T cover it!!!! It covers Enbrel, but not Humira,

> is it like this for everyone? What should I do?

> Thanks

>

>

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

______________

> Need Mail bonding?

> Go to the Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

> http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396546091

>

[Guest guest]

Call the Humira Hot line ask for the patient assistants they will call

the insurance company verify the info that you are giving them

and try to help you get the drugs. The number is 800-4humidor. Wish you

luck save the receipt if any thing it is tax deductible.

[Editor's Note: Good idea, . I think the number is 800-4humira rather

than the number above. Kathy F.]

monica bergins wrote:

>

> I just got my first Humira from the Walgreens

> pharmacy, and for my surprise, the health insurance

> DIDN'T cover it!!!! It covers Enbrel, but not Humira,

> is it like this for everyone? What should I do?

> Thanks

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I did pay the Humira off pocket because I was

desperate, but does it mean they won't cover my Enbrel

anymore?

[Editor's Note: Not at all. Talk to your doctor AND the insurance company.

Kathy F.]

--- " S. Zorzi " <szorzi_1999@...> wrote:

> Call your rheumy and let her know immediately. Ask

> to be switched to

> Enbrel so your insurance will cover it. If you

> already accepted the

> Humira from Walgreens, I guess you're stuck this

> time.

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you very much for the info, I had no idea. I'm

contacting my insurance tomorrow.

--- dreimutter1957 <dreimutter1957@...> wrote:

> I just got my first Humira from the Walgreens

> pharmacy, and for my surprise, the health insurance

> DIDN'T cover it!!!! It covers Enbrel, but not

> Humira,

> is it like this for everyone? What should I do?

>

>

> , my insurance is Humana, and they have

> several conditions that

> I have to meet before I can get my Humira (and that

> I had to undergo

> before I could get the Enbrel when I was on it, and

> that I would have

> to undergo if I were ever to be prescribed

> Remicade.) I would

> contact your insurance company and make sure yours

> doesn't have

> similar policies.

>

> First off, I can't just take the script the doctor

> wrote to

> Walgreens. Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Xolair,

> Insulin, Synagis.....all

> these are injectable medications and are therefore

> considered

> SPECIALTY medications by Humana. The doctor has to

> send a

> preauthorization form to Humana (I went to their

> website, downloaded

> it, filled out what I could, and faxed it to the

> doctor to complete,

> sign, and send in) which includes diagnosis code,

> name/strength/dosage of the medication she's

> prescribing, and what

> other meds I've tried for the condition. THEN, if

> Humana APPROVES the

> Humira, the doctor has to send a prescription to the

> SPECIALTY

> PHARMACY Humana prefers (in my case, it's Caremark.

> Other insurances

> have different specialty pharmacies they want you to

> use. For

> example, Aetna has Aetna Specialty Pharmacy, Blue

> Cross Blue Shield

> uses McKesson, Cigna used to be with Tel-Drug, and

> many of the

> companies under the PHCS umbrella use Nova Factor.)

> Again, the

> prescription not only has to include

> name/strength.dosage of the

> medication, but your insurance information, where

> the drug should be

> shipped to, # of refills, etc. (Again, I downloaded

> that form off the

> Humana website as well, and filled out what I could,

> and faxed it to

> the doctor to complete and send to Caremark.) What

> happens then is

> that Caremark will check with Humana to make sure it

> is approved by

> them, and how much I will have to pay. (Humana

> requires that I pay

> 25% of the cost of ALL injectable medications,

> including Humira. The

> market price for Humira, like Enbrel, is $1303 for a

> month's supply,

> so I'm going to end up paying at LEAST $325 a month,

> and possibly

> more for it.) Humana also limits the amount of

> medication that can

> be prescribed in one month. (For example, the rheumy

> offered me the

> choice of simply taking 75 or 100 mg Enbrel each

> week, versus

> switching to Humira. However, Humana allows a

> MAXIMUM of 50 mg Enbrel

> to be dispensed each week; for more to be dispensed

> the doctor would

> have to send through yet another preauthorization

> form appealing that

> which they might or might not deny, and I didn't

> feel like dealing

> with yet another hassle, so chose to go with the

> Humira.) USUALLY,

> if you're getting medication from a specialty

> pharmacy by mail,

> you're allowed to receive 90 days of the medication

> as opposed to

> 30....however, I can't afford to pay $975 at once,

> so I asked to have

> the medication shipped monthly. ($325 is going to be

> hard enough! I

> may make a nurse's salary, but dh's meds cost $250 a

> month, and the

> rest of my meds cost about that as well. Not to

> mention groceries,

> bills, college tuitions, gas, etc. I've checked into

> patient

> assistance programs, but they all look at my PRETAX

> salary and tell

> me I make too much income. I contribute the maximum

> to a Flexsource

> medical savings account that I can use to pay

> medical expenses

> through my employer, but the maximum I can

> contribute to that is

> $2400 a year.....the Humira would blow through that

> in about 6-7

> months, leaving me still with nearly half the year

> that I have to pay

> out of pocket.)

>

> But anyway, I suggest that you check with your

> insurance. You may

> have to go through a similar precert process and use

> a specialty

> pharmacy to get the drug more cheaply.

>

> Blessings to you.

>

> [Editor's Note: My insurance works the same way.

> The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan I have uses Caremark

> Specialty Pharmacy and my Humira and now Enbrel had

> to be pre-approved. I have an outstanding (and very

> costly) plan now that I'm on COBRA but my Enbrel

> only costs me $50 for a 3 month supply which is

> wonderful. When I used to use a different health

> insurer, I told CVS not to order Humira UNTIL they

> received word that my order was approved by my

> insurance company. Each health plan is different so

> it is important that each person understand exactly

> how their plan works before ordering medication and

> before allowing your rheumy to prescribe something

> you may not be able to afford. Kathy F.]

>

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

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[Guest guest]

>

> Call the Humira Hot line ask for the patient assistants they will

call

> the insurance company verify the info that you are giving them

> and try to help you get the drugs. The number is 800-4humidor. Wish

you

> luck save the receipt if any thing it is tax deductible.

>

My heart goes out to everyone with these d* & % insurance problems. It

makes me so mad that people who need medicine to help them can't get

it. If I ever lose my job I know I will be one of them, there is no

way to afford these treatments without it. My last anthem statement

showed $4780. for my last treatment. Almost $5000 every 8 weeks for

Remicade?!?!?! Oh my gosh! Thats not including the pills I do mail

order. How is this possible? I feel so angry and helpless at the same

time. What can I do? Ugh. Just holler and vent I suppose. God bless

you all. I pray it works out for you.

Tammie

[Guest guest]

Newbrander is a good guy. Make him listen. Call him up and talk to him until

he understands and you feel better and have some clarity as to what to do next.

pscan5 <rbell@...> wrote: i just compled 3 round of

dmps/ala every 3 hours and my son is crazy.

very senory is really out of wak

yeast seems good he goes poop 1time an day.

i did about 10 rounds years ago and stop because of this then he got

worse so here i am.

what should i do on diet , no soy or corn

he eat great but to talking to himself and jus ot there.

do i keep going he is eight already and i know i have to chelate at 50

times. put should i be doing it a different way

where are the older kids on this list. are they getting worse befpre

they get better or am i going this the wrong way. newbrander is my doc

and recpects andy cutler but would like to do iv.

i did see one kid on yputube did iv with buttar and is better. started

at 7 and di 16 rounds

your thoughts

randi

---------------------------------

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

[Guest guest]

I would not assume that yeast is good.

The symptoms sound like yeast. We had a similar scenario last week.

Our poops were good, but he seemed yeasty after a chelation round.

We added Candex to our yeast protocol and he responded immediately

to it. He is greatly calmed now after days of hyperactivity.

I would attack yeast, which completely explains the symptoms.

And yeast is a usual consequence of ALA chelation.

[ ] HELP

i just compled 3 round of dmps/ala every 3 hours and my son is crazy.

very senory is really out of wak

yeast seems good he goes poop 1time an day.

i did about 10 rounds years ago and stop because of this then he got

worse so here i am.

what should i do on diet , no soy or corn

he eat great but to talking to himself and jus ot there.

do i keep going he is eight already and i know i have to chelate at 50

times. put should i be doing it a different way

where are the older kids on this list. are they getting worse befpre

they get better or am i going this the wrong way. newbrander is my doc

and recpects andy cutler but would like to do iv.

i did see one kid on yputube did iv with buttar and is better. started

at 7 and di 16 rounds

your thoughts

randi

[Guest guest]

Hi Randi,

Comments interspersed.

S S

HELP

Posted by: " pscan5 " rbell@... pscan5

Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:45 pm (PST)

i just compled 3 round of dmps/ala every 3 hours and my son is crazy.

*What dose? Day and night? He has NO mercury amalgam dental fillings, I

presume?!

very senory is really out of wak

yeast seems good he goes poop 1time an day.

i did about 10 rounds years ago and stop because of this then he got

worse so here i am.

what should i do on diet , no soy or corn

he eat great but to talking to himself and jus ot there.

do i keep going he is eight already and i know i have to chelate at 50

times. put should i be doing it a different way

where are the older kids on this list. are they getting worse befpre

they get better or am i going this the wrong way. newbrander is my doc

and recpects andy cutler but would like to do iv.

*Don't do IV.

i did see one kid on yputube did iv with buttar and is better. started

at 7 and di 16 rounds

your thoughts

randi

_______________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

I'd be happy to help, but I think we need more info.

What type of help? Do you want to know about the drug? Are you

looking for our individual experiences? Are you unsure of making the

decision?

How involved are your joints?

I can tell you I am 47, I've been on MTX for over 5 years. I was

barely able to walk prior to taking it. Now, I'm 99% normal and did

not experience any side effects.

But, you should do a lot of reading, get all the facts, ask about

other alternatives and then make a decision that is right for you.

Stay Well,

[Guest guest]

Read through the archives here for the long version, but the short

version is - take it! The pain killers and NSAIDs will only help with

inflammation and pain; they cannot stop your joints from being

damaged. MTX has been used for over 30 years and it's effects are well-

known and it is considered a relatively safe drug. They will monitor

your liver function and stop the treatment if it affects your liver, at

which time your liver will quickly recover. Many people have been

greatly helped by MTX. Good luck!

" S. Zorzi " <szorzi_1999@...>

[Guest guest]

I was wanting to know about the medicine and what to expect. My

joints are very involved. I guess I'm a little overwhelmed.

I'm getting ready to start taking MTX. All I know is that I want the pain to

stop and that I hurt all over.

" ahampton002 " <ahampton002@...>

[Guest guest]

MTX is a very good med for many people. I took it for almost a year

and it helped my joints and skin a lot. I had to quit because my liver

didn't like it (liver recovered quickly once I stopped taking it). Now

I take Humira injections, which have helped even more.

It can take up to 12 weeks for MTX to begin to work, although most of

us had improvement within a few weeks, some people within days. Your

doctor should also prescribe folic acid since MTX interferes with your

body's uptake of folic acid. You will take mega doses of folic acid.

You might have some nausea and fatigue with MTX. Taking either Zantac

or Benadryl can alleviate the nausea. The fatigue often goes away by

itself within a couple of weeks as your body adjusts to the drug. The

first dose I took, I felt like I had the flu, but don't panic because

that doesn't last (thankfully!). It's good to plan for the fatigue by

taking the MTX dose at night, preferably on the weekend when you don't

have to work, so that you can sleep it off. Also, splitting the dose

can help with both the nausea and fatigue - taking half in the morning

and half at night.

You should begin to feel better soon! Cheer up!

" S. Zorzi " <szorzi_1999@...>

[Guest guest]

I know you are hurting, I was too.

I too was overwhelmed, scared, worried about making a wrong decision.

Eventually, I just hurt too much and was willing to try anything to

make it stop. I did do my homework though. MTX is a DMARD and unlike

many of the NSAIDs you may have taken, MTX works by treating the

disease rather than just treating the symptoms.

MTX is just one drug. Enbrel and Humira are others that work in the

same way. I think there might be others, but they are not as popular

or as commonly used. And of course, we all hope that there are more

drugs in development that will prove to be more effective or even

curative.

All of the drugs have possible side effects, but every drug, even

aspirin, does. You should read and get knowledgeable about what your

choices are. Talk to your rheumatologist. Or get one if you haven't

already.

The pain can stop. It might not go away forever, but I've kept mine at

bay for 5+ years now. I can't even imagine what my life would be like

if I had not started MTX.

Stay Well,

[Guest guest]

Don't be surprised if the MTX doesn't kick in right away.  It took 6 to 8 weeks

for me to see a difference.  But it did begin to help.  I'm not telling you this

to " bum " you out.  I just don't want you to be surprised.  Just keep in mind...

there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Believe me, I still have my bad days

(lots of them).  But, I am feeling better.  Being able to read all of the posts

in this group has been a god send for me.  Just to know that there are other

people like me going through the same thing is so comforting.  There are so many

folks in this group who have such wisdom and good old common sense concerning

this disease. 

I hope your pain subsides quickly!

Ronda

[Guest guest]

Thank you for letting me know that I'm not the only that feels that way. I am

very glad I found this message board. Have a wonderful 4th of July

Angie Hampton <ahampton002@...>