mtx

[Guest guest]

Manfred - I'm so happy to hear that!! You have suffered too much for

too long! Hopefully the MTX will be a wonder drug for you. I don't

imagine the side effects will be much of a problem for you - you being

such a mountain man and all. Let us know what happens. best

regards, sherry z

> taste to be right, there will be some MTX in my near future.

[Guest guest]

Good Luck Manfred! Finding a good rheumy makes everything so much

better! Hope you get relief soon and don't let the vampires take

too much blood.

[Guest guest]

Hi , Sherry,

> Good Luck Manfred!

Thanks!

> Finding a good rheumy makes everything so much better!

Yes. Everything he said agrees with all we read here on the forum, so

that is a good proof taht he knows his trade. The one I had before would

say things diametrally opposed to some of what we read here, and dismiss

the internet as a source of misinformation. Up to a point that can be

true, not not to such an extent! So I'm glad to have been directed to

one who seems a perfectly reasonable and sensible person. I'm in e-mail

contact with him now, and that's a great advantage, given that I'm

living in a rural place, pretty far from the city.

> Hope you get relief soon

I hope so too! But I guess I have to give the MTX a month or two until

anything good happens.

> and don't let the vampires take too much blood.

They weren't too thirsty this time. Just 10ml. I survived it without

fainting. Don't laugh - I have ended lying on the floor, and the nurse

running for help, when they have drawn more blood in the past!

> Manfred - I'm so happy to hear that!! You have suffered too much for

> too long!

I tried to postpone MTX as long as possible, to get a chance at not

killing my liver too soon. And also to avoid the hassle and expense of

periodic blood tests. But enough is enough.

> Hopefully the MTX will be a wonder drug for you.

Let's hope! Actually my case isn't as severe as those of many of you, so

I expect that MTX should help even in a rather small dose. Time will tell.

> I don't

> imagine the side effects will be much of a problem for you -

Let's hope so! I'm not so sure, because my liver isn't very strong, it

seems. If I drink just one beer, the world starts spinning pretty fast,

and I don't really know what would happen if I drink a whole glass of

wine. Of course, the simple solution to that is not drinking any

alcohol, and that's what I do. But I suppose this might indicate a

somewhat weak liver. So, let's see what happens with MTX.

> you being such a mountain man and all.

I WAS that! Until my arthritic hip froze up in the worst place and at

the worst time, forcing me to descend the Lonquimay volcano sliding on

my stern. That was my last mountain trip. :-(

> Let us know what happens.

I will. If I live to tell! ;-)

Manfred.

[Guest guest]

Hi Manfred -- You can aiding your liver for the proper processing and

elimination of toxins by take Milk thistle (silybum marianum) caps,or

Curcumin extract.please consult with your MD then try them.

I wish you the very best of health.

peace soudi

[Guest guest]

Hi Soudi,

> You can aiding your liver for the proper processing and

> elimination of toxins by take Milk thistle (silybum marianum) caps,

Instead of capsules, it would be easier and cheaper for me to eat the

thistles! I have lots and lots of them on my property! How many kg of

them should I munch down per day? ;-)

> or Curcumin extract.

> One of my friends sells that stuff online, and swears by it.

> please consult with your MD then try them.

I will first wait for what the doctor tells me.

Manfred.

[Guest guest]

Manfred:  a few years ago I did some research on milk thistle because my

daughter out of the blue tested positive for Hep C.   Took nearly six months and

more testing to determine that it was a false positive; but in the meantime,

while I was in a bit of  a panic about this, my sister told me of a man she

works with who had Hep C and nothing his doctor tried in terms of conventional

treatments helped.  Finally, his physician said, " I don't know if this will work

but it can't hurt and there's some evidence that milk thistle has helped counter

Hep C. "   So, he started taking it and subsequently has had no evidence of the

disease.   In my readings, it really does seem that milk thistle been show over

many, many years to help improve the health of the liver, no matter what the

underlying problem.  I believe it may even be one of those thousand year old

Chinese herbal remedies that we're now beginning to realize were right on

target. 

 Joanna Hoelscher

[Guest guest]

Manfred can you tell me where do you get the curcumin from?

Jolene

[Guest guest]

Jolene,

 

This is not Manfred, but I buy my cucumin at a very good heath food store. Not

very expensive.

 

Eva

[Guest guest]

Thank you Eva. Does is help you a lot?

Jolene

-------Original Message-------

Jolene,

This is not Manfred, but I buy my cucumin at a very good heath food store. Not

very expensive. Eva

[Guest guest]

Dear Jolene,

> Manfred can you tell me where do you get the curcumin from?

Unfortunately, I can't! Firstly, I have never ordered any. I just

mentioned that a friend of mine was selling it. So I asked my friend for

his web site address, but he told me that about a year ago he got out of

the curcumin business, because sales had slowed down to a trickle.

Taking curcumin for all sorts of maladies seems to have been a very

short-lived fashion.

In the meantime, I got my prescription: 4 pills of MTX per week, and one

5mg pill of folic acid once a week, on a different day than the MTX.

With the next visit to the vamps in 7 to 8 weeks. I have yet to drive

down to the city to buy the pills, and start. I'm eager to see IF it

helps, how much it helps, how long it takes, and what else happens..!

Such as my hair falling out, my nose turning green and flashing, or

whatever...

Also, some good news for me: The X-rays show that I still don't have any

permanent damage.

Manfred.

[Guest guest]

Haaa Manfred you have a great sense of humor. May I ask what the vamps is?

Jolene

-------Original Message-------

.. . .

In the meantime, I got my prescription: 4 pills of MTX per week, and one

5mg pill of folic acid once a week, on a different day than the MTX.

With the next visit to the vamps in 7 to 8 weeks . . . Manfred.

[Guest guest]

Hi Jolene,

> Haaa Manfred you have a great sense of humor.

At least SOMETHING! :-)

> May I ask what the vamps is?

You didn't pay enough attention to previous messages in this thread,

where it was obvious from the context! Vamps, short for vampires, are

those nasty beings that will suck blood from you whenever they see you!

Usually they are of the feminine gender, clad in white or sometimes

green, and found in hospitals, clinics and labs.

Manfred.

[Guest guest]

The only side effect I get is a bit of an upset stomach for about 12 to 24 hours

after I take it. I too was worried about it but it hasn't been bad at all.

Gareeth

linadixie wrote:

> What have been the side effects people have experienced with

> MTX, I am a poster child for drug side effects! Thank you,

> Oshkosh Wi

[Guest guest]

I am 44 I have psoriatic arthritis, osteo, fibro and rsd. I have been on

mtx for almost a year and its put me on my feet. I was very scared at first

too. Its natural to be. I havent had to many side effects although it does

make one tired. That's about it.

Jolene

[Guest guest]

I've been on it for more than a year. MTX side effects are minimal, if any.

I take it at night -- before I go to bed -- and have no problems. Taking it

at night seemed to eliminate any nausea (my doctor was right about that).

The folic acid is important (it's a supplement) that is needed because MTX

can deplete folic acid in your system. No side effects from that at all.

Sometimes I'll get a cold a day or two later -- but if I take some extra

Vitamin C, that takes care of it.

I know MTX sounds scary, but it's really just a very low dose of chemo -- so

it helps stop PA flares without the side effects typically experienced by

those taking heavy doses (cancer patients).

When I started it, I was scared by the labels as well. But frankly, I

didn't need to scare myself. It's so easy to take. And the benefits are

well worth it. At least for me.

And keep in mind, I'm a serious case of PA on a higher dose of MTX than you

are probably being prescribed (starter dose). I had surgery last year that

triggered a massive flare -- and my CRP rate (inflammation rate) is

currently extremely high (30.6+). So I'm in severe pain (on fentanyl

patches) and just getting back on Humira shot (I can't wait!).

So relax and don't scare yourself.

Patty

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm not sure of the pluses amd minuses of injectables over oral.

It does strike me as a bit odd that he would start with injectables as

I thought that form was reserved for higher dosages.

I take 12.5 MG orally per week, I started at 10MG. So that is my

concern/question about injections. What dosage?

It was explained to me by my rheumy, that I was starting at a low

dosage to see if that would take care of my PA, then we could increase

or decrease based on how little or how much it helped.

I took 10MG for 4-5 years and it relieved virtually ALL of my PA

symptoms. I still had stubborn scalp eruptions, but those are small

change in comparison to the joint pain I had. I increased to 12.5

when I was starting to experience joint pain again. So far, so good.

FYI, I NEVER experienced a single side effect.

I'd just ask your rheumy about the dosage. I've read that injections

are better for folks who tend to have side effects, but again, I

thought that the dosage was always much larger, so ask about that.

Stay Well,

[Guest guest]

Wow your CRP is that high? And surgery made you flare oh no. I'm having

surgery soon myself. Did they give you anything while you came off the

methotrexate for surgery?

Jolene

[Guest guest]

The upset stomach can be helped by taking Zantac with your dose. And

taking Benadryl can help with all the side effects, too.

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

[Guest guest]

A question about administering MTX. My daughters rheumy has her taking

ALL her pills (7) once a week. Do others do this, or is this unusual?

Jessie

PS I can appreciate the concerns of those who were just prescribed

MTX. After reading the accompanying information with the drug, I was

paranoid about giving this to a 14 year old. I still am anxious, but I

have asked SO many doctors and nurses and the response continually

comes back that this a good and well researched medicine that has been

around for a long time.

[Guest guest]

: having some osteo at age 43 is not at all abnormal. It gets worse as we

age because that's just what it is - a gradual wearing away of the joints. I've

had structural problems of one kind or another for years but just developed PA

18 months ago and my internist believes I also have fibromyalgia. (I'm not

convinced but she's quite good so I have to be open to the idea). It is not at

all uncommon - perhaps " unlucky " might be more apt - to get all three. In fact,

I'd there are few with PA who don't also have some level of osteo.

Joanna Hoelscher

[Guest guest]

Hi,

The injections are for the larger doses usually but I believe any

dose can be given by needle.

The pluses of injections are: no sores in your mouth, it doesn't go

through the liver like pills, and no upset stomach.

It really is simple to do -- practice on an orange first. Pinch the

skin and inject.

Good luck

SD

[Guest guest]

I think that is normal. It is how I do it and everyone I know who is on it seems

to do it once a week. I wouldn't want to take it more often than that.

Gareeth

Jessie Summerville wrote:

> A question about administering MTX. My daughters rheumy has her

> taking ALL her pills (7) once a week. Do others do this, or is this

> unusual?

[Guest guest]

Yes I take six pills a week. Yes I know of kids who take it. My friend is a

patient's assistant (PA) in a hospital where they treat Crohn's disease in kids.

But I started at four pills and added as needed.

Jolene

-------Original Message-------

From: Jessie Summerville

A question about administering MTX. My daughters rheumy has her taking

ALL her pills (7) once a week. Do others do this, or is this unusual?

[Guest guest]

Frances,

Some people have allergic reaction to sulfur based drugs. I used them for about

3 years with no problems. I'm assuming you have normal blood sugar (glucose)

levels. I'd try to find out why you passed out first. Then move into the next

level of PA meds.

Jim

[Guest guest]

Not sure about the rash, if it persists I would have the dr take a look to make

sure it is not some allergic reaction.

Yes, the side effects can happen with the pills. Some kids have more nausea with

the pills it seems. My son took the pills and his side effects were mild

overall. Mouth sores were his worst. Taking folic acid does help with the side

effects. Being tired is fairly common as well. Taking the med on a Friday night

worked for us, that way if he was tired he could sleep more over the weekend and

not miss school. As the disease gets under control, you will reduce the amount

of pills and the side effects should lessen. If it does not get under control

with mtx, she can try another med that may work. Hope this helps, Michele

( 23, spondy)

________________________________

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Marni

Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 10:19 AM

Subject: mtx

I know we are talking about Mtx but I think injections. Can these side effects

happen with the Pills? Jess takes 8 pills, once a week. She gets tired and

nasueas. Is the naseau due to the MTX? Does the Folic Acid help this? She

also has this odd rash all over. Mostly on her arms, hands, legs and feet...

anyone experience this?

________________________________

From: Price <bc.price@...<mailto:bc.price%40comcast.net>>

Jra Group < <mailto: %40>>

Sent: Thu, August 19, 2010 10:59:02 PM

Subject: Re: Eleven years

Thank you. It is my respite. I care for my 94 year old mother. My

brother is flying up to care for her so we can get a break.

( n,21, systemic)

Plus, when n was fighting for her life four years ago, we

promised we would bring her. We saved, and now we are going and

meeting her there. She flies out from her college town.

Sent from my iPod

On Aug 19, 2010, at 7:35 PM, veristroud@...<mailto:veristroud%40aol.com>

wrote:

>

> Have a fun and safe trip. I would love to go to Maui.

>

> Veri & Jaye 16 poly

>

> Eleven years

>

> After 11 years, I hope to meet Georgina. We are Maui bound! ( n,

> 21, systemic)

>

> Sent from my iPod

>

>