Finally !! Ever time I mention my weight gain to my Rheumatologist he acts like I've been out eatting the entire buffet line (which I have NOT) I was diagnosed with RA 1 yr ago and it seems as if life as i knew it is OVER. I eat UNDER 1000 calories per day and cant lose a pound. I quit taking Klonopin and PremPro a week ago .. thinking it was one of those drugs making me gain weight. I've never been sick in my life and my body is not used to all of these different medications .. I can actually smell the methotrexate coming from my pores this morning after my injection yesterday.
I was told I was one of the earliest diagnosed cases of RA... I wish I would have waited until I was in severe pain to seek treatment. I have decided to discontinue my treatment ..
BS.....Just because Drs. don't know about something doesn't make it false. I started taking Methotrexate 6 years ago. I started steadily gaining weight. I was working out, and eating as usual and gainging non-stop. Methotrexate was the only medication I was on. A year ago I quit taking the methotrxate because of liver function test and switched to arava. I lost 24 lbs. in 4 months with no change in diet or exercise. The arava did not work for me so after a liver biopsy I went back on the methotrexate. In 4 months I've gained 9 lbs. with no explaination.
I also have a weight gain, went online to find out if it was the Methotrexate, from all the posts I believe it's true. I've been on injectable Methotrexate since Nov. 09 and have gained 12 lbs. I also have not changed anything in my lifestyle to cause this. I had to stop the injections last week because I broke out in rash all over body within 1 1/2 of taking the med. My rhemy is now trying to find a new med for me, I had a anaflaxic (spelling) reaction to Enbrel. Arava gave me severe GI problems so much so I had a colonscopy done. (not fun) went off the arava the GI issues were gone. So good luck finding a drug that works well for you.
As an RN with RA, I do not believe klomopin is a reason for weight gain as I take clonopin, and have lost weight. I have gained aboout 5 pounds with injectable methotrexate, and will be discontinuing and starting arava tomorrow.
Weight loss is a side effect of arava, so maybe you can talk to your rheumatologist about that med.
As an RN with RA, I do not believe klonopin is a reason for weight gain as I take klonopin, and have lost weight. I have gained aboout 5 pounds with injectable methotrexate, and will be discontinuing and starting arava tomorrow.
Weight loss is a side effect of arava, so maybe you can talk to your rheumatologist about that med.
I have been on methotrexate for about 15 months. I have systemic lupus and I do not take steroids. I have never had a problem with my weight. I am 43 yrs old. I have gained over 20lbs since I started this drug. My stomach and waist size have increased. I am extremely frustrated and my doctors keep telling me that weight gain is not a side effect of methotrexate. I find it hard to believe. I see my rheumatologist every 2-3 months and I gain between 3-5 lbs. I am seriously thinking about going off this medication. Does someone have any information that can help me.
Oh my god I am getting off this drug right now I have gained so much weight I work out 7 days a week 2 times with a trainer. ANd it is all around my middle to. I have never had a fat belly before. I have gotten so frustrated, my docs said it would not cause weight gain but it is to coincidental. I have looked everywhere about this until I found this website. I thought I was going nuts. You saved my sanity. Thank you I am going to make an appointment with a naturopath.
Kristi
I am 52 and have been on methotrexate for almost a year. I also had solu-medrol infusion once a month, which is a sterroid. I have been off the sterroid for about 2 months now and I have not lost any weight. I have been also working out and it seems as if I carry most of the extra weight around my waist. I was glad to see that I am not the only experiencing weight gain from the methotrexate. I really hope to be off the methotrexate soon so I can be back to myself again.
I am seriously feeling better about myself after reading all of these posts.
I am 30, diagnosed four years ago with RA, and have issues with weight. RA damaged my thyroid and I topped out at 201 a couple of years ago and then worked VERY hard to lose close to 40 pounds...only to slowly creep up again to almost 190 lately -- and almost all of the gain is around my middle. I may be a big girl but my one nice feature has been a small waist that is quickly disappearing.
I've been under a lot of stress at work and that has left me little time to work out or eat properly. I know stress can cause weight gain specifically about the middle so I've stepped up my workout routine with no difference -- in fact, I swear I'm still getting fatter as my pants are getting tighter and tighter. I know that weight gain is, in theory, not one of the MX side effects but, boy, I have to hope the 15-20 pounds I've put on are because of the four months I've been on it. In theory, because of other side effects that my rheumotologist seemed to consider pretty important, I'll be going on new drugs soon and I'll let you know if it makes a difference.
I can't believe I found someone that has issues with methatrexate. I have no weight gain at all in fact I am losing weight.
I was diagnosed with Rhematoid Arthritis at 28. Im now 42. I get it in just about every part of my body.
I am interested to finally see I am not the only one who feels this drug makes them more aggressive. I also feel anxious and don't seem to be able to "handle" real life as well as I used to. I am more impatient, less tolerant and I get tingling and burning in my upper arms. My Rheumatologist says the methatrexate would not cause this but I have taken it before, then stopped taking it, to change treatment and those symptoms went away. I know have infusions and have to take methatrexate with it and suddenly those symptoms return. The pain is less but it hasn't gone away but I don't like feeling the way I do. I still have to take plaquenil and sterioids as well.
Does anyone else agree or have similar symptoms.
FINALLY! I have been on Methotrexate for six months and though I am relieved to not have inflammation like I once did (which was crippling!) I feel very discouraged that I have gained in size (not in weight, which I realize that its a matter of less muscle more fat). It has been so frustrating trying to get any answers as to why I cant get leaner and despite my diligent efforts to eat healthy and exercise I am still thick, particularly around my midsection (which has NEVER been an area of concern for me).
Its very tempting to discontinue taking Methotrexate and regain my lean figure again...? But to have the chronic pain that I lived in just to be slimmer is hardly worth it.
??
Thanks for the great information though. My doc kept saying the weight gain was because I had turned 40 years of age?? LOL
Hi - I was wondering how the new drugs are working? I read your post from April 2009.
I've been taking Methotrexate for 4 years. I stopped a year ago (Nov. 2008)because my weight had topped 300lbs and I stopped taking everything! About a month after I stopped I began to lose weight. Granted, I was dieting pretty good but I've dieted before with no results, (I've always fought with my weight, but NEVER have I been this overweight). This time, however, I began dropping weight like crazy. I lost 45 lbs in the 6 months I was off the methotrexate. In June 2009 my hands started hurting so I went back on the methotrexate. Sure enough I stopped losing weight almost immediately, and slowly started creeping back up. I'm up now 15lbs. The other odd thing is that I lost 40 lbs., but hardly lost anything in my stomach. I swear my stomach is almost the same size as it was at 300 lbs. and right now I weigh about 265).
Thank you for asking, Lisa. I've been on the new drug, Cimzia, for 13 weeks now and have felt pretty gosh-darn good for the past three weeks. My doctors' office was part of the clinical trial and was pleased with the results being seen by participating patients so when Cimzia was approved by the FDA at the end of the summer they put me right on it. I was disappointed it took more than two months for me to notice a difference (some of the trial patients were seeing results after only two weeks) but the difference has been worth the wait. I'm still struggling to lose the weight I gained while on MTX but at least the gaining stopped. Now that the Cimzia is doing its job, I hope to ease back into my old workout routines to get back down to the 160 that I was happiest at (and hopefully get my waist back).
With the Cimzia showing so much promise, I am being weaned off Plaquenil and, if that goes well, will also go off Celebrex and will only have the Cimzia injection every other week for RA treatment. It will be nice to retire my "old lady pillbox," as my friends call it.
Hello I was diagnosed with (SLE) Lupus in 2003, and since have been also diagnosed with RA, Relapsing Polychondritis, and other diseases. I have been on a number of medications since 2003. I had started methotrexate about three years ago with prednisone for the third time. I gained 40-50 pounds. I kept thinking that it was the prednisone that was causing me to gain weight, but in the summer of 2009 I started to lower my doses of prednisone. By Oct.2009 I was completely off of prednisone. I thought that I wound start losing weight soon after. That wasn't so, I have gained more weight since stopping prednisone. It must be the methotrexate that is causing the weight gain. Plus I have skin lesions that take forever to heal. I also have been having very tender breasts for the past couple of years. When I saw that someone else on this site had tender breasts as well, then I thought that it must be from the methotrexate. I will talk to my rheumatologist about stopping methotrexate, hopefully this will work.
Also to add to my previous post, all this weight gain that we are experiencing can't be good for our health. All this extra weight can't be good for the joints either. I am injecting the Methotrexate myself every week. The spot where I inject the drug the skin break out in a rash that takes some time to go away or fad. I have been experiencing so much pain even while taking Methotrexate, pain block, two different morphines, plaquenil. So if I am experiencing so much pain to the point where I can hardly function then none of these medications are working. I might add that after taking morphine I feel less pain for a couple of hours, and then it creeps back up to the level it was before. Then of course it is time for my next dose of pain meds. I just found this site by chance today, because I had wanted to research Methotrexate futher because of my weight gain. Wow I can't believe the suffers out there. Sure Methotrexate might help, but weight gain causes alot of other problems.
Thanks for listening.
Greetings! I am so relieved to know that I am not the only one who is gaining weight from being on METHOTREXATE!!! It is not my imagination... and when I asked my doctor if I would gain weight from this drug, she explicitly stated that I WOULD NOT!!!
Although I am seeing weight gain slightly all over, it is more evident in my mid-section. I am so frustrated because before getting on this drug I was doing so well loosing weight, but since I started taking Methotrexate two weeks ago I've gained 6 pounds. It's crazy! I'm not kidding... my weight gain happened within 24 hours after my first injection and hasn't let up! Now I am convinced more than ever that Methotrexate is the culprit especially after reading the many posts on this site. I don't know about any of you, but I know for a fact that being overweight adds more stress on the joints, so I am STOPPING THIS MEDICATION IMMEDIATELY. I am health conscious individual and before the flairs started back up really bad because we had an unusually bad winter here in Virginia, I enjoyed working out regularly. I think I will go back to the routine that helped me the best... which was diet and moderate exercise workouts.
Once again, I wish to thank all of you for saving me from a lot of long term heartache!
Hi, I'm 41 and was diagnosed with Lupus about 12 years ago. I have symptoms of RA and have been taking mtx for about a year after being hospitalized for the first time with a nasty flare. I have steadily gained between 15-20 lbs since starting mtx a year ago. I started working out aggressively and eating a balance diet for about 6 weeks without any weight loss. I'm so glad that I found this site, because in researching side effects of mtx I haven't found any info on weight gain. I'm so frustrated because I'm working my but off (no, it's still there) and no results. My weight is also in my middle. I have never been over weight and now I have a little belly! YUK! Has anyone tried the new drug coming out for Lupus called Benlysta (not sure of the spelling) Thanks for listening.
I have SLE and have been living with it for about 20 years now. It has recently affected my muscles. I am on methotrexate and I have gained so much weight, particularly in my mid section. I had undergone two stints with cytoxin which caused me to go into premature menopause (38 years old completed the whole thing). I am to take prednisone, but prednisone truly is the devil. I cannot stand that drug. I take that and you feel like crap because it makes me very mean and agressive (not my character), I constantly am yelling at my children and upset with my husband when I am on prednisone; then I look in the mirror and see that huge moon face, just off me (joking). Therefore, had to start anti depressants. So, I have completely eliminated prednisone.
I am reading these posts and my goodness it does make you feel a llittle bit better that I am not the only one who has this tremendous amount of weight gain.
I am ready to just quit everything and see what happens. It is very frustrating. My normal weight is around 140 and I am now at 188. I am a tankard for me. I have tried everything. I am about to just starve myself so that I can prove to my doctor that there is some type of side effect from this drug. My doctor says the same thing that everyone else's doctor is saying. Oh, the methotrexate does not cause weight gain. Yeah, right? Explain to me why I walk everyday about one mile, I do not eat carbs, I eat only greens and meat. My eating habits have not changed, but boy my mid section and bottom have.
My doctor wants to start me on plaquenille. I am afraid of the side effects of this drug. You can't tell me that these drugs we put into our system are not killing other parts of our body.
I am going to a nutritionist and I am in hopes that we can find an answer.
It is nice to vent to other's who understand what we are all going through. To all, I wish you guys the best. Whatever condition we deal with, it is not easy. For women we try to be so strong and nothing is to bother us. It is very difficult and I think people who are not going through this do not understand. They try, but they don't.
Guess it is all in God's hands, and our doctor's.
My doctor also toldme that he does not think that my weight gain is from the mtx,so now what? I also starting taking an antidepressant for a while and he thought that that was the cause of my weight gain, so I stopped it and no real change. I've recently lowered my dose of mtx in hopes that I would lose some weight...we shall see.
I know what you mean about prednisone, I just got off it completely about 3 months ago. You are right, it's the devil in disguise; it works like a miracle, but rots your bones in secret! I also was a rotton person on pred. and yelled at my kids. I often wondered who this person was. Thank goodness I'm finally free of it. I have been taking plaqiunil (sp?) for as long as I've had Lupus/RA and have had no adverse reactions. Keep your head and spirits up, I hear good thing are in the near future for new meds. in RA and Lupus diseases. Could you let me know what your dietician tells you? I've been thinking about seeing one for several years but, have not gotten around to it. Thanks.
I have been on methotrexate for almost six months, along with meloxocam for inflammation, and I can't believe the weight I have gained mostly around my waist. Eating habits have not changed and I walk a mile at least 4-5 times a week. And the fatigue is getting unbearable. I had not had a RA flare up, a blood test is what led to my discovery that I had RA, but the Dr. suggested I start on the methotrexate to keep me from having a flare up. I wish I never would have started it. I take folic acid daily with the methotrexate (6 pills once a week), but from what I've read, the metho is the weight gain culprit. I see the Dr. in a couple weeks again for more blood tests and follow up. We'll see what he has to say about the correlation of weight gain/methotrexate.
THank you, I completely agree. I just started methotrexate 4 weeks ago and have gained 3 pds out of no where, all in my belly area. I exercise 5/7 days a week and nothing else has changed. i am also going to discontinue this medication immediately since i am now developing one mouth sore. I am sooo glad I am not the only one with this side effect!!!
I have RA and I can tell you from bitter experience that using steroids will cause weight gain. I have not allowed my doctor to use Methotrexate for treatment because I am afraid of more weight gain. My weight began going up when I was given Metformin and Actos for Diabetes. My A1C was high even though I was not overweight. That all changed after the diabetes medication. I was diagnosed with RA in my mid twenties and never had any troublesome symptoms for years. But once my Diabetes reared its ugly head, it seemed to propel my RA out of remission and now my doctors and I are having difficulty getting it back into remission. I am now 45 and feel at least 70. The pain, fevers, swelling and extreme fatigue are, some days, unbearable. All I can do is take my pain meds and wait. The anti-inflammatories my Rheumatologist prescribed have damaged my liver and I am now experiencing problems with other organs in my body also. The point here is this, work with your dr and try to find a treatment plan that will not result in any more weight gain. Extra weight only makes your RA more painful and difficult to treat. I still haven't found my perfect treatment plan, but I have educated myself so as not to take anything that will result in anymore weight gain. It just isn't worth it. I sympathize with you and know exactly your frustration. Gaining weight is difficult to deal with under normal circumstances, but when you have an underlying condition it makes it that much worse. I have never been overweight in my life and now here I am at a weight I didn't experience for either of my pregnancies. Keep working with your doctor and don't give up. You are your own best advocate - no matter how long it takes. RA is a complicated disease and causes damage to more than just your joints. FIght for your rights as a patient and don't let anyone talk you into doing or taking anything you are not comfortable with. Good luck. I know I haven't really provided any answers, but I hope I helped in some small way. Best wishes
I have been on MTX for about six months now, and have been weened off of prednisone, which also caused weight gain (through increased appetite?) In the past nine months since I was diagnosed with RA I have gained about 25 pounds. I hope the future will improve. You try to diet and see very little response in weight, circling around a 5-6 pound area.
I have been looking all over the internet for methotrexate and weight gain and i couldnt find anything until now. I have been on methotrexate for almost 2 years but I CANNOT lose weight. I tried everything and I cant. I told my doctor and she said that it is not true.I am 24 and my stomach is so big now and i cant lose it.
I am also on mtx for one year for inflammation caused by SLE. After struggling for 5 years to GAIN some weight, I have gained 7 lbs in the past 8 months (which is a lot on me), and a lot of it is around my middle also. I am 58 and have never had any weight problem (finished with menopause 10 yrs ago, so that isn't it). I am at the same activity level and am eating less, but I keep gaining instead of losing. The mtx helps my other symptoms, but might try going off it for awhile to see if I can lose the weight. My Doc said it takes 3 weeks for mtx to leave your system.
Oooooh! Finally! As the rest of you, I've searched the web like a maniac to find somewhere that mentions gaining weight as a side effect.. I am so glad I found this site!
I've only been on it for 3 months, and I've gained many, many kg, most of it round my waist and stomach! :(
I notice that there are no recent comments here, but if someone has any news or tips about this, please reply!
I thought I had gained weight due to RA and not being able to exercise as frequently and strenuously. Lately, however, my RA has been getting worse. Last year I had finally been able to lose 55 pounds through diet and careful exercise -- my methotrexate level was steady during this period of weight loss.
Since the increase in symptoms, my dr began increasing my methotrexate 2.5 mg at a time up to 17.5 mg. During the past 2 months I gained back 15 pounds! I thought I was crazy until I read this posting. I have now cut back (on my own and without causing any pain) to my prior doseage and have lost 3 pounds this week - without changing my eating habits.
I never felt that the methotrexate had any effect on the RA. Enbrel and steroids do, but not the methotrexate. At least not as dramatically. Thank you for this blog! (Having been previously married to a dr I knew not to trust them!)
We put so much faith in the medical information that we get when we fill our prescriptions so with so many people gaining weight from methrotrexate, why don't they update their reesearch and the medical information? I have always been pretty consistent with my weight, in fact, never having to diet my entire life. When diagnosed with RA I took was on steroids for six months which led me to my first diet. Now after only 2.5 months on methrotrexate I have gained 10 pounds. If I have always been able to maintain my weight easily except when on sterioids, why am I now having a problem? Methotrexate has got to be the problem. Now, do I want to go off of the medicine and risk symptoms returning and/or permanent joint damage or try to modify my lifestyle and try to lose weight? According to many posts here, exercise and diet doesn't really help when methotrexate is the contributing factor to the weight gain. What a dilemma!!!
I started taking methotrexate about 2 years ago and have steadily gained weight. I keep reading that it does not cause weight gain but I keep gaining. I have recently lowered my calories to about 1000 a day and work out every day for a min of 30 -40 minutes and still have trouble losing weight. I barely lose any weight and then the next week I am right back up. I keep playing with the same 3 lbs all month. I have tried everything from no carb to high protein and have the same results. My Dr says its not the medicine. I think it is. I used to be so slim and its mostly around my waist. I have gained about 45 lbs. The problem is I am so scared to lower or stop the methotrexate for fear of a relapse. I suffer from a over active immune system and the methotrexate keeps it in remission. I dont know what to do deal with looking overweight and feeling well or suffer to be much slimmer. I am so uncomfortable at the weight I am. I am 5"2 and weigh 160 lbs.
Hello, I have been taking methotrexate for approximately a year and a half. In that time I have gained 45 pounds. I went from stick thin and happy with it my entire life to fat and uncomfortable. My eating habits have not changed but I can say that increasingly limited mobility issues must be contributing somewhat. However, the last 30 pounds came on far too quickly to be just a lack of exercise problem. Those showed up in less than 6 months. I am not willing to take a chance on increasing the pace of my joint destruction just to lose weight. I hurt too often as it is.
I've had weight gain on this too. No matter how much I exercise and watch what I eat, it doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm stopping it and can't wait for the puffiness in my stomach to go away too!
I was diagnosed at 25 with RA and have been on mtx for a little over 4 years right after I was diagnosed. I was diagnosed 5 weeks after having my second child, but had lost the entire 30 lbs I had gained. But since being on mtx I have gained 20 lbs despite working out 1.5 hours 5 x's a week with a trainer for six months and eating only 1300 calories. Couldn't lose weight and I've never had a problem with my weight. Very discouraging. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one experiencing this. There has to be something to it even though my rheumy said it wasn't connected.
It's hard going from a size 6 to a 12 in a short amount of time, but it's also really hard to be in crippling pain.
Wow! so glad to have found this site! I too take Mtx - was diagnosed in July of this year with Psoriatic Arthritis - it is now October and I can't believe my weight gain! I was told too that this was not a side effect -- but am so glad to know I am not alone. The Mtx has cleared up my psoriasis and my joints feel so much better - but the other side effects including the weight gain are not so fun!
This is the best site ever. I have Chron's and a bit of RA. I have been taking MX for the past seven weeks and Prednisone for 9 weeks and gained about 7kg! Had a Gastric Bypass ± 2 yrs ago and was NOT supposed to gain weight (lost 54kg). Now what? Nothing fits and I just cannot handle the weight gain at all!! Dr no help! Same old story of watch what you eat and exercise - I have been doing this and due to the op I am not supposed to put on any weight. Does anyone know if I will loose this weight by itself? Someone told me it might be water retention, but also no consilation!
Terry
my sister was on this medicine for rheomatoid arthritis for 11 years,she had fairly good results except for the last 1 year.Her doctor gave her cbc blood tests but not liver scans or ever a liver biopsy.She died on Sept.25.She was 69 and in good health otherwise.The head doctors at the hospital said the medicine was responsible for 60%
liver failure 20% and kidneys 15% with other uderlying causes at 5%.The liver and kidneys were side effects of the med.also.My sister did not drink or smoke.She died exactly 3weeks after she walked in the hospital.My question is why were`nt the side effects noticed sooner.Should she have had a liver biopsy on occasion?I know this medicine helps some people but is it worth your life and shouldnt you be taken off of this med.at some point sooner.Doctors and patients need to be aware of how dangerous this medicine is. thankyou for listening
Sounds like you have a serious malpractice on your hands. Its well known in the Rheum and GI world that anyone on MTX should have their lfts (hepatic function panel) drawn at least every three months. That was pure neglegence on their part. When our patients dont do their labs on time, we call the pharm and stop the RX. Im sorry for your loss. Luckily I worked in the medical field many years before my diagnosis of RA and I knew the risks of every drug. Patients should be kept in the loop with all the potential side effects
Lauren - I agree. My doctor has been very clear with me about the potential liver and kidney problems from methrotrexate. The medical information included with our prescriptions also reinforces this. I faithfully have my lab work done every three months and I get a copy of those results so that I know what is going on with my body and not just listening to the doctor say - everything is okay. I want to know for sure myself. I wonder why people don't take the initiative and double check to make sure the doctor is ordering the correct tests - the liver hepatic is a must do when taking methotrexate and is in the medical information when we refile our prescriptions.
I am sorry for the lost of someone when it could have been monitored and treated promptly if the proper lab tests were done on a regular basis.
I gained over 25 lbs in just three months. I too have kept asking my doc if it was the MTX and he insists that its not. I have always been a thin person and now, since starting MTX 3 months ago, everything has changed. I have RA and they keep increasing the drug everytime I go in. I sure hope this isn't a long term issue. I went from size 5 jeans to an 11!. Its mostly in my stomach and thighs. My arms and torso have not changed a bit but my breast have certainly grown!
Wow,
I must say it is so good to know that I am not crazy! I have talked to my rheumatologist many times about weight gain since I was put one methotrexate for ra two years ago. I worked hard to lose 100 lbs and since I was put on methotrexate, I have gained 50 lbs back and I have not changed anything in my diet or exercise routine! It is so disheartening! At least I know that I am not alone, and yet they do not put any of this as a side effect of methotrexate? Why is that I wonder????
Wow,
I must say it is so good to know that I am not crazy! I have talked to my rheumatologist many times about weight gain since I was put one methotrexate for ra two years ago. I worked hard to lose 100 lbs and since I was put on methotrexate, I have gained 50 lbs back and I have not changed anything in my diet or exercise routine! It is so disheartening! At least I know that I am not alone, and yet they do not put any of this as a side effect of methotrexate? Why is that I wonder????
This website has made me feel so much better...I was on MTX at a very low dose for about 8 months..it wasnt doing anything (my doctor had me on 5mg/week!!)...I went off it on my own and lost 12 lbs in 2 months (not changing anything I do - I am an aerobics instructor and I run around with my 3 sons all week long!)...I recently went back on the MTX - 3 weeks ago and I have gained almost 15 lbs!!! What the heck!! I am also on 5 mg of folic acid every day except the day I take MTX. I will be seeing my doctor in October and I will hopefully get some answers.
I've been on metho about 18 mths for ''auto immune'' athritis?? Crippling pain in shoulders, fingers, wrist, toes, hip everyday is different. Prednisone & metho combo has helped pain, but so ill. 25m of metho oral + up to 20mg pred , recently doen to 2.5 pred. I was also taking Lecovrin for side effects, severe gastro, tiredness, & extreme mood swings - homicidal the day after taking drug. Lecovin actually does work for that. Severe weight gain, ill, still pain , swelling , sinus problems, face rash . It is also intereffing with my thyroxine which has been stable for years. My chemist ran out & could not get Lecovrin, so I refused to take my drugs. I was feeling better after having acupunture treatment for my hip, funny thing is I felt great for weeks. Acupuist has been away for 2 weeks so now starting to feel off, might be something to this acupunture?? Doctors tell me not to worry about weight but its affecting me badly. God only knows what all these drugs do to you So I am rebelling !!
I've been on metho about 18 mths for ''auto immune'' athritis?? Crippling pain in shoulders, fingers, wrist, toes, hip everyday is different. Prednisone & metho combo has helped pain, but so ill. 25m of metho oral + up to 20mg pred , recently doen to 2.5 pred. I was also taking Lecovrin for side effects, severe gastro, tiredness, & extreme mood swings - homicidal the day after taking drug. Lecovin actually does work for that. Severe weight gain, ill, still pain , swelling , sinus problems, face rash . It is also intereffing with my thyroxine which has been stable for years. My chemist ran out & could not get Lecovrin, so I refused to take my drugs. I was feeling better after having acupunture treatment for my hip, funny thing is I felt great for weeks. Acupuist has been away for 2 weeks so now starting to feel off, might be something to this acupunture?? Doctors tell me not to worry about weight but its affecting me badly. God only knows what all these drugs do to you So I am rebelling !!
I took prednisone for 3 years and did not gain weight (In fact I was able to lose about 50 lbs.). I started methotrexate 3 months ago and have gained 17 lbs. As I decrease the prednisone and increase the methotrexate it just keeps getting worse. Since I am now over 350 lbs. this is really serious for me. Also, the pain increases as I decrease the prednisone.
cant bemieve so many of us have the same problem with this drug it helps with the problem we have but creates another of which we women cannot cope with in nprmal curcamstanses letalone with the health issues we have now
how come no one is excepting that this is the case we are gaining alot of wait with this drug and it cant go on because it is creating other health issues
please please some one help us
tee
I referred my rheumatologist to this website. I think all patients commenting and reading here should. Methotrexate doesn't help me anyway so I will stop it. I will see what the doctor says when I see him in December. He is pretty open minded and is also into the alternative medicine. I will ask him for recommendations along that route. The bottom line is that I have to decide for myself if I will continue a treatment because of the side effects; not the doctor. Any doctor worth his salt will listen to the patient. If my doctor doesn't listen to me respectfully instead of brushing me off I don't go back to him/her.
it has help me i have been unable to use my hands or move for the last 9 months i thought that was it for me i would never be normal again but the methotrexate has help me enormously i can now use my hands again just being able to wash myself was a great feeling i would go back to how i was for anything but i am gaining weight at an alarming rate wich is now causing me problem its quite scary in a way its putting to much presure on my joints and my heart i can feel the heavyness on my chest
Thank Goodness I have come across this site!!! I have been on Methotrexate for 3 years now for Ulcerative Colitis and have steadily gained weight, I eat very little and even though my exercise regime isn't a constant I have a physical job. All the literature on Methotrexate have no mention of weight gain so I thought it must just be me and my specialist didn't think it had this side effect. So hopefully I can come off it in the next few months as all my symptons have settled from my disease and hopefully the weight will start dropping off.
Hi I,m so glad I found this site too!!!!I have been on methotrexate for 3yrs now and I stopped taking them 3 weeks ago and Ive lost weight at last also stopped Prozac /also my high blood pressure tabs I will see what happens to my results next visit to my RA clinic will let you all know !Rhian from Wales x
Hi I,m so glad I found this site too!!!!I have been on methotrexate for 3yrs now and I stopped taking them 3 weeks ago and Ive lost weight at last also stopped Prozac /also my high blood pressure tabs I will see what happens to my results next visit to my RA clinic will let you all know !Rhian from Wales x
Thank you all! I was so confused with putting on weight but nowhere did it confirm that it was the methotrexate until i found this site. I have put on 14lbs in the 4 months I have been on this drug and its still piling on. I was struggling with the weight anyway having put on a stone since being diagnosed with RA 2 years ago. I was so happy to start this drug as the consultant said I would get my life back, going to the gym, being more active etc. I have been much more active, gone back to work and eating healthier so the weight should have been coming off instead of increasing. Its devastating so Im going to stop the methotrexate, the side effects outweigh the benefits at the minute but Im not sure what the next step is for me. I just hope they dont stop treating me completely for stopping the methotrexate.
HI RIA N ALL !I am concerned too bt visiting my RA lady next!Ihave been in a bit of pain of late but had a car 2months ago and in agony when I get in n out of the damn thing !but it is heaven being able to drive off n feel free for a while ! so I don,t know if driving makes my pain worse anyone else got this problem? anyway will post on wall to tell you all the result in a few weeks keep in touch !
HI RIA N ALL !I am concerned too bt visiting my RA lady next!Ihave been in a bit of pain of late but had a car 2months ago and in agony when I get in n out of the damn thing !but it is heaven being able to drive off n feel free for a while ! so I don,t know if driving makes my pain worse anyone else got this problem? anyway will post on wall to tell you all the result in a few weeks keep in touch !
I have been reading the posts about weight gain after taking methotrexate. I was diagnosed with psoriasis two years ago and put on mtx. I too gained weight steadily during the two years. I do not overeat!!! I was also very tired all the time despite taking folic acid to counteract fatigue. I finally said enough! I have discontinued mtx. I will start light therapy and hopefully it will control my psoriasis. I do believe mtx has caused weight gain for me. Now that I have stopped mtx I will re-post here if I start losing weight. Doctors need to start listening to their patients instead of just parroting what the drug companies tell them.
Hi Jeanna....
I am very interested to see if you have gone of methotrexate yet and also if you have lost any weight??
I am 27 and have been on methotrexate for almost 3 years now no matter what i do i cannot lose weight, i have gone from being a size 6 never having to worry about my weight now i am i size 12!! I have spoken to my rheumatoligist about the weight gain an he believes it is not the methotrexate causing it although i have only gained weight after taking the medication, most of the weight is in my mid section and at times look like im pregnant!!
Thank you
Olymbia
Well, it has been at least 5 or 6 weeks since I stopped taking mtx and yes I have lost some weight. 5 lbs or so. That doesn't sound like much until you lose it and then you can see that it is. The biggest improvement is that I'm not depressed anymore. I also don't have intestinal problems like when I was on mtx. MTX was making me feel bad all the way around. I was going to start on Stelara, BUT after being off mtx for awhile I discovered that my psoriasis was not coming back real bad so I have held off. I have been off wheat for years and now have stopped eating dairy. I'm beginning to think that Dr. Pagano is right about the skin disorders and leaky gut syndrome. The thing I think is sad is that the only thing Dr's want to do for us is throw drugs at the problem. What if it really is an allergy or sensitivity to what we are eating that is causing our skin problems. Unfortunately with all the strange things they feed cows now and all the other crap added to our food we really never know what we are ingesting. I never felt like this until I started having autoimmune problems, but now I think the only way to really help people is to find out what is REALLY causing Psoriasis and related problems.
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Hello,
I've been having the same symptoms with the same drug: different disease though, Wegener's granulomatosis. I don't have any nausea but I can't seem to lose any weight despite also diet and exercise.
I have only been on the methotrexate for a month, but I've already gained 6 pounds. I do not normally gain weight fast and had actually been losing weight because I am eating well and doing yoga and water aerobics. Has anyone found anything that can counter this side effect??? I am only 25 and don't want to have to battle my weight as well as all the other crap that's going on in my body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks.
I was on methotrexate for over 2 years. During that time, I was put on several other meds for RA. I gained 20 pounds and continued to creep up the scale. The side affects of nausea and body aches caused me to beg my rheumatologist to try something else. She switched me to Arava approximately 4-5 months ago. My nausea and such cleared quickly. I then began loosing weight. I had assumed my weight gain had been due to some of my other meds. Just recently it dawned on me that maybe I was loosing weight because I was off the methotrexate. Then found this sight and I think found my answer. So far I have lost 10 pounds and I feel soooo much better. The Arava is working great!...and weight continues to come off slowly with no change in my activity level.
I cannot believe how I've put on so much weight in about 9 weeks going from 56kgs to 65kgs while my eating habits haven't changed. I now realise that it must be a side effect and a rather unhealthy one at that so I'm going to ask my doctor about Arava (a rava good idea
). Have you found it to be as good over time as methotrexate? I would be really pleased to hear your comments. Thanks, Steph
I can't believe how my weight is gaining over the last 9 weeks from 56kgs to 65kgs while I'm still eating the same foods and doing the same amout of exercise. I'm going to ask my doctor about Arava (a rava good idea
).
I also got a cold sore which lasted over a week about 7 weeks of taking Methotrexate. Has anyone else experienced this?
I had a bi forefoot reconstruction which was unsatisfactory. Has anyone else had a good or bad result as these stats are obviously not kept which is a great pitty for people trying to do a pre-op research.
Thanks for this site and hope to hear from someone soon.
Cheers, Steph
I have been on prednisone for 3 years and did not gain weight from it. I started methotrexate 3 months ago and have gained about 17 lbs. Now as I cut the prednisone and increase the methotrexate it just gets worse. I have more pain and the weight gain gets faster. This is devastating for me as now I am over 350 lbs. (I was able to lose about 50 lbs. on just the prednisone alone.) I take this for Lupus (SLE)
I too have gained weight with methotrextrate. I want to go off it.
the problem with the US corporate medical system is that when u ask an online MD about side effects they will (as a defense) just consult the PDR. Most of them do not care to understand an integrated approach. Sooner than later we will have genetic markers to at least rule out dx (such as with celiac disease). In the meantime get well-informed about risk/benefits of interventions.
Your doctors dont have much to lose, but you do...
i too am looking for a reason for weight gain i have rhmatiod arthirtis, fibro, and depression i take cymbalta 60mg,methotrexate 50mg weekly injectable,900mg gabapentin, now in a trial study of symponi 50mg monthly after humeria didnt work my weight is out of control i have put on 60-70lbs in 6months and still gaining ever y time i go to my arthritis doc i gain 3 to 5 pounds a month?? i was not a small person to begin with but 220 to 290 is unbelievable and they say its me?? i eat no different in fact started to look at what i was eating and drinking my family is concerned me too where does it stop? its no wonder i am sore and stiff and fill extremely tired all the time? carrying this weight around. any suggestions ????
I was prescribe mtx and Enbrel. I was diasgnosis with RA in 2005. I gain weight on both. I am longer taken either one but still looking for solutions. they both work for approx. a year! please respond.