I "was" taking Methotrexate but insted of making me vomit like the warnings said, it gave me such diarrhea to the point I was spending an hour at a time on the toilet in agony with what I would call “dry heaves” is this normal has anyone else had this problem? Right now I'm taking no medication and I know I need to be. The other medications are so expensive and I have no insurance. Please help?
8/ 1/09 7:42pm
Different meds work differently for different people. Finding a medication that works for you can often be a trial and error kind of thing - it can be frustrating, but when you do find one that works for you and you get back to living your life, it's worth it. As someone mentioned above, the drug companies do offer assistance so you can get the medication you need - you can find a list of contact information here.
7/28/09 4:16pm
Hi Nancy, yes i have been there..have you talked to your rheumatologist about this? There could be another med you can try-you really have to be on somthing for RA-or you will end up in a heap of trouble. My suggestion for you would be to call your doctor and discuss other options for you. I totally agree these meds are awful-but we would be in worse shape without them. Some people do fine on metho-and others can not tollerate it at all, i'm right on that fine line of being able to deal with it, some days are better then others. I was on the pills for close to 11 years-untill i just couldn't take them anymore. And now i'm on the shots-which i'm not sure how long i will be able to do this either. I have also tried arava...it was horrible for me, but some people do really great on it. It is very frustrating to have to keep trying meds to see which work for you, but we really don't have much choice in the matter-but to try somthing.
Believe me...i feel like getting off these meds a lot, but i know thats not really somthing that i have a choice on...
7/29/09 8:05pm
Most of the companies that make RA Drugs will give them to you free if you qualify. Google the names of the drugs advertised on TV and you can apply online. Methotrexate gave me diarrhea and now I take 5 Folic Acid pills a day. Folic Acid helps with side effects.
7/29/09 9:14pm
I suggest asking your doc about switching to MTX shots, it really cuts down on the stomach side effects. Like someone else said, also ask about increasing your folic acid.
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By Nancy— Last Modified: 12/25/10, First Published: 07/28/09
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