Q: my mom has recently been told she has RA, what are her best options? If she goes on MTX is that the best option and what are the chances of her having serious side effects from it?
Your mother should work with her rheumatologist to determine the best medications for her condition. Some people start out on prednisone to control the pain for a while and plaquenil and/or MTX and some people go on to the biologics like Embrel, Humira, Orencia or Symponi to prevent joint damage. A lot of people report nausea when taking MTX that gets better over time. Most say it is best to take it with food. I take Plaquenil for inflammatory arthritis, and as long as I eat when I take it, I am fine. Your mother's doctor will take into account any other health issues she may ahve when he or she is prescribing medication for the RA. A lot of people take NSAIDs to control inflammation if they are able. NSAIDs are hard on your stomach. There are several DMARD medications...those are disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs. We are all different, so what one person tolerates well may not be so well tolerated by another. I guess this isn't much of an answer, but I hope it sheds a little light on all the options available. That is the really good thing. RA patients have a lot more options than they used to have, and if one med doesn't work, there are many other meds to choose from. Best Wishe, V
There certainly are many options now for patients diagnosed with RA. I agree that your mom should work closely with her rheumatologist to find an approach appropriate for her. Regarding methotrexate, there can be unpleasant side-effects. I personally take my methotrexate on Friday night just before going to bed. I've not noticed any stomach problems. My rheumatologist also prescribes (recommends) taking folic acid to help counter some of the side-effects (such as developing mouth sores or losing a bit of hair). It does seem to help.
I hope that your mom is doing well now that she's been diagnosed. It does take time for many of these medications to start working at full force. In the meantime, she should try to control the pain and inflammation. Also, if your mom is computer savvy, introduce her to this community. We'd love to try to help her out if we can.
you already gotten some good advice and I can't add much to it. most people do well in these types of medications, although you'd never know how you'll respond to it - what works well for your mother may not work for someone else and vice versa. Serious side effects do occur, but the majority get along with manageable side effects - with methotrexate, as most other RA meds, it will probably include some fatigue for a couple of days after your mom takes her meds, as well as some stomach related issues. Check out my post on managing side effects for tips on how do ease the symptoms.
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