I am looking for an alternative treatment besides methotrexate.... something healthier. Currently I am taking 7.5 mg a week. I am concerned about the side effects-especially the liver . I realize it is a low dose- but has anyone had problems with that dosage??? any suggestions for something more naturopathic???
Q: Is there a healthier alternative to taking methotrexate???
Answers (5)
3/30/10 3:11pm
Hi RokinRobn,
I'm on Methotrexate, too. I take 8 2.5mg pills per week (20mgs), and I've been on this dosage since April of 2009 without any liver problems thus far. I have bloodwork checked every two months, and have not had any problems for the year I've been taking this medication.
I can't help with any other more healthy alternatives. I'm very happy with the Methotrexate.
Sunshine
5/14/10 2:52pm
I have an Auto Immune Disease RA..but there is something else going on in my body and I don't know what! I am on 6 2.5 mg of methotrexate a week (15 mg) and I can tell you my hair falls out all over the place. I completely lost all of my eyebrows. I have been on this since last summer June 2009. I also take Synthroid for my hypo thyroid and I have plantar faciatis....I found it interesting that the foot problem is from the hypo thyroid.....I never heard of that. I am going out to buy selenium...and hope it helps me. Thanks Carole
4/ 1/10 4:07pm
Dear Robin,
I too looked for alternatives to this medicine and found nothing. I have been on it for a little over 10 yrs and so far so good, no problems. I'm on 10 mg per wk.
I did go off of it when I was on 2.5 mg and had disasterous results that took me over 6 mos to find another suitable drug to start that would work for me. I took myself off as I felt it was the only thing left that I was on and why did I need that one little pill? Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! I even had a spell of Fibromyalgia that was excrutiatingly painful due to that as well. May God bless you and all of us who are on these drugs. I'm thankful they exist tho! Bonnie
4/ 1/10 5:47pm
I do not know whether an alternative to methotrexate but I have been avoiding all nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) and I notice improvement. Previously I was taking methotrexate and then I tried Plaquenil. I am off everything and am not getting worse.......Hope this helps.
4/19/10 6:51pm
Hi RokinRobin, I am only very new to all of this not even a year in yet. I have had a little bit of a problem with my liver but it was not due to the methotrexate but the arava. I have had really good readings with the methotrexate and i was on 20mg per week but now im on 10mg per week, since i started on the Humira. I am sorry i don't know of anything natural that you can substitute methorexate with. However I do know that you can have a few drinks whilst taking methotrexate. My Rhumy told me if i wanted to have a drink that was fine but i had to have 2 virgin days before and after having a drink. I am lucky because i would probably only have two or three drinks at a party perhaps 2 times a year. I hope this helps.
Cheers godbless and best of luck xx Barb
4/24/10 9:57pm
I've been concerned about taking MTX too. I'm on .6 ml inject. once a week and stopped taking it once...that was bad, the pain was so bad so I started it up again. I'm feeling better but still worry about the side effects.
One rheumatologist told me that after a 30-year (if i remember that right) study it was found that those who take MTX live longer and have fewer heart attacks than those who don't.
The good, the bad and the ugly...it's hard to just live with this problem and I still don't understand why my RH factor is negative, my rheumatologist says I have inflammatory arthritis and our expert here Lene says that is RA. Doctors can be such a pain...
Lene is awesome and has answered so many questions for me...God bless you Lene and be well...
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By RokinRobn— Last Modified: 01/24/12, First Published: 03/30/10
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hi Sunshine
do you find that you are still able to have any alcohol?? or even several glasses of wine a week.? we keep actively socially so giving up wine may be tough.
have you had any side effects at all? such as hair loss?
I see my Rheumatologist in 2 weeks so I will find out how often he wants me to have Liver function tests.
thanks for your response, robin