I've been on MTX for just short of a year and it's helping. I know that it is a mildly immunosuppressiant drug and I say mildly because compared to biologics MTX doesn't have as dramatic an effect - at least that was my understanding. Since I have been on the MTX I just catch everything! Friday night I started to feel a sore throat and by mid-day Saturday - wow - did it hurt! So off I go to the Med Express and, yup, strep throat. The Dr. says have you felt achey and tired? I laughed, I said " I have rheumatoid arthritis; I always feel achey and tired. Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's worse. Without the sore throat, I would never have thought I was ill. I feel like this all the time."

I do have a low level of joint pain all the time a when it increased the last couple of days, I assumed that it was a flare and just kept right on going with my normal activities. I increased my tramadol and went to bed earlier. If it lasted more than a week I would call my rheumatologist and request help. It made me realize how little anyone else has to compare this pain to. I didn't even realise I was ill. My co-workers would have been on the couch taking their temps (mine is depressed by the mobic I'm taking) and calling off work.

Others of you on MTX - not on biologics - find yourself catching everything? How do you minimize this? Does your RA and your meds mask your other illnesses so you don't know that you have caught something?