Anyone on Methotrexate?

Hi ,

I am really sorry to hear that you're experiencing such widespread joint pain, and that you have to deal with insurance stress on top of all of that ! It feels very unfair.

I have been taking methotrexate since April 2017. It was prescribed for psoriatic arthritis, but I have psoriasis too. I can completely relate to your thoughts on it sounding scary - I actually put off taking it for a whole month because I was petrified of it. For me personally it was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be.

Psoriasis-wise it has been a bit of an interesting experience. For the first 7 months my psoriasis was continuously improving every week. Unfortunately stress and illness then lead to a flare that got worse until I saw my rheumatologist and my mtx dose was increased. Again it cleared up more and more each week until it got triggered again. Because it was working so well for my joint pain at that dose, we decided to try adding a topical treatment (as opposed to increasing the dose again) for my psoriasis. This seems to be working pretty well for now.

For my psoriatic arthritis it has been much more straight forward and successful - my joint pain is SO much better and I have a bit more stamina, which was not something I expected.

With regards to side effects, I have had some mild nausea that has improved over time and is manageable with ginger. I also feel pretty groggy the day after I take it. I take it on a Saturday evening (with the hopes of sleeping through any side effects that may occur) and by Monday afternoon I forget I've even taken it. My blood tests have all come back fine so far. Of course, this is just my personal experience and there are people who have a bad time on methotrexate.

I hope that this is of some help. I know it can be scary thinking about starting these medications. If you don't get on with methotrexate, will your insurance then approve Cosentyx? Either way, I hope you're able to find some relief and get onto a treatment that you feel comfortable taking. If I come across anyone else taking methotrexate I'll try to send them your way. Please keep us updated on how you're doing, and best of luck! -Catherine, Community Moderator

Cosentex is mostly available thru their foundation that covers ppl when not ensured for it. The application is to be filled out with a clinic's staff and a designated person at the intake process. It took me 9 montjs to be approved and was then effectively blocked by my hospital from accessing care. (Some staff are not as non-biased and are able to deny care).
Re: Metrotraxate, I don't have a good experience with ut. However, that doesn't mean to try it. I would just look out for side effects. I started with oral and then weekly injections. It eventually after 6 yrs messed up my liver too much. In which the county hospital bkamed me for drinking. I don't drink as it's horrible for my disorders and medications. The other side effects to look out for is increased infertility, and eye issues. Which i have both, which is more connected in my case with the disorders rather the Metrotraxate use, yrs ago. Levliumode the other cancer med also was not ideal for me. It also remains in your spine for up to 7 yrs, in which my Spondylitis has progressed worrysome, but again no direct connection with the med. I am in the process of reapplying to Cosentex thru another Rheumatology dept. Hope some info is helpful. Take care