Welcome to the forum Maggie!
I am sorry that you need more medication. Many people find methotrexate very helpful indeed. I have the impression that the injection is overall preferred because it reduces the possible effects on the tum. It's usually started @7.5 mgs and built up and people take folic acid to help offset side effects. Dosages of folic acid vary from doctor to doctor but usually people don't take it on the day they take the methotrexate
You will have bloods monitored regularly for hidden signs of trouble and sometimes people have chest Xrays to start with to make sure it is suitable for them.
There are a number of recent threads about metho on the medications section for further information and personal experiences
If we don't try a medicine we can't know how much it will help us Methotrexate has been in use for many years ( as a transplant drug first) so a lot is known about it.
There is another anti malarial called Mepacrine which can be obtained in Canada from a compounding pharamacy but I have never heard of any Canadian taking it. Adding this to the Plaquenil can mean not needing to go on the immunosuppressants.
If you read up about methotrexate the dosages for lupus are lower than those for other uses. It's best not thought of as 'chemo' or even as an immunosuppressant - but as a disease modifying anti rheumatic drug
Bye for now and good luck !
Clare
I am sorry that you need more medication. Many people find methotrexate very helpful indeed. I have the impression that the injection is overall preferred because it reduces the possible effects on the tum. It's usually started @7.5 mgs and built up and people take folic acid to help offset side effects. Dosages of folic acid vary from doctor to doctor but usually people don't take it on the day they take the methotrexate
You will have bloods monitored regularly for hidden signs of trouble and sometimes people have chest Xrays to start with to make sure it is suitable for them.
There are a number of recent threads about metho on the medications section for further information and personal experiences
If we don't try a medicine we can't know how much it will help us Methotrexate has been in use for many years ( as a transplant drug first) so a lot is known about it.
There is another anti malarial called Mepacrine which can be obtained in Canada from a compounding pharamacy but I have never heard of any Canadian taking it. Adding this to the Plaquenil can mean not needing to go on the immunosuppressants.
If you read up about methotrexate the dosages for lupus are lower than those for other uses. It's best not thought of as 'chemo' or even as an immunosuppressant - but as a disease modifying anti rheumatic drug
Bye for now and good luck !
Clare
