MTX

[Caroline]

Replying on this thread
Methotrexate
the following:

Of course I totally do not agree about what is written in this thread (sorry Fred, it's her again).

Methotrexate, well regarding what I read of it, it is quite heavy stuff. I mean that for instance the rule is that you may not get pregnant, that is not nothing. It at least means that the attack that methotrexate does to your cells and replication mechanism is threatening for new life.

What I than not understand is the sentence: "however you should not worry you to much as it has been prescribed by your dermatologist or arthritis consultant....."
It is as if the opinion, although specialist, of theirs is enough to make it sensible to use the stuff.
What do these people know about you? They see you a few times per year, during 15-20 minutes. They see some blood-tests of yours, but those are just momentarily impressions of the state of your health. And on the basis of that they decide if you can use it or not??

In my opinion, the only real expert, is you yourself. Your contact with your own body lasts from the moment that you wake up till the moment you go to sleep. In fact you are the only one that has a 24/7 impression of how you feel.

I have used methotrexate myself. For about 4 months. In that time I have carefully listened to my body. What I felt is hard to describe in Dutch, let alone hard to describe in English. It was as if my body was ehm.. grinding in all its corners, it was devastating. I really got scared of these feelings.
And after 4 months I, not any "specialist" in arthritic psoriasis, no "I" decided to stop with this. This could not be good for me.

I am glad I stopped... I restarted my search for something better and now I am quite happy and healthy again, it's not perfect, but it is way better.

Caroline

[Fred]

The post is intended to give people the basic information, I got the information from various sources and put it together to try and give people a simple piece of information.

#1 The part about Pregnancy, is there because Methotrexate has been reported for being used to induce medical abortions. also the information on the drug states it should not be used by people in or trying for pregnancy, or breast feeding.

#2 The part about "prescribed by your dermatologist or arthritis consultant" is there because the drug is a prescription only treatment and should never be used without medical advice.

#3 I did state in the post:

but at the end of the day you're the one who should make the decision on using Methotrexate.

I too have tried Methotrexate and would never use it again, and personally would never recommend it's use for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis! but I try to give people easy to find information and that is why I made the thread.

I will put a link in the thread to this one as I feel it's good to get other peoples opinions.

Thanks Caroline for opening this topic up for discussion.

[Hanna]

I love a debate :-) 
I have been put on MTX twice now, the first time was actually given by my GP and I hated it, I wasn't given any information about what I was taking but at 17 with your body covered and wanting to die I just went with the flow as nothing helped and just made my situation worse! 
It made my hair go very thin and fall out easier than normal, but being put on it sped up how long it took to see a dermatologist who then put me on UVB.

My second time on MTX was a bit better I was far better supervised and the folic acid amount changed to taking it everyday apart from the day I took the MTX this made a big difference and I had no side affects. But the drug never really did more for me than just slow down the rate at which my psoriasis came back (I took it after a course of cyclosprin) 

I know for others this drug has done amazing things! 

I think the big picture is all about how you feel, psoriasis can lead to serious depression and I'm all for living for today so a strong drug may be horrible but if it gives you a quality of life that you have struggled to get then surely it's worth the risk? 

[Fred]

A strong drug may be horrible but if it gives you a quality of life that you have struggled to get then surely it's worth the risk? 

Nope not in my opinion. MTX is a down right nasty drug and should never be used for anything other than helping with Cancer! that's what it was designed for and that's the way it should stay. There are many more things these days to help with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. After all it was first discovered to be effective in clearing psoriasis in the 1950s

[Lesley]

Hey all I thought I would put my bit in about MTX.i have been on it now for a year and a half.After having light treatment and loads of dovobet lol,i was finally put on MTX.i was scared a bit at first as I knew there was side effects,but at this point I was willing to try anything just to stop the itching.I actually until a few weeks ago did not have one prob my psoriasis was amazing just a bit on my back,but I had to come off because my blood came back for two weeks that my liver count was high.i was a bit gutted cos I knew that meant one thing it coming back.i have been surprised tho cos its not been too bad,i mostly look like I got the measles little red dots all over me.but I thought it would be worse.i think the part I hate most is the flaky scalp and what I call snow coming out my head lol.Anyway as of friday im back on my usual 17.5 mg dose.so fingers crossed im back to normal.need to get blood test in two weeks I will keep you all posted

[Krissie_Wright]

I took my first dose of 10mg on Friday last week... While it's too early to be seeing a marked improvement in my skin I have woken up this morning with a reduction in the inflammation, stiffness and joint pain in my hands and wrists.

So far I have had no side effects, I actually feel more energetic than I have in around a year. I'm hoping this continues, I know of people who had side effects within a couple of days of taking their first dose and who get floored for a day or so after taking it but also know of others who have experienced their first side effects after a few months of taking this medication.

On a scientific note, the dosage of MTX prescribed for psoriasis is way lower than that for cancer and as such only lowers the synthesis of folic acid derivatives slightly, it does not prevent cell replication fully or give you such a lowered immune system that you are at a very high risk of infection.. I discovered to my joy that being on the dosages of MTX for my PsA and Pso will not prevent me from working in a medical microbiology laboratory if I follow the standard rules and regulations regarding personal protective equipment.

Also, the fact that MTX has been used for over 50 years on psoriasis patients means there is a wealth of scientific and medical data out there regarding efficacy and failure rates/side effects... I'm more comfortable using this than a newer drug (or trial drug, sorry Fred) because there is less data out there.

Krissie

[Fred]

The fact that MTX has been used for over 50 years on psoriasis patients means there is a wealth of scientific and medical data out there regarding efficacy and failure rates/side effects... I'm more comfortable using this than a newer drug (or trial drug, sorry Fred) because there is less data out there.

That's great news Krissie about not being a problem with your work.

The rheumatologist said exactly the same as you. but I said we don't still drive around in old Ford Ts or watch B&W TV or have a phone in a red box with a button A&B. Showing my age now Things move on and although there is not so much data, there are stricter tests and monitoring than there used to be.

That's what makes Psoriasis Club a good source of information. you can get different views from different people who are using different treatments.

At the moment I'm thinking of not going for the trial as I'm doing OK without anything. But that is probably down to the better weather and the positive attitude I have got myself back in to. Will see next week what they say.

Keeps us informed with your MTX progress.

Regards.

Fred.

Hey all I thought I would put my bit in about MTX.i have been on it now for a year and a half.After having light treatment and loads of dovobet lol,i was finally put on MTX.i was scared a bit at first as I knew there was side effects,but at this point I was willing to try anything just to stop the itching.I actually until a few weeks ago did not have one prob my psoriasis was amazing just a bit on my back,but I had to come off because my blood came back for two weeks that my liver count was high.i was a bit gutted cos I knew that meant one thing it coming back.i have been surprised tho cos its not been too bad,i mostly look like I got the measles little red dots all over me.but I thought it would be worse.i think the part I hate most is the flaky scalp and what I call snow coming out my head lol.Anyway as of friday im back on my usual 17.5 mg dose.so fingers crossed im back to normal.need to get blood test in two weeks I will keep you all posted

Another happy MTX user, I remember talking to Lesley before starting MTX and she was worried, but it's working. see folks you shouldn't just listen to me, and more people should share with others their experiences, that's what Psoriasis Club is here for.

So keep posting people.

[mataribot]

My apologies for the thread necro...

My experience with MTX was spent hunched over a toilet virtually every morning. I couldn't sleep, but was extremely tired. My derm ordered blood tests (never saw the results) and apparently did not like what he saw.

Besides cancer, MTX is used with ectopic pregnancy! That is not something I want to consume on a weekly basis.

However there is one positive note: MTX can extend the life of specific biologic drugs (Enbrel and Humira were designed to be taken with MTX for severe RA cases)

[mataribot]

From WebMD...

Why It Is Used

Methotrexate can be used to:

End an early ectopic pregnancy.Prevent the growth of any embryonic or fetal cells that are left behind after surgery to end an ectopic pregnancy.

[Caroline]

Seems great stuff to me.....