MTX Wednesday - Week 2

Hi everyone :)

As today is Wednesday, it was time for me to take my second lot of Methotrexate (MTX) this morning. If you haven't read my first post, I started taking MTX last week to treat my Rheumatoid Arthritis. At the moment I have to take 3 MTX pills once a week, however next week this will be increased to 6 pills.

My Wednesday morning pills (The yellow ones are the MTX)

I was told that I would see no positive effects from the MTX for at least 4-12 weeks, however I may start to feel some unpleasant side effects right away. The nurse said it is pretty common to feel or be sick and to feel generally unwell for a few days, but she also went into detail about a large list of side effects including ulcers and hair loss. There is more information about the side effects here. I know they have to cover every possible outcome just in case, but I couldn't help feeling worried about what was going to happen when I took the medication! I have to take Folic Acid on a Saturday, which is meant to reduce the side effects of the MTX, so this gave me some comfort. But again its just another pill to add to the list that I have to take.

My medicine drawer - steroids, MTX, folic acid and prescribed extra strength pain killers.

I have to say that so far I haven't really had any side effects. I feel a bit dizzy, sort of like my brain is taking a second to catch up with my eyes, but other than that I haven't felt any different. I haven't been sick thank goodness, which is what I was worried about because I have a history of not being able to stomach any medication (even Penicillin). But it is only the second week, I wonder if the side effects will kick in next week when I go up to 6 pills... Did anyone else find that the first few weeks were relatively side effect free?