what is best for my mother, who has arthritis and is currently taking methotrexate?

Question

so my mother has arthritis, and is taking methotrexate.
is this the best thing that she can be taking?
she wants to know if there are any other medications she can take that dont have as many side effects, as she is getting upset stomachs and has vomited a lot since taking it for the first time last week.
she also says that she cant smell anything, because it makes her nauseous.
is this normal? will the symptoms go away soon, or are they only affecting her?
anything will be appreciated.

Answer 1

I take methotraxe and it doesn't make me sick, maybe she should ask the dr. if she can take a lower dosage. I also take a remicade treatment which is a very low dose for me. all medicines have side affects and the doses can be changed to help her not to be sick. I take three methotrexate a week. I have a remicade treatment every 8 weeks. I have come such a long way from where I came from. I no longer have pain, I can run now if I want to. your mom needs to talk to her dr. more and research this matter more. I feel great! Good Luck!

Answer 2

Imagine for a moment your arthritis completely vanishing right now.

If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Like a magic wand was waived, you'd be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.

And imagine that you'd never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.

I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.

It was a gift from a woman on the other side of the world. From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.

Today, I want to do the same for you!

Answer 3

A really good herb you can take for arthritis is called Penny wort, It grows wild in Australia and I think it grows in China, but I'm not sure.(the reason I say that is because it's a Chinese remedy, and they usually get it right when it comes to those sort of things, and they swear by it) I don't know its botanical name but it is supposed to be very effective. Of course ask your doctor before taking anything, but it's only a plant and it's not poisonous. What have you got to lose. Try the Internet, hope this helps.

Answer 4

She should be talking to her doctor. My husband has been taking methotrexate for 6 years and does very well on it. He does so well that he refused to add Humira to the plan. Everyone he knows who went to Humira did not do so well, even though they were OK on methotrexate. She should be seeing a rheumatologist. And if she just started last week, she needs to give it a while longer. She can help the upset stomach by eating before taking the methotrexate, never take it on an empty stomach. Everybody reacts to medications differently and what works for one person may not work for others.

Answer 5

She needs to call her doc and report these side effects. Her doc has NO CLUE that she is having side effects if she doesn't call and tell him/ her. Have her call now if the office is open and report all of this to the docs nurse. He may want to change or adjust her meds right away. I guess I don't understand how people with side effects can assume that this is ok and that the doc knows this. Docs are not mind readers so you have to call and tell them what is going on.

Answer 6

I don't know about that drug but if she is reacting that badly then call the doc. If you're not sure then call the pharmacist. To me that doesn't sound normal at all. I wouldn't take anymore till I talk to a professional . That's just not right. sorry. Hope she feels better.

Answer 7

NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published March 23 2005
Green tea component may help fight cancer, new study shows
by Mike Adams

A new study from a university in Spain shows that a chemical in green tea can be helpful in the fight against cancer. The chemical known as EGCG attaches to a specific enzyme in cancer cells and prevents the cancer from growing. While it seems clear that green tea can be helpful to cancer patients, the researchers are not sure just how much of the beverage patients will have to drink to see effects.

Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.
"We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs, " Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters.
"This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG," he added.
It decreased rates of certain cancers but scientists were not sure what compounds were involved or how they worked.
Thorneley said EGCG is probably just one of a number of anti-cancer mechanisms in green tea.
This means we may be able to develop new anti-cancer drugs based on the structure of the EGCG molecule," Thorneley explained.
"We discovered that EGCG can kill cancer cells in the same way as methotrexate," Dr Jose Neptuno Rodriguez-Lopez, of UMU, a joint author of the research published in the journal Cancer Research.
EGCG binds strongly to DHFR, which is essential in both healthy and cancerous cells.
But it does not bind as tightly as methotrexate, so its side effects on healthy cells could be less severe than those of the drug.
Thorneley said EGCG could be a lead compound for new anti-cancer drugs.
The findings could also explain why women who drink large amounts of green tea around the time they conceive and early in their pregnancy may have an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube disorders.
Women are advised to take supplements of folic acid because it protects against spina bifida.
But large amounts of green tea could decrease the effectiveness of folic acid.