Methotrexate- has anyone weened themselves off?

Question

I've cut my dosage in half, and sometimes go weeks without taking it at all. Is it possible My Arthritis is gone? I was first diagnosed in 5/2002, but since 9/06, I've really cut back on taking it.

Has anyone else been able to stop using it, or use something else in it's place?

Answer 1

Yes, my sister-in-law has stopped it several times and then the Dr says take agian when she has a flare up. I'm wondering if it is the only drug that will control your arthritis? It is a very potent drug with a down side of causing cancer itself. I had a close friend who had breast cancer and took it in a higher dosage than they give for rheumatoid conditions and they told her that it caused secondary cancer down the road about ten years. Her breast cancer killed her before that. My brother-in-law took it for leukemia and it didn't work. However, they were able to stop it with an experimental drug. Then nine years later he got another kind of cancer that he did die from at age 58. We had talked about the side effects of the Methotrexate when he first took it so when another cancer popped up we wonderied if was from that. The timing was sure right. I'm glad you are not taking it all the time but I'd be asking my Dr about this. I would hope that you are seeing a rheumatologist and not having it prescribed by a family practitioner. It's sure not a drug to mess around with. However, you do what you have to do to get quality time. I sometimes test positive for Lupus, and I have fibromyalgia and Crohn's disease and Celiac so I'm sick a lot and take a lot of medicine to make my life worth living. At this point quality is worth more than quantity and I wouldn't be surprised if you felt the same way. I don't do well with constant pain. As I understand it there is a newer drug to use but cancers are a side effect of it too. I've seen it advertised on TV and they actually say that. Do you take Prednisone? It can do wonders for autoimmune illnesses but then taking it long term does heart damage so........... I hope my ramblings have been of some help to you but really you should be talking to your rheumy. God bless you and touch you with his healing touch.

Answer 2

I would recommend getting the 'wide' nipple bottles. Alot more women who BF and have to pump have gone to them too. I strongly urge you to NOT give a bottle till baby is at least 2-3 mos old (which is when we usually go back to work/school anyway). By then they are well established nursers, so is your milk supply and they will prefer mommy (and her warmth, nearness, comfort etc) over the bottle. I had a rough time with the last one tho when I went back to work. She was almost 3 mos, and it took her nearly 2 wks before she would take a bottle at all for the daycare. I actually had to come pick her up several times b/c she would refuse to eat. Also she would refuse to have a bottle at home with me or even if I was in the room! I had to have my family bottle train her with pumped milk at home before we had any real success. That said, my first 2 had no problem taking a bottle at daycare after they were a couple mos old and didnt refuse to eat like my youngest. (she is still a very shy, timid, little happy clam). The infant room at my baby's daycare was very understanding tho, they said its a pretty common problem and gave me suggestions on how to help get her bottle trained at home (like try leaving the room so

Answer 3

I didn't know methotrexate (MTX) was also used for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

I took methotrexate for cancer and I coudn't wait to get off it. I had no trouble stopping. In fact, MTX made me so sick I was hospitalized for a week at a time, every other week, for 4 months straight.

If you can get away with not taking it at all then do it. MTX is extremely toxic.

The best thing to do however, is talk with your doctor.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Arthritis doesn't get cured. It can only be managed.

If you have a form of inflammatory arthritis, then you absolutely need to manage the disease process or it will continue to destroy your joints.

Don't ever, EVER stop taking any med or wean yourself off any med without talking with your doctor. But yes, with your doctor's supervision, there are other melds that you can try.

I have multiple types of arthritis. and am a chronic pain patient as a result.

Answer 5

I take it for psoriasis and I have taken less or none during the summer months,but I do notice that my joint pain does get worse requiring more or other pain meds.I now take 20mls by injection weekly.I'm a nurse and give injections all of the time but for myself it was hard but now it's easy.I have never weaned myself off of it before but I have taken it every other week instead of every week and not including the joint pain everything else was OK.Good luck and I 'm glad they have this drug but it is a bad one.