Saturday, May 3, 2014

Dr. Irwin Lim: In My Hands, Methotrexate is NOT Chemotherapy

She's a Super Sjoggie. Just like our friend Super Hydrating Nixie. 

I received a letter from a reader recently in which she voiced some concerns about taking methotrexate, which was newly prescribed for her.

"Now that I have picked up the meds... Read through the patient information... I must admit I was afraid to start it today.........I feel like a big wuss."

Aww. Girl. You're not a big wuss. You're not even a little wuss. You're a Super Sjoggie just being cautious about taking medications with potential side effects. You can read more about methotrexate here.

I came across this blog post written two years ago by Dr. Irwin Lim and thought it may be of interest to those taking this drug. The comments that follow the post are interesting as well.
In my hands, Methotrexate is NOT chemotherapy 
By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist 
Methotrexate is a very useful medication. Rheumatologists would all agree. We use it for rheumatoid arthritis and many other types of autoimmune conditions.  
I’m comfortable with it and have hundreds of patients on this medication. Everyday, I spend a proportion of my time looking at Methotrexate-monitoring blood tests for patients using this medication. Every week, I would write a number of prescriptions.
It’s also true that I would regularly spend a lot of time allaying patient fears about this drug.  
Why?  
Bad press. And misinformation. Lots of it. Continue reading here

Do you take methotrexate? What has been your experience with this DMARD?

4 comments:

Brigid Rauch said...

Julia - I come here daily to see what's up with the research or to get pointers. I realized this week that most posts are about you going about enjoying life. That's a wonderful reminder that we all should be focused on life, not Sjogren's!

ShEiLa said...

Ditto to the above comment... Focused on life, not Sjogren's... Amen. Oh I do try to limit my pity parties on days when I am feeling especially punk.

Thanks to you Miss Julia.... I took my Methotrexate without having my original fears. I appreciate that you are willing to share your knowledge and personal experiences.

Debbie said...

I've been taking methotrexate since 2008 and it helped tremendously for a few years with no side effects. I have been in a major flair for the past 15 months requiring large doses of Prednisone to be able to function. Recently started Rituxan and am hoping I will not need as much methotrexate depending on my response...the jury is still out.

Es said...

been on MTX for 5 years now. Rheum spent an hour convincing me to take it. 4 weeks later I was relatively pain free. I have to admit the side effects were rough but switching to injectable was the cure for me. This winter I had to skip a week and horrors the pain was back. Finally had to have a steriod shot to get it under control again. "fear the disease not the meds, my motto" keep up this great informative blog Julia there are so many newbies out there that need this reliable and informative info.

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