Methotrexate: bloodwork issues

Hi, and welcome! And let me put your mind at ease -- we do not allow rude comments and frankly, they very rarely happen here to begin with. This is a pretty friendly and understanding community so feel free to make yourself at home and ask questions anytime.


It sounds like your body is just struggling to tolerate RA medications (this is me, stating the obvious, here). Your doctor should be able to go over your lab work results with you, hopefully soon. Your situation is exactly why doctors require those regular blood draws and monitor those numbers so closely.


I don't blame you for being a nervous wreck. But, you're SO RIGHT about staying off of Google. No good can come from it in this situation. It'll just scare the stuffing out of you and we're heading into the weekend, so you'll be stuck with all this fear and "what ifs" until Monday, at least. And who needs to spend a weekend like that?


So, methotrexate may just not be a good fit for you. The good news is that there are other medications to try. However, I realize that's not 100% good news. Trying medication after medication can get wearisome very fast. And, since you have had a few rough starts with meds, I know you may be wary about trying yet another drug. But, it sounds like your doctor is on top of things, as are you. And, that's a good thing.


The other good news? Your numbers will most likely recover, but please keep in mind, I'm not a doctor. For many individuals, stopping the medication and giving the liver some time to recover is all it takes to get those numbers looking better. But again, your doctor will have the best advice for you.


I know I didn't offer too much concrete insight, but I hope I helped give you some peace so you can try to enjoy your weekend and not stress too much.


Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.

Hi Tammie (). On top of the information from Erin, I can tell you that my wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), was on methotrexate for a long time and periodically had to adjust levels or other treatments taken with it to adjust blood work numbers. I also want to note that methotrexate is a frontline treatment because it has a long track record and is relatively inexpensive, but there are now many other treatments that are considered a step up in efficacy, such as the biologics and JAK inhibitors. This article from our editorial team gives an overview of the RA medications: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/drugs-and-prescription-medications-for-ra. Kelly was diagnosed at age two, almost 45 years ago. Something she has seen over this time is the improvement in treatments and the proliferation of them. As she has put it, "at least now it feels like there are some tools in the toolbox." Your doctor should be able to provide further information on the various options. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

I want to give you another opinion just so you can have it. A story of long-term hope. I have had RA for 34 years or so and it took me and my doctors 20 years to find a medication that worked. On the fact, at first, it seems like a sad story but when we did eventually find the right biologic, it pretty much made my active disease a thing of the past. Sure, we have to deal with the damage the RA has already done, but that’s a different thing, and life is better without active disease making things that much worse. My whole point is that even though it can take a while to find the right medicines for you and your disease, it is possible, even after two decades. I know it’s a slog and going online is a huge scary mess, but just know, there are people like me who never gave up and eventually found the right medicine for the illness. Just know no matter what that you are not alone, and we are always here if you want to chat, ask questions, vent, or just be with others who get it! Keep on keepin’ on, DPM