Methotrexate and Nausea: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Mr ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2016

For Psoriasis "I have been prescribed methotrexate for psoriatic arthritis at 5 x 2.5 dosage once a week, followed by 3 days of folic acid. The day after I took it for the first time, I was disabled with vomiting, nausea, and flu-like symptoms. I felt awful but persevered. Week 2 and the same happened, but this time with a very runny nose - like a waterfall. I was vomiting so badly that yellow bile was coming out - it felt like the lining of my stomach had been shredded. I stopped taking them. I felt I was dying - a bloody awful drug."

• Bic...
• July 24, 2011

For Psoriasis "I have been on methotrexate for 6 weeks now. So far, itchiness has been reduced significantly; lesions in my lower leg have dried up (light brown now); other lesions appear to be clearing up, though slowly. Side effects to me are nausea, feeling giddy, and occasional headache, though not severe. May I ask those who are on the same medication: how long did it take for all lesions to be cleared? About 70% of my body has psoriasis. Thank you."

• RZC...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 4, 2017

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was on this medicine for about 4 years. I tried the pill form, which caused severe vomiting. After 2 doses, it was intolerable, and I was switched to injectable. I felt exhausted and had nausea and diarrhea for 3-4 days, but I was able to get out of bed for the other days, so this was a plus. Unfortunately, I picked up a nasty case of pneumonia even after getting the vaccine. Either I had exposure or it was caused by the methotrexate. I had to stop methotrexate. It took at least 2 months to recover, and I'm still having asthmatic reactions. My doctor says I should continue to stay off it for now. He wants me to restart if RA symptoms return (which they are). I'm terrified to restart. He wants to switch to Simponi, but I'm afraid of that too."

• wil...
• February 4, 2010

For Psoriasis "I have had psoriasis for over 10 years, and for the first 5 years, it was very mild, but in 2005, it quickly got worse and covered 70% of my body in various spots such as my entire scalp, under my breasts, on my elbows and knees, in my pelvic area, and a few other random spots. I was prescribed (5) 25 mg pills (1x wk) of methotrexate after trying every cream imaginable and the photo light therapy. The medication made me extremely sick to my stomach. After seeing some improvement, my dermatologist recommended I try the tanning bed along with the medication. Within 6 months, my psoriasis was completely gone. 4 years after being off the medicines, it has come back. It is worse than before, and I am taking the medicines and am getting sick a lot. Hope it works again."

• Anonymous
• July 29, 2009

For Psoriasis "I have suffered several types of chronic psoriasis, including the life-threatening form, for 50 years. After developing severe disability from psoriatic arthritis, I gave in to taking this drug. My skin is 90% improved, inflammation is much better, but I still have high inflammatory markers in blood tests. Now on steroids. Nausea still persists, so I take folic acid."

• Red...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 29, 2017

For Psoriasis "Have done 3 'rounds' of this, 4 weeks each, and have never been so exhausted, sick to my stomach, and out of it. It helped clear up the guttate psoriasis and inverse psoriasis, but didn't do much for the psoriatic arthritis."

• kul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2015

For Psoriasis "I've been taking this medicine for 9 weeks now. I'm taking 7.5 mg once a week but have seen NO difference whatsoever! All I seem to be getting is little boils everywhere, sickness, nausea, and weight gain! :("

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2017

For Psoriasis "I have been extremely tired, nauseous, a general feeling of lack of interest in things I enjoy, moody, and overall not feeling good. The psoriasis has become less thick, but after six weeks, it's still there. I have an appointment Thursday and am going to discuss alternatives."

• Jka...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 28, 2019

For Psoriasis "I have suffered from psoriasis for about 12 years but had a serious bout of arthritis 2 years before that, so psoriatic arthritis. Was able to stay away from chemicals for years, managed using supplements, but it carried on spreading. Finally referred to a dermatologist and was on cyclosporine for over a year, had to come off due to effect on gums and high BP, which was controlled with tablets. On methotrexate since October, no nausea, etc., but had lots of urine issues in the beginning, which I later realized was actually due to too much folic acid. Lowered the folic acid dose, and it was sorted. Recently realized that my joints and muscles have been hurting since I started methotrexate. Painful feet, legs, etc., affecting my everyday exercise routines, so will be speaking to a dermatologist about it in about two weeks."

• Aut...
• November 17, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "After becoming sick with this disease, the doctor initially started me on methotrexate pills, and I developed what they call 'phantosmia'... I smelled horrible things that weren't there. So we switched to injections, and I didn't get the smells anymore. Then he started Enbrel as well. I felt good for a while and decided to stop the methotrexate because it was making me tired and weak. Two years later, I'm back on it because my back and neck were killing me, and I'm getting 60-70% relief after one shot of 0.8. Pretty happy about that, but the trade-off of sleeping all day and being weak and nauseated all reminded me of why I stopped too. But it does help, so you weigh what's important to you."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 23, 2024

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was 62 when diagnosed with RA. I am being treated with 25 mg of methotrexate each week, 400 mg of hydroxychloroquine a day, 7.5 mg of meloxicam as needed, 10 mg of prednisone as needed, and 2 folic acid tablets daily. My numbers, both RF and CRP, were extremely high initially. I have gone from extreme pain in my feet, hands, knees, wrists, shoulders, and hips to almost zero pain. I have experienced several side effects from the combination of all these medications: nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, sleeplessness, and headaches. I have lost over 20 lbs. All that being said, I am still far better off than I was without the medication. Prior to taking the medications, I had no life due to the pain, I spent my days on the couch and soaking in hot water. I now have my life back, and I am able to enjoy life again. So although my life may be shortened, I would rather have another 15 years of quality life instead of 30 years of misery."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2020

For Dermatomyositis "I was put on methotrexate for dermatomyositis, and it made me very sick! A low dose once a week did nothing to me, but it didn’t help either. Then I was put on a higher dose, and I was unable to get out of bed except for the restroom and to shower with help. I felt like I had a really bad case of the flu, but worse. I had red patches all over me and chills, fever, and the patches on my skin were very hot. There was no in-between dose for me. Methotrexate just didn’t work out for me."

• Roc...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2020

"I love this drug, methotrexate, for lupus. Cheap and effective. I've been on it about 6 months now. No adverse reactions beyond fatigue, headache, and nausea about 32 hours after. Yes, not pleasant, but for me, they faded by week 5 (or I got used to them). Worth it because my joint swelling is now under control. I can use stairs, walk without limping, and don't need any joints drained. And it's $11 a month. I'm glad I tried it. Works for me."

• kim...
• March 26, 2010

For Psoriasis "I have had psoriatic arthritis since age 10. The deformities in my hands are very, very severe. I have taken methotrexate for about 6 weeks and don't notice a difference, except I have been feeling sick to my stomach, tired, and bowel movements are painful and a little blood is visible. Kinda scary-I see my rheumatologist in a few weeks. Psoriasis patches seem burning or itchier."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 9, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "53 years old, diagnosed in 2010 with RA. Prior to taking this, was taking Plaquenil 400 mg and Prednisone 5 mg daily. Had to discontinue the Plaquenil (5-2021) due to constant lower GI bleeding and diarrhea. I've been on MTX 25 mg (6×2.5 mg) once per week and it is helping. I had been in near constant flares after getting Covid (6-2021) and had so much pain and stiffness that I cried any time I had to move around. Now I only flare once, maybe twice a week, or if I overdo it. I do have some side effects: fatigue (up to two days after dose), but a few short naps help, a little nausea (I found six smaller meals and saltines helped with it). The biggest one I had was hair loss during dose week three. My scalp got really itchy and felt really dry and tight, so I wet my hair, thinking it was just dry and was just going to wash it after. Nope, about 50% of it fell out as soon as it was wet, which was a bit of a shock, but it's slowly growing back. Small prices to pay to be almost flare-free and have mobility back."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2020

For Ectopic Pregnancy "I ended up needing 2 doses and begging them to not give me a third from my not-so-cozy hospital room where I was hooked up to a Dilaudid pain pump because I was in a ridiculous amount of abdominal pain with a side dose of nausea and dizziness. The first injection was definitely much more than uncomfortable, and I am so sorry if you are dealing with this drug and an ectopic. I still have PTSD when I hear it mentioned in commercials. I was exhausted, nauseous, and in pain for a bit over a week when they hit me with the second dose, and it was game over after that."

• AMH...
• April 15, 2021

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I told myself I would never take methotrexate until it was prescribed. I read all of the user reviews, and the doctors promote this as some miraculous drug. I started taking this first dose last Saturday and split the dose the first day by taking half in the morning and the rest at night. A recommendation for helping with nausea. My body has still not recovered. On Sunday, I started vomiting at 4:00 pm and followed with severe diarrhea. So bad that I could not make it to the bathroom. None of the reviews mentioned vomiting and diarrhea, especially nonstop. I ended up going to the ER for so much vomiting and diarrhea so bad that I couldn't keep water down. This drug is awful. It is 4 days later, and I have thrown up again last night, and I am still having nausea and stomach pain. I have to go to the doctor tomorrow. I wonder how long these effects can last. The ER told me not to take any more of this drug. My dosage was 15 mg once weekly. The doctor prescribed me sulfasalazine as a replacement."

• Can...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 16, 2023

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I started injecting methotrexate after the doctor felt the pill dosage was too low. I would inject once a week, and then I'd get nausea and fatigue to the point of incapacity. It would take 3 days to recover from the injection, for about two days of feeling a little relief from my psoriatic arthritis symptoms."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 2, 2021

For Psoriatic Arthritis "On methotrexate for one year. It is a love/loathe kind of relationship with this drug. I am on a two-week drug holiday and see I really need something, but only having 2-3 days out of the week feeling good is a hard sell. I take 25 mg per week via injection. Have been using Zofran for the nausea and vomiting. It works sometimes. I think I am ready to try something else."

• val...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2015

For Ectopic Pregnancy "Ectopic pregnancy, 11 weeks. Was not warned about the side effects other than I would have cramping and pain. Day 1 after methotrexate not too bad, definitely nauseous and lower back cramping, then toward the end of day 2 and days 3 and 4 I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Terrible nausea, felt like my body was made of lead, no strength, no energy, strong labor-like pain and all-over malaise."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2015

For Neoplastic Diseases "I am taking this for a systemic autoimmune disease. Four injections so far of 40 mg once a week, I can move around. It takes a while to start working, but it's working. The doctor said if I take this prescribed overload of folic acid, I won't lose my hair. It's chemotherapy. It makes me nauseous. It makes me tired. But so does the disease. It's giving me infections of the skin, mouth, and eyes. The doctor says that might just be because my body is one big infection fighting itself all at once."

• ESi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2023

"The side effects of this medication for me were far worse than the symptoms from my fibromyalgia and lupus. After one dose, I was unable to function for a few days. The headaches, nausea, and vomiting were horrible."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 27, 2023

"I was quite dubious about starting the use of this medication way back in 1997, but it initially made my joint issues virtually go away. However, the nausea and sometimes vomiting were significant problems until I found ways to manage them. This included taking folic acid every day except on the day I took methotrexate (MTX), and using an antiemetic (cinnarizine was very effective for me) when I experienced nausea. I also planned to take my dose on different days occasionally so that if I had a special event the day after, I wouldn't have to deal with nausea. However, I am now being advised more and more frequently to take breaks for several weeks due to altered liver function tests. Initially, this never happened, but in the last 12 years, it started occurring at least once a year, and in the past 12 months, I had to stop the medication three times. I'm starting to wonder if it's time to switch to an alternative, although I have experienced bad side effects from most other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), so my options are limited."

• kar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 28, 2018

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Effective for clearing the psoriasis from my skin, but no joint relief. Also, the nausea and severe fatigue caused too much interaction with my daily life. I was on 30 mg a week."