I am looking for advice on adding Methotrexate to my treatment regiment. I am currently on Humira and Sulfasalazine for my Crohn's. When I first started Humira about 2 years ago it worked really well, and I felt like I had my life back for the first time in a while. Recently symptoms are starting to recur, starting with joint pain and mildly increased inflammation levels. When I saw my GI and Rheumatologist about 3 months ago they both recommended adding Methotrexate to the Humira. After reading about side effects (nausea, flu-like symptoms, risk to liver) I got cold feet and asked for a more conservative approach of increasing the Sulfasalazine back to a level that had worked well for me previously. Since the joint pain felt more like a quality of life issue, I wasn't sure that feeling nauseated/flu every week would be better than the daily joint pain. I was optimistic it was working because the joint pain did improve some for a while, but now my GI symptoms are causing me trouble too. I have been under a lot of stress at work lately and am worried that is triggering a flare. I see my GI for a follow-up on Friday and I suspect she will recommend giving the methotrexate a try.
Especially, for those that have added it to an anti-TNF do you feel like adding the Methotrexate was helpful? Was it worth the side-effects and possible liver issues? I tried 6mp before the Humira and felt terrible taking it (with no improvement), maybe that is part of why I am trigger shy.
Thanks!
Especially, for those that have added it to an anti-TNF do you feel like adding the Methotrexate was helpful? Was it worth the side-effects and possible liver issues? I tried 6mp before the Humira and felt terrible taking it (with no improvement), maybe that is part of why I am trigger shy.
Thanks!
