Posted 6/19/2012 12:32 PM (GMT -5)
Ive ben taking methotrexate for a little over three years, and I've always had to have bloodwork done once every two months. Once, when the liver enzymes went high we had to lower the dose from 30mg to 25mg. another time we went from 25 to 20, but went back up later without the bloodwork going bad. I've been at 25mg once a week for a long time.
Three months ago the bloodwork came back that my liver enzymes were slightly high. (Like1point higher than the high-normal limit.) We took a wait and see approach.
Two months later the bloodwork was worse. Decrease MTX again. This time to 15mg.
Three weeks later they are even higher. (97/72 I think?) Decrease MTX to 10mg.
The problem with this plan is that after the first decrease I can really tell the difference in my joints. The stiffness and the swelling is increasingly worse. My fatigue level is off the charts. I was feeling well controled on methotrexate the way thy it was. Just before all the problems I was feeling very fatigued, but I thought it was getting off the plaquinil to start humaira that did it.
Not 6 months shoes my aunt died of liver failure. My dad is beside himself with worry now. I hate to tell him about it all, but I couldn't keep it from him either. I'm too open about it with others, if he found out secondhand it would really hurt him. I won't do that.
So, what next? I can usually predict what the next step in my treatment will be. It helps me to know what might be chosen next. Now I have no idea.