hi kim, i went from tabs to inj 2 years ago(25mg) and feel loads better, the side effects are not as bad for me now,still get a small bit of feeling awful,i now inj at tea time so it hits when i am in bed but i get a hour of energy about 20mins after i take it so timing is all for me,, but i was changed because the tabs were too slow in reacting and the consultant was sure i wasnt getting the full amount into my system due to i was still painfull,now i am glad i did as i am so much better,it is a choice and not an easy one i took ages to even start mtx let alone change to injs,they dont hurt just a little sting,very easy to do,talk to the rhumy nurses and get them to explain it all,good luck,dorothy

I switched to injections because of nausea that would go on for days. I can't say i feel great now but a definite improvement on the pills.

That sounds very pro Naomi - it's amazing the things that we can do when we have to! Glad things are getting a bit easier for you - perhaps we'll meet up at hydrotherapy one day.

Hi Kim - good luck with the injection. I'm sure you'll manage it just fine - it's often the fear of anticipation that's worse than the actual jab! Sylvia xx

Hi Naomi and Dorothy, thanks for the advice . Sylvia, I've been on the tabs for about a year but they havent really helped. My appt is on the 15th. Watch this space

Hi Kim

I also used to take tablets but due to the side effect, I then changed to weekly injections. Which I have been on for over a year now with no problems.

Good Luck Kim

Take Care
Lou

kim, ask if folic is still on the right dose when you go onto injs,mine went to 6 days from 1 as i am now getting full mtx dose in my system,dorothy

You will be fine. Once you learn how to do it, it's as easy as making a cup of tea. Pay careful attention to exactly where to put the needle in as you will hardly feel it if you get it in the right place. My first attempt took 5 minutes to pluck up the courage to insert the needle but on the second go it just went straight in. Good luck with your training, xxx

I changed from tablets to injections September 2011. I wasn't doing so good RA wise and the consultant said that by injecting it they would know for certain that I was getting the full dose. When you take it orally you lose some of it when it is broken down while it goes through your system. I told him that I didn't think that a few milligrammes would make much difference and he said it would make alot and he was right! RA wise I was loads better but my liver didn't like the little bit extra I was having, a long story could be told here but I won't bore you with it all. I had the dose lowered from 20 to 17.5 and my liver now (touch wood) is fine.

We only have a very low dose of MTX but it is a very powerful drug. At the time I was also taking 6 x 500mg of SLZ a day. If you work out the weekly dose it is 21,000mg. So when you consider that the weekly dose of MTX I was on at the time was 20mg, you can understand what the consultant said about a little bit making a big difference.

Naomi

I am intrigued to know where exactly is the right place to inject. Beings I now inject Enbrel as well I have started to inject into my legs so all the injection sites have time to recover. Must admit I was nervous about doing it into my legs at first. Thought that because I didn't have any fat there it would hurt, but it doesn't. I have to keep a record of where I've stabbed myself so I don't do it in the wrong place. I was told by the nurse in the monitoring clinic not to inject into my leg near my lady bits

Paula x

I changed from the tablets to injections a few months ago. I was horribly ill with the tablets, and although the injections still make me feel really ill they do seem to be a bit easier for my system to cope with.

And I second that the injections are nothing to worry about.

Good luck!