METHOTREXATE

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AnnaB
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by AnnaB on Wed Dec 05, 2012 11:39 pm

METHOTREXATE

Next week my son aged 8 will start on Methotrexate, he he has been on Ciclosporin for 4 months which has failed to help his eczema control. Has anyone tried Methotrexate? How did it work? Had you tried Ciclosporin or any other medications prior to Methotrexate?
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Jimbob
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by Jimbob on Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:39 am

Re: METHOTREXATE

How is Daniel? I know a lady who's sister is on methotrexate and it is working really well for her. I really hope it works well for Daniel.

Kelly

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by Jimbob on Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:19 pm

Re: METHOTREXATE

How is Daniel? I know it is early days yet but I really hope his skin is starting to improve.

Kelly x

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AnnaB
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by AnnaB on Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:28 am

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hi Sorry for late reply. Dan has been in such a mess, they say it could take 3 months for the Methotrexate to kick in, he is still on a 4 week course of prednisolone to try and bring some control till it starts to work. Thankfully he is not suffering any side effects at the moment, he's struggling with the weekly blood tests but hopefully they will space out soon, but he has had to have antibiotics as he went down with a flu bug that his sister and I had. I hope the skin infections don't start up when he goes back to school next week. How is James doing??
Anna x
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by randyrandy on Tue Jan 08, 2013 1:58 am

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hey Anna, I've actually been on Methotrexate for about a year (Very bad eczema). As long as your son is taking the folic acid supplement, there shouldn't be any problems. The worst thing about being on Methotrexate is that you have to take routine blood test every week (painful!). And yes it takes a couple of weeks for Methotrexate to work. I've actually stopped taking it because it wasn't helping, I am currently on Imuran ( similar immuno-suppressant ) which is similiar but the added advantage is that you get a routine blood test every 2-3weeks and you take 1 pill daily (no folic acid) unlike methotrexate where you take 1 pill a week. I hope this information somewhat helps you!

P.S with methotrexate you have a greater chance of catching an infection during cold season, so be weary!

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AnnaB
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by AnnaB on Tue Jan 08, 2013 4:42 pm

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hello randyrandy

Thank you for that, is the new meds working for you now?? Yes we all had a virus over xmas and Dan had antibiotics, i just hope the rate of skin infections reduce as he went from one infection to another on ciclosporin.

Anna
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by randyrandy on Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:42 am

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hey Anna,

On occasions i do get flare-ups depending on what i eat or intense exercise but for the most part it is helping out my skin! This is actually over the course of many months though, Imuran takes a couple of months to see a direct effects vs methotrexate, which is faster i believe. I'm actually not sure how long you can be on methotrexate for (because of the serious side effects) but in some scientific papers, i've read that patients could be on imuran for up to 17 years. In general methotrexate should help out your child within 2-4 weeks but it's important to reduce sun exposure and UV lamps while on the drug (your doctor will tell you). That's the worst part of being on immune-suppressant drugs but it reduces your chance to getting cancer, so there's a trade off. Not very fun when you go to the Bahamas on a cruise and are confined to the ship/shaded areas during Christmas! :(

P.S I'm also using corticosteroids and protopic to also manage my eczema aswell as anti-histamines. It helps alot if you combine the treatments together.

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AnnaB
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by AnnaB on Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:39 am

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hi Randyrandy
My son has been take off corticosteroids and protopic and we have been told it will take 3 months or more to take effect. He is allergic to the sun so shade is always a must in his world. I'm told his bloods are fine so side effects wise he is doing OK it is just a game of waiting.

Anna
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by Jimbob on Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:08 pm

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hi Anna

Sorry it has talen me a while to reply. I hope the prednisalone has helped Dan's skin and the methotrexate starts to work well for him. The azathioprine was working well for James in conjunction with protopic 0.1% along with his emollients of course. He is in the middle of a flare though that does not seem to be calming down. James has had to have a course of aciclovir though due to developing a cold sore. They did have him on a low dose of aciclovir originally but decided to see if we can avoid that. James was put on the low dose of aciclovir originally due to developing eczema herpeticum. If James gets another cold sore or eczema herpeticum again they will put him back on the low dose aciclovir long term.

Kelly x

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by AnnaB on Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:21 pm

Re: METHOTREXATE

Hi Kelly
Dan has just come out of bandages after a long and difficult 3 months. He is still in a mess but better than he was. I am not sure if it is the Methotrexate or prednisolone which is helping or if it the protection long term from the bandages. Oh and he has been on antibiotics for 3 weeks which always helps. I just hate it when antibiotics stop and when we will finish the prednisolone, not sure when i'll see a result from the methotrexate.
I hope the coldsore heals without needing long term meds.
Anna
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