Today I am taking my fourth weekly dosage of methotrexate, the drug I have been prescribed to help treat my arthritis. Thus far, I haven't noticed much in the way of side effects, except maybe some fatigue and the feeling of waking up hung over. In the grand scheme of things, these are very mild side effects, and I am comfortable with these. It is possible these feelings are completely unrelated, but I suspect not.
The medicine is supposed to begin being effective within 1-3 months. I do perceive that it is helping. There have been several days where certain of my joints (in particular my right shoulder and my legs) have felt noticably better, particularly in the afternoon. This could also be unrelated to taking the medicine, and it doesn't happen everyday, but it is welcome.
Over this time period, a couple of my joints have become noticably worse, specifically my right ankle and the first joint on my right index finger, which is beginning to resemble the textbook example of psoriatic arthritis. I am attempting to manage this by periodically wearing wraps or braces, which help to keep the joint pretty immobilzed.
This week will also be my first blood test to examine my liver and kidney function, but with the folic acid I am taking and the amount of water I consume on a daily basis, I am not concerned.
All in all, I am happy to be doing something to alleviate my inflamation. I am also happy that I am thus far not experiencing any of the bad side effects of the drug and am noticing some relief. Hopefully this will continue.
While I have not started my diet as of yet (I haven't received my book from Amazon.com yet), I am not consuming any alcohol and have only had 2-3 carbonated beverages since I have started this regime. I belive this has contributed to me losing a couple of pounds, but I should know more when I visit the doctor this week.
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