u/Manateeslap

I was talking to a friend of mine who was a cardiologist and is now in pharmaceuticals (more money less work) and I mentioned that I've been put on MTX

He asked why I haven't been put on a biologic and I told him that my rheumatologist said it was gold standard for treating RA and the intent was to give it a good kick in the arse since I'm very mild.

He scoffed and said that MTX only treats the symptoms not the actual disease and that I should ask to be put on Humira since it's off patent so it's cheap and it's a biologic so it will treat RA.

I have a follow up with my RA in a couple of weeks so I will ask but I am now kind of confused and want to know what your knowledge and experiences are.

He's not selling me anything btw he's not able to even if he wanted lol

He's a friend who is trying to help. He did say to ask my rheumatologist for advice.

So I'm taking my first dose tomorrow night. The doctor said 2.5mg so I thought that was the total but I'm dumb and she meant per tablet. So that's 15mg once a week for 6 weeks. She wants to be aggressive treating me even though I can handle the fatigue and pain with monsters and Tylenol.

Idk, I'm definitely doing what I've been told to do but it seems like a lot compared to what I'm currently experiencing? I'm also taking 15mg prednisone tapering down by 5mg to nothing for 3 weeks.

My other questions are: is 6 weeks long enough to suffer hair loss? I'm taking 1mg of folic acid

How bad has your experience been regarding fatigue? My job is stressful so I really want to enjoy my weekends. Just wondering if I need to be ready to call out/my choice of timing will be a mistake lol

After the 6 weeks I'll be stopping with no taper. Is this typical and will any side effects I'll be experiencing go away immediately? Thank you for taking the time to answer

EDIT: Just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has commented so far/will comment. I've learnt a lot already and I am making a list of things to ask my doctor when I see her next. Still a little scared of what the future holds but I'm grateful to have found this supportive community. Thank you for helping and answering my dumb questions! ❤️‍🩹

So just got diagnosed and I'm not thrilled to put it lightly.

I'm being put on methotrexate with a side of folic acid and prednisone.

What was it like for you once you started getting treated? Did you take these meds? How did they help/what were the side effects?

It will sound vain but I'm extremely worried about potential weight gain from the prednisone. I have really bad body image/weird about food and I have terrible anxiety (diagnosed and treated with meds)

Any advice in general on how to accept this and move forward would be welcome. Having a hard time mentally atm