Newly Diagnosed

Hi Kel! Welcome to the community and thank you for sharing with us all. I'm glad to read that you finally have some answers after having waited so long for the PsA and fibromyalgia diagnoses. How are you feeling about all of this? I know a new diagnosis can bring lots of mixed emotions with it. We have a few community members here who have both PsA and fibro, so you're not alone in this struggle!

I have PsA and psoriasis and I've been taking methotrexate for the past six-ish years. I can definitely relate to feeling apprehensive about it! For me personally, methotrexate has been extremely helpful and has made a huge difference to my PsA symptoms. It took around three to four months for me to start noticing a difference in my PsA symptoms with it, so don't be disheartened if you don't notice any improvements right away. With my psoriasis, it actually seemed to work fairly quickly, within a few weeks. We're all different though. You might be interested to browse the following forum discussion, where quite a few people have shared their experiences with methotrexate: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/forums/methotrexate-2 I hope others will chime in here with their experiences too.

Have you been prescribed folic acid to take as well? And do you know what time of day you're planning on taking the methotrexate on Monday? As I mentioned, we're all different but I do find that it makes me feel a bit "groggy" for around 36 hours after taking it. I choose to take it with my evening meal so that I'm asleep for some of this time. I also had some mild nausea at the start, which has improved over the years and doesn't really trouble me anymore. For that, I found ginger drinks and snacks really helpful. I really hope that the methotrexate brings you some relief. It sounds like you've been having a very hard time with your symptoms. Hugs! -Catherine, Community Moderator

Hi . I wanted to welcome you to our community as well. I can understand the apprehension with starting a medication. As said we are all different and react differently to medications. You will find a wide range of responses from it helped to it did nothing. I always say give it a try and see how it works for you. The alternative is to allow things to get worse which I am sure you don't want that. I also wanted to let you know that the National Psoriasis Foundation has a program called One to One. You can be paired with someone who has PsA who can provide support and answer any questions you may have. Also know that we are here for you. Vickie, Team Member