Forgot to split my MTX dose!

[annekat]

Partly due to some unusual circumstances, I had a senior/Weggie moment and took all six of my 2.5mg. MTX pills last night before retiring, for a total of 15mg. once per week. I usually take four before bed and two the next day. What a difference in how crappy I felt! I woke up a couple times feeling nauseous and headachy and just generally awful. I notice it with the split dose, too, but it's not nearly as bad. I suppose I could get used to this with time, but no, I think I will remember next time to split the dose. It really does help with the side effects.

[me2]

I was never told to split the dose and I feel 'OK'. Maybe I will try a split dose and feel better than 'OK' and remind you to do the same. At least it still gets the job done

[annekat]

I was never told to split the dose and I feel 'OK'. Maybe I will try a split dose and feel better than 'OK' and remind you to do the same. At least it still gets the job done

I'm not actually sure whether my doc told me to split the dose, he may have.... but I know Don on here is a big proponent of that and reminds people of it fairly often. My dose isn't even that high, just 15mg. I know we all can get used to these side effects with time. But I'm still feeling kind of lousy about 18 hours later... I suppose it could be partly due to other things. When I split the dose I get some lousiness during the night but am pretty much OK the next day after taking the second, smaller installment.

[me2]

We all have to find what works

[Dirty Don]

Then why not go 3 and 3 Anne? Maybe a more even balancing creates less of bad stuff on each end of the split? It does for me for sure.

[Alysia]

I am taking mine 2.5 mg a day: when I was on 15mg I took it from sunday to friday. then I was on 7.5mg so took it sunday to tuesday. now I am on 10mg a week so I take it sunday to wednesday. no nausea this way.

[annekat]

Don, I thought of that.... I'm just concerned I might feel worse during the day after taking three for the 2nd installment. And taking 4 at night isn't much of a problem... I might wake up for the bathroom in the middle of night and feel a little woozy, but it's not too bad, and I can go right back to sleep. I might try the 3 and 3, though, someday when I don't have to do much of anything.

Alysia, I'd like to take it the way you do, but doc's instructions are to take it once a week, and that seems to be most people's docs' instructions. I'd like a definitive answer why it's better to take it once a week. Don, ya got anything on that? You may have answered this before, I realize. I could ask my doc if I remember, but he's not the world's greatest question answerer. But my assumption is that they think it is more effective that way.

[Wegetarian]

Was worried you took a double-dose, but in a way I guess you did... Someone on the Vasculitis FB page took her dose twice in one day and felt really bad.

A lot of people on a local FB Wegeners site are taking some meds for the nauseous feeling. Luckily I don't notice anything when I take my 25mg at once. I used to feel nauseous the next day and slightly for a few days after that but haven't noticed anything in months.

[Pete]

Every week, I go through the ritual of putting my week's dosage of pills into two compartmented pill boxes. There is a compartment for each day of the week. I use one for the meds I take with breakfast and the other for meds taken with the evening meal. This prevents me from doubling doses inadvertently.

These pill boxes are available at pharmacies.

[annekat]

Every week, I go through the ritual of putting my week's dosage of pills into two compartmented pill boxes. There is a compartment for each day of the week. I use one for the meds I take with breakfast and the other for meds taken with the evening meal. This prevents me from doubling doses inadvertently.

These pill boxes are available at pharmacies.

I have one of those, Pete, but have become lax about using it. I did not double dose, but if I will arrange the MTX in the pill box according to days, then I will take part of it at night and the rest of it the next day, as usual. There were some reasons I got disoriented and made the mistake; they are as follows: I picked up a new bottle of MTX from a new pharmacy under a new drug plan. When I got home, the power was out. By the time I got to taking the MTX, I was thoroughly worn out and disoriented from trying build a fire and do other things in the dark. I opened the package and looked at the MTX bottle with a flashlight and noticed they had made a mistake on the label. I called the pharmacy and got that cleared up; they admitted their mistake by looking at the prescription, and corrected it in their system. After all that I was just fried and went ahead and took all six of the pills, having just gone over that with the pharmacist. Normally I don't need a reminder to just take 4 at night and then 2 the next day, which is the routine I chose and stick with. Sometimes goofy stuff just happens in the framework of a goofy chain of events. So yes, pill boxes are a good idea, although this time I needed at least some of the pills before they had a chance to go into the box.

[mishb]

Wow, your pills are 2.5's

I can't stand taking the MTX, they don't taste like anything really and they don't make me feel ill (just a little tired), but for some reason I hate when Monday's come around and I have to take them :sad:

Thankfully though, my tablets are in 10mg form and therefore I only have to take two tablets.......I don't know if I could do the six
When I was on 15mg it was only one and a half tablets (of course) but I hated the idea of having to cut one of those nasty pills in half.
.........always remembering the fear that my Rheumy instilled in to me about making sure to wash your hands thoroughly and any utensils, if you have to touch them.

The things we have to do, to get better :razz:

[annekat]

2.5 seems to be the standard for MTX pills around here, as my drug formulary only lists that strength for pills. I guess I like that since it gives more flexibility on how to take them, without splitting. I think I just wasn't used to that much at once and would probably get used to it. But the nausea did last a couple days. This was the first time I'd had any real issues, which makes me wonder if something else was going on, too.

No one has ever warned me about handling the pills! And I'm sure I've handled them in all the ways your doc says not to, Michelle, not washing hands afterwards, etc. Guess I've been lucky that nothing has happened, that I know of. Thanks for the reminder of something you have mentioned before.

[Alysia]

Alysia, I'd like to take it the way you do, but doc's instructions are to take it once a week, and that seems to be most people's docs' instructions. I'd like a definitive answer why it's better to take it once a week. /. But my assumption is that they think it is more effective that way.
my wg-doc told me that taking it daily is MORE effective. I don't know why other docs are not prescribing it the way my doc does. I inquired him and he promised me that it is safe.
but who knows ? I must admit that sometimes I am afraid that he is wrong :scared: but I can't take it otherwise :sad:

[annekat]

my wg-doc told me that taking it daily is MORE effective. I don't know why other docs are not prescribing it the way my doc does. I inquired him and he promised me that it is safe.
but who knows ? I must admit that sometimes I am afraid that he is wrong :scared: but I can't take it otherwise :sad: Oh, I doubt very much that it would be unsafe, Alysia. And if that's the only way you can take it, so be it. I, too, would like to know if other docs are just doing it that way because everyone else does, and wonder if maybe THEY are wrong! Perhaps some research is in order.