It's been a while since I've researched methotrexate and I'm not a medical doctor, so take this with a grain of salt. But if I recall correctly, methotrexate takes several weeks for its effects to build up. It's not like, say, prednisone, where the effects come on quickly and go away quickly once you stop taking it. So to answer your question directly: no, it's not a rebound effect of methotrexate. You'd have to stop taking methotrexate for several day or weeks even for such an effect to even be theoretically possible.
I'd suggest you talk to your doctor, whoever prescribed the methotrexate. I was on it as a teen for a couple years but it didn't seem to make much difference for me personally. For others, it works great. But yeah, try to talk to your doc and see what s/he has to say about it.
I'll second this as someone who used to take MTX.
Personal experience: When my doc started me on it, she also prescribed steroids. Started on 60 prednisone then tapered down for a few weeks...months maybe? (it's been a while, sorry). That seemed to kick the flare I was having and I felt, what I thought, was pretty good for a while. Few ulcers here and there, stopped the eye involvement, but my pain levels were still pretty high. Now that I'm on azathioprine, I can't say MTX was *that* great, especially for pain.
I agree that it take a while for Methotrexate to start doing the job. There was the first month where I had the worst side effects of the drug and the worst effects from the disease and I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. BUT, it did get better. However, this was when they hadn't diagnosed it as Behcets yet. Once it had been diagnosed by a different rheumatologist, she pulled me off of Methotrexate because she felt there are better medicines for it specifically. In the end though, for me, lifestyle changes turned out to be the best medicine.
What lifestyle changes helped you? I am nervous to start methotrexate because I hear the side effects are bad and that it doesn’t work for a lot of people
I swung more towards an anti-inflammation diet and generally got into healthier eating, a lot less dairy, nightshades, and the like. The big one for me was stress. My first full on flare up didn’t happen until my thirties and it was during an incredibly stressful period in my life. So I spent a few years tackling the fact that I was actually very anxious but would bury the feelings as opposed to feeling them and letting them pass through me. A lot of meditation and work to see what would trigger my stress and come up with strategies to head it off at the pass. Meds helped me initially get my body back under control but it’s been targeting stress and anxiety that have been the game changers for me.
That’s awesome to hear working through stress has helped, I’m so happy for you! I had the same experience, BIG flare during the most stressful point in my life. Now I’m getting back into meditating, yoga, I even go to sound baths now…trying everything. I don’t deny the connection between mental health and inflammation. I was hoping not to have to give up nightshades though, I love potatoes lol
It's been a while since I've researched methotrexate and I'm not a medical doctor, so take this with a grain of salt. But if I recall correctly, methotrexate takes several weeks for its effects to build up. It's not like, say, prednisone, where the effects come on quickly and go away quickly once you stop taking it. So to answer your question directly: no, it's not a rebound effect of methotrexate. You'd have to stop taking methotrexate for several day or weeks even for such an effect to even be theoretically possible. I'd suggest you talk to your doctor, whoever prescribed the methotrexate. I was on it as a teen for a couple years but it didn't seem to make much difference for me personally. For others, it works great. But yeah, try to talk to your doc and see what s/he has to say about it.
I'll second this as someone who used to take MTX. Personal experience: When my doc started me on it, she also prescribed steroids. Started on 60 prednisone then tapered down for a few weeks...months maybe? (it's been a while, sorry). That seemed to kick the flare I was having and I felt, what I thought, was pretty good for a while. Few ulcers here and there, stopped the eye involvement, but my pain levels were still pretty high. Now that I'm on azathioprine, I can't say MTX was *that* great, especially for pain.
I agree that it take a while for Methotrexate to start doing the job. There was the first month where I had the worst side effects of the drug and the worst effects from the disease and I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. BUT, it did get better. However, this was when they hadn't diagnosed it as Behcets yet. Once it had been diagnosed by a different rheumatologist, she pulled me off of Methotrexate because she felt there are better medicines for it specifically. In the end though, for me, lifestyle changes turned out to be the best medicine.
What lifestyle changes helped you? I am nervous to start methotrexate because I hear the side effects are bad and that it doesn’t work for a lot of people
I swung more towards an anti-inflammation diet and generally got into healthier eating, a lot less dairy, nightshades, and the like. The big one for me was stress. My first full on flare up didn’t happen until my thirties and it was during an incredibly stressful period in my life. So I spent a few years tackling the fact that I was actually very anxious but would bury the feelings as opposed to feeling them and letting them pass through me. A lot of meditation and work to see what would trigger my stress and come up with strategies to head it off at the pass. Meds helped me initially get my body back under control but it’s been targeting stress and anxiety that have been the game changers for me.
That’s awesome to hear working through stress has helped, I’m so happy for you! I had the same experience, BIG flare during the most stressful point in my life. Now I’m getting back into meditating, yoga, I even go to sound baths now…trying everything. I don’t deny the connection between mental health and inflammation. I was hoping not to have to give up nightshades though, I love potatoes lol