Arthritis Life

What’s it like to be on Methotrexate for Rheumatoid Arthritis or Psoriatic Arthritis?

Episode Summary

Are you curious what it’s really like to take methotrexate for a rheumatic disease? A panel of eight patients (all of whom have rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis) share their stories with methotrexate. They have had their diagnosis for anywhere from a few months to 17 years and represent different experiences with the medication. In this episode, they share their personal experiences and also their best tips and words of wisdom for newly diagnosed patients. This episode was originally recorded in July, 2020.

Episode Notes

In this episode, eight women share their journeys with methotrexate as of July 2020. You can hear an update from Jo, Ananthi and Paulina from October 2021 in episode 58.

Episode at a glance

• Introduction to Episode with Methotrexate facts (0:00-5:00)
• Patient introductions (5:00-10:00)
• Patient stories about being on methotrexate: Paulina, Cheryl, Ali & Ananthi (10:00 - 41:00)
• Discussion about natural methods versus medications and decision making around that (41:00 - 47:40)
• More patient stories about being on methotrexate: Jo, Aashi, Kristen, Jenny  (47:40 - 1:09:00)
• Patients share tips on injecting methotrexate or other rheumatic disease medications (1:09:00 - 1:31:00)
• Tips for coping with “miracle cures,”  unsolicited advice & medication shamers (1:31:00 -

Speaker Handles:

• Aashi Bhimani @solo_spoonie on Instagram
• Cheryl Crow @Arthritis_Life_Cheryl on Instagram
• Ananthi Ramachandran @ar_versus_ra on Instagram
• Ali Digiacomo @anotherdaywithRA on Instagram
• Kristen Brogan @warriorsmovemountains on Instagram
• Jo Mistreanu @thejosphere on Instagram
• Jenny Parker @cute_n_chronic on Instagram
• Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. She’s passionate about helping others with rheumatoid arthritis live a full life, by using effective tools to manage physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare she say) FUN patient education and self-management resources.

Episode Sponsor

Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. See all the details and join the program or waitlist now! 

Episode links:

• Resources to learn more about Methotrexate:
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis “In the Clinic” - Annals of Internal Medicine Article (2019)
    • ““In most patients, RA is a chronic, progressive disease character-ized by episodes of disease flares or long-term chronic inflamma-tion. Only a few patients achieve long-term remission without the need for long-term medications.”
    • “About half of all patients treated with methotrexate have little or no radiographic progression, although 30% will require addi-al DMARDs (like biologics):
  • Global Healthy living Foundation research into how prominent methotrexate side effects are
  • Methotrexate Side Effect Stats from the Arthritis Foundation
• Cheryl’s Arthritis Life social media pages:
• Arthritis Life Podcast, Practical Tips and Positive, Realistic Support - Facebook group
• Cheryl &  Arthritis Life on Instagram
• Cheryl’s website: Arthritis Life
• Arthritis Life Tiktok: @ArthritisLife
• Arthritis Life Facebook Page
• Cheryl’s Twitter: @realcc
• Arthritis Life Youtube channel

Medical disclaimer:

All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Full episode transcript

For additional details including a transcript, please go to www.Arthritis.TheEnthusiasticLife.Com