Methotrexate Self Injection Demonstration

[Hog5wart]

Thanks so much for your video, I am getting Meth by injection on Friday and I was really worried about it until seeing this. You make it look very easy.

[puck34fan]

Very well done! I have been injecting Methotrexate for many years and have very little sign of any Psoriassis.I do, however, still have alot of arthritis pain and have a difficult time with "flicking" the syringe with the tips of my fingers because they are extremely sore. If anyone has an alternative to getting rid of the bubble without 1.) flicking with painful fingertips and 2.) without causing the needle tip to snap off the end of the syrninge causing the syringe to become contaminated..

[NorthernTechie]

@puck34fan:

(I'm the original poster, tylahmun, different account)

If you want to avoid the air bubbles, while the vial is upside down, cycle the syringe plunger a few times at the start of the draw. So draw up perhaps 0.1mL, press it back into the vial, draw up 0.1mL, press it back in; repeat until there is no air in the syringe.

The arthritis pain is the worse with all this! Now that I'm on a bio-drug I sometimes forget what it was like having the pain.

[douche117]

Good for you dude! I just started taking oral metho. The psoriatic arthritis sucks and I have had many "Why me?" moments. I hope it helps. It has been a long process.

[tylahmun]

@douche117

Yes, the psoriatic arthritis does suck! I've definitely been in the "why me?" camp as well! In the end I have found relief with the bio drug Simponi. It's amazing looking back at how much it impacted me --scary really. IT was a real long process to get relief -- glad I finally got there!

[westinflorida]

Yay! Job well done! Your sharps container is much cooler than the one I was sent! I'm thinking of decorating mine. Thank you for the demonstration!!!

[southernkindofagirl]

Getting ready to do my first injection of methotrexate today. This video helped me calm down a bit! Lol!!! Ty

[Taubile]

@southernkindofagirl How did it work for you? Would it be guttate psoriasis you are using it against?

[southernkindofagirl]

@Taubile It's working great, I was taking the pill form for 2 + years but it made me so sick at my stomach, I had Enough. The injectable is a lot better. Actually, I have a disease called dermatomyositis. It's an inflammatory muscle and skin disease. I take metho for that. I started out max dose of 10 pills weekly now I'm down to equivalent of 3 pills 0.3ml Injection. So it really helps stabilize my disease. How are you doing?

[Taubile]

@southernkindofagirl I have guttate psoriasis 9 years now but only 13% of my body is covered with raindrop spots (almost entirely on my chest area). It moves around more frequently compared to 5 years ago where it would generally stay confined to my chest area. Dry eyes are the most irritating part because they make my eyes tired and sore. I wasn't sure whether going on Methotrexate would be good for me in case it makes my psoriasis worse. I just use steroid creams whenever it flares up.

[ILUVHORSES1981]

I absolutely love your wave at the end..LOL it's totally adorable. Thanks for making the video I just started on Metho yesterday myself. Hope you are doing well now. :)

[truthseekr4life]

I am supposed to start taking the oral Methotrexate. Actually, I was supposed to start taking it six months ago. Went to the Rheumy today and got chewed out for not starting it before.

I am afraid to take it. I already have unbearable fatigue and can't bring myself to take a medication that causes more fatigue.

Thanks for the video. I may ask for the injection instead of the pills if I get nauseous. That is if I can bring myself to take it in the first place.

[gretchen071]

getting ready to take this drug...after being dx with breast cancer they pulled me off humira...during chemo the crohns symptons were under control for the most part...the pased 6 months crohns is as active as it can be....SO this is the newest TRY! I DON'T WANT TO GET SICK, the NEXT DAY!!!

[alix1962]

I was so ill for so many days on the oral methotrexate, I asked my doc about the injections. He gave me the first one last week, but I was sick again for days after. Did you ever get sick on it? I'm supposed to give myself my next dose, but I'm more afraid of being ill than the stick of the needle:-D

[tylahmun]

@alix1962 I was quite sick after the injection metho. I would sleep most of the time, and be so groggy I had to stop driving. It ended up where just the sight of the methotrexate vial would turn my stomach. i'm on Simponi, a biodrug now. Seems to be working so far. Hope the metho is working out for you; it's a good drug to have available, especially in combination therapies.

[alix1962]

@tylahmun Doc saw how ill I was and took me off it. Thank God:-D I see him again in a couple of weeks. Thank you once again for the info!

[funnie456]

thanks alot you helped me alot saw your demo and gave myslef first shot

[tylahmun]

@funnie456 Glad I could help. Hope the shot has been side-effect free!

[pasta0alfredo]

Hey i have PRA as well and my first time injection myself it took like 10 mins and i was so proud of myself hahaha and i was using Enbrel at the time , how come you wernt Rx the pill form ? And check out my channel i just made my first video about my injections n then i give my self a Humira shot :)

[tylahmun]

@pasta0alfredo I had asked for the injection form because my research indicated there were less side effects overall.

Nice vid; the auto injectors are so much nicer huh? Wow you went in for the extreme closeup there!

[pasta0alfredo]

@tylahmun heck yes i love the auto injector , i prefer them the most , hah ayeah i decided to show how it looks like :)

[stormcloud7999]

you did a really nice job here and i really like your idea of a safe with your medications. im glad you showed us your true first time feelings about this as most people dont want us to see that softer side,but again theres no way of getting around it. its scarey the first time. just a side note tho if you dont plan on using your needles for multiple uses (some ppl really do yuk) break off the tip so no one going thro your garbage can ge ahold of them and reuse for other things :) thanks alot!

[tylahmun]

@stormcloud7999 Yeah, it's not exactly easy to psych yourself up to it. It also seems like such a big step psychologically from pills, even though it's essentially the same meds. Thankfully my pharmacy gives me a sharps bin, so I've got no issues with the wrong people getting their hands on the medical waste.

[MBH96]

When I got my Flu Shot, the RN said that she learned to take a gauze and and alcohol swab, and rub really hard and continuously. This numbs the ear. I don't know if that works for a thigh too.

[MBH96]

@MBH96 area*

[tylahmun]

@MBH96 Although I'm not using metho any more, I am using a biologic autoinjector and will have to try this to numb the area prior to injection next time.

[ksw5487]

tylahmun;

Thank you very much for your video as I watched it several times as today was the first time I also had to inject methotrexate for my rheumatoid arthritis. I used an ice pack just to gently numb the skin and it work perfectly. The thought of sticking a needle does play with mind a bit but a deep breath helped.

[tylahmun]

@ksw5487

The ice pack sounds like a great idea to numb the skin! I only wish I'd have known about that one. :)

Unfortunately MTX resulted in too many side effects for me so I was put on a biologic (Simponi).

I only wish that they made methotrexate in auto-injector pens like they do the biologic drugs. The autoinjector pens are a DREAM to use. Just jam it on the leg, hit the button and it does the rest.

I hope the MTX works wonders for you! It's a great drug to have available.

[ksw5487]

@tylahmun

If you don't mind me asking what type of side effects did you have? I found while taking it orally it was very hard on my stomach and I was pretty much down for the day, I was taking losec for the stomach issues and didn't want any more drugs in my system than needed

[tylahmun]

@ksw5487

I had mild nausea right after the shot for a few hours. But for me generally the biggest side effect was intense fatigue and "brain fog". The fatigue and "fogginess" got so bag I had to stop driving. These symptoms were present for about 4 days after the shot.

Are you taking folic acid? I found that higher doses of it did help to a point. From what I understand oral metho is much tougher on the stomach.

[ksw5487]

@tylahmun

I was prescribed 1 tab of folic acid the day following my dose. My biggest side affect fear is hair loss. but so far haven't experienced anything, I am hoping this is the affect that they have to tell you but is rare.

I am also taking plaquil (sp?) and I hope I can stop that (didn't really understand why she put me on it as my RA factor was almost to normal levels after taking the methotrexate for 6 weeks) so we shall see.

[tylahmun]

@ksw5487 That was the dose my GP originally did for folic acid; 1mg per day the day following the dose. However my rheumatologist changed that to 5mg of folic acid per day, every day except when I took the MTX. That helped to a point.

I wouldn't worry about the hair loss; I think that side effect is pretty rare.

Lots of docs like trying "combination" therapy; for whatever reason metho plus other drugs works better. Must be what your doc is trying..

[alix1962]

I was just prescribed the oral methotrexate. I'm afraid to take it.:-D

[tylahmun]

@alix1962 Don't fear the drugs, fear the disease. :) Trust me, once you start feeling the improvements these treatments can bring your fears will ease. Even if the methotrexate doesn't work out for you, there are plenty of other great options out there.

[alix1962]

@tylahmun Okay!:-) I did try the oral, but I was horribly sick. So I'm going to ask the doc if I can try the injectable. Thank you for the video support!

[tylahmun]

@alix1962 It's definitely worth giving the injection MTX a shot (no pun intended). :) There's still plenty of treatment options out there should MTX not be a suitable mediation though. It sucks going through all this to find the right medication, but the results are very much worth it once you find the right stuff!

[yunarikku2723]

Just yesterday I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid factor positive arthritis. I'm 16 years old and I will be taking methotrexate by injection. They taught my dad how to inject me and I memorized how to do it as well that way I can inject myself (i dont trust my dad with injecting me lol). Question: when you put the needle in your leg did the doctors tell you that you should inject yourself straight down like that? My Doc told me I should inject at a 45 degree angle. Do you have any advice for me?

[tylahmun]

@yunarikku2723; sorry for the laaaaaaaaate replay. My doc had said to inject straight down, but I would just go with whatever your doctor said is the best technique. I think ultimately as long as the medication is getting injected in the right spot that's all that matters. Good luck! I hope the MTX improves things for you! Make sure to keep up with the folic acid; my GP had prescribed far too low a dose originally and my rhuematologist upped it considerably. It helped with the side effects

[smcdougs]

thanks... I'm about to do my first metho injection...... your video helped me work up the courage! ok, here I go. ... actually I think I'll watch it one more time.

[JULARSO1]

Thank you for being so brave. I have to give myself my first injection this week (for RA) and needed some advice on how to do it. This is great!

[jamull]

that was scary. you didn't use non-coring technique. you could accidentally get a small piece of rubber in there by just poking through the rubber like that. the slant of the needle tip (called a bevel) needs to be 90 degrees to the rubber so that when you push the needle in, it makes a cut into the rubber instead of a hole.

[darkpinkcabbage]

courage man..i hope ur getin betta

[Yarumiandt7]

I was on a heavy dose of methotrexate pills once a week for a few months for my psoriatic arthritis. But everytime the next day i was out of it and pretty much stayed in bed the whole day. Now i am on Enbrel once a week, and am felling much better, so If the methotrexate isnt working that well i would try to switch to a biologic, as long as you have insurance to cover the $1200 a month bill.

[jadenethercote]

i take this injection for my crohn's disease :) i've been on it about 3years now. from jade

[semaokeeffe]

Hi there,

thank you for sharing, end of your video, you said you have child,, wanted to know that, did you have your child while you were using methotrexate ... or did you stop using it etc. could pls give some information. thank you in advance.. Sema

[vickichicky92]

That was so brave. I have juvenile arthritis, and when I started doing methotrexate injections (I use insulin syringes though, you don't have to fuss with the needle), I was terrified, and certainly did not do it as bravely as you. It took me nearly ten minutes to get the syringe into my leg, and probably another fifteen to depress the plunger. I wish I had seen your video before my first shot.

Hope it is helping you!

[tylahmun]

@vickichicky92

It never got any easier to do the self-injections. But it was a necessary evil I guess. :)

Unfortunately the Methotrexate caused me to be asleep almost continually. I'm using Simponi now, which is a biologic drug like Enbrel. So far the Simponi has been working wonders! We're lucky there are so many great treatment options out there for these horrible diseases!

[vickichicky92]

That was so brave. I have juvenile arthritis, and when I started doing methotrexate injections (I use insulin syringes though, you don't have to fuss with the needle), I was terrified, and certainly did not do it as bravely as you. It took me nearly ten minutes to get the syringe into my leg, and probably another fifteen to depress the plunger. I wish I had seen your video before my first shot.

Hope it is helping you!

[vickichicky92]

That was so brave, and what a good idea. I have juvenile arthritis, and I was terrified when I started my injections of methotraxate (I use insulin syringes, it's way easier because the needle is attatched), and again scared when I started enbrel injections. I only wish I had seen your video then!

[tiana123123321]

try to change the syringe after injecting it thrue the vial... that's what u have to do.. one neddele for the vail and one for injecting ....

[resilient1]

Thank you for this video I have to do my first injection and this video was very helpful.

[ladydarcy4u]

thanks so much for answer :) i got my first injection 2day but i did it on my leg ill try on my tummy next and see ...hope ur doing okay again thanks.

[ladydarcy4u]

can you put it on your tummy 2?thanks:)

[tylahmun]

You can definitely inject it in the tummy, as long as it's not by the belly button.

I've tried injecting there once and found that for me it resulted in some tingling and pain around in the injection site for about 45 minutes after the injection. I get almost no injection reaction in the thighs. I think it's something you'd have to try and see though.

[EinaudiRulez]

i wuz diagnosed with PsA when i wuz bout 12yr old though i've had pain & stiffness in most of my joints 4 all my life i take a weekly injection of methotrexate as well i've been through 2 many  meds 2 count & this is the ONLY 1 thts taken care of all my pain my mom gives mine in my upper arm k just gotta say tht u may not wanna tap yur thigh with the needle in it cuz if tht needle moves or breaks its gonna hurt ALOT idk this 4 sure though but my mom used 2 b an RN & ive heard stories from her

[tylahmun]

I tend to not tap my thigh any more now that I'm used to it. Good point; I can't imagine how painful breaking off the needle would be!

[EinaudiRulez]

Yea once u get used 2 it its not so bad I hardly feel pain with any needle now. Oh i forgot 2 mention 2 things 1 watching u give yourself tht injection wuz ausome i dont think i could do tht &... oh yea my docotor has decided 2 stop my methotrexate i had a few side effects from it. nothing 2 serious but its better 2 b safe than sorry incase it got worse. So now i'm on a new weekly injection called enbrel. its not as effective as the methotrexate but it has fewer side effects=)

[OctavianDeNoire]

Hi, I have been on Methotrexate for just over a year now (12.5mg's tablet form). Like you I have Psoriatic Arthritis and psoriasis. Although there are lots of side effects, the fact that I am able to walk now is a major plus !!!

Hope it helps you mate... update us as to how you are getting on with it.

5 Stars! Subbed!

[ribeye38]

Thats awsome dude! I also have PsA and take MTX pill form. 20 mg's a week. Works wonders for me.

[tylahmun]

Thanks! I'm hoping it'll work wonders for me!