MTX dose question

[ellieh]

Don't suppose anyone knows this, but I'll ask just in case. I've been on 15 mg tablets, now changed over to injections and the derm wanted to try reducing the dose to 10 mg to see what happened. Well, what's happening is after 2 weeks I'm starting to flare again, and to round it all off the stupid woman who was standing in for my gp when I went for the prescription got it wrong and put 7,5 mg instead of 10 mg, and I was stupid enough to not realise until I'd injected myself with it. Thank God it wasn't too much or the wrong drug or anything  , this will teach me to check more carefully in the future. Anyway, my question is as I do have a few tablets left over should I take one this morning to make up the 10 mg (I always took the tablets at 12 hour intervals anyway), or just grin and bear the extra itch and get it sorted for next week?

[david_8]

hi, Ellie

you should of handed in your old tabs ! best to be safe than sorry
and check with your gp/chemist

? why wait till next wk to get your  presciption sorted

[ellieh]

hi, Ellie

you should of handed in your old tabs ! best to be safe than sorry
and check with your gp/chemist

? why wait till next wk to get your  presciption sorted

LOL, nobody even asked me if I had tablets left! Going to ask in the chemists and see what they say.
Tried to get an appt with the gp to get the prescription changed and the next available appt is for Wednesday next week, good job I'm not ill 

[Luvvi]

This happened to me with tablets....they told me to take 6 X 2.5mg and dispensed 5mg ones instead.....if that had been someone who just trusted their doctor's instructions I would hate to think how they would have felt taking 30mg in a blast 

I would get onto your Derm/GP and complain about the wrong dose being prescribed and get their advice.  Not sure how intravenous MTX and oral would mix and its better safe than sorry!

Get those old tabs back to the Pharmacy for destroying...they are too potent to have lying around the house!

[ellieh]

Yup, the chemist said not too good an idea to mix them just in case so this week I'll just have to put up with it, I can feel new dots coming up already, 10 rather than 15 was bad enough, now 7.5 
I know I should have triple checked it and the though of what could have happened if I had over rather than under dosed is frightening, what I'm realy p1ssed off about is that the same woman who was covering for my gp and mucked up the prescription was a few days later covering for my daughter's paediatrician. Dread to think what could happen if she makes the same mistakes when dealing with small children and babies, I'm going to go against my character here and kick up a fuss about this and place a complaint at the health centre, I know it was my fault for not checking but just thinking if it had been say a child who was prescribed another strong, potentially dangerous drug and they overdosed them by mistake? Not everyone knows about these things and the Spanish especially tend to believe and do absolutely everything their doctor says 

[Luvvi]

Indeed....especially elderly people if they are told to take 2 tablets twice a day by their GP that's exactly what they will do regardless of what is on the bottle....you should complain.  I felt uncomfortable doing it especially as I work in the place and know the Pharmacist well etc but an error is an error.  Derm here were specifically working in 2.5mg for all prescriptions as part of a trial and were horrified to find out that the Pharmacist was dispensing in 5mg doses so they took it to their Clinical Governance meeting and the Multi Disciplinary meeting so at least I felt it was taken seriously (as it should have been)

Try not to think about the lower dose (easier said than done) its only a week and they can get it back up for you!  Good luck...stay relaxed and stress free 

[SJ]

Always double check tab dosage before taking. Always.

Mistakes do happen.

Good derms prescribe 2.5mg tabs, this way there is less chance of accidental overdose (and the samll amount fo deaths attributable to MTX in P and PA users are normally through overdose!).

SJ

[mustang]

Always double check tab dosage before taking. Always.

Mistakes do happen.

Good derms prescribe 2.5mg tabs, this way there is less chance of accidental overdose (and the samll amount fo deaths attributable to MTX in P and PA users are normally through overdose!).

SJ

Even though my derm prescribed me 8 x 2.5mg, the pharmacist would give me 2 x 10mg - I used to complain each time I went in there but he kept saying that it was easier for me to take 2 pills rather than 8.  Can you imagine someone who was used to taking 8 x 2.5mg taking 8 x 10mg by mistake.  Not a pleasant thought. 

[ellieh]

Always double check tab dosage before taking. Always.

Mistakes do happen.

Good derms prescribe 2.5mg tabs, this way there is less chance of accidental overdose (and the samll amount fo deaths attributable to MTX in P and PA users are normally through overdose!).

SJ

Even though my derm prescribed me 8 x 2.5mg, the pharmacist would give me 2 x 10mg - I used to complain each time I went in there but he kept saying that it was easier for me to take 2 pills rather than 8.  Can you imagine someone who was used to taking 8 x 2.5mg taking 8 x 10mg by mistake.  Not a pleasant thought. 

I know, it's so dangerous. I was so worried about forgetting I'd injected and taking tablets as well out of habit that I locked them away. Thing with the injection is I did query it with the chemist when I saw the box and he said it was right, it is confusing because the box says 10mg/ml in big writing and then 7.5ml/.075ml in small letters at the bottom and I was stupid enough to think all was well. Never mind, I was lucky and have learnt my lesson, please everyone who reads this and is on meds do make sure you always check just in case and don't just trust the doctor/chemist, when all's said and done they are human too (except the one who mucked my prescription up, she is definitely not human in my mind and going to be in trouble  )

[SJ]

Always double check tab dosage before taking. Always.

Mistakes do happen.

Good derms prescribe 2.5mg tabs, this way there is less chance of accidental overdose (and the samll amount fo deaths attributable to MTX in P and PA users are normally through overdose!).

SJ

Even though my derm prescribed me 8 x 2.5mg, the pharmacist would give me 2 x 10mg - I used to complain each time I went in there but he kept saying that it was easier for me to take 2 pills rather than 8.  Can you imagine someone who was used to taking 8 x 2.5mg taking 8 x 10mg by mistake.  Not a pleasant thought. 

Happened to me.

Well, I didn't take the 10mg tablets...but I was given 5 10mg tabs instead of 5 2.5mg tabs.

Lucky I checked. My insides wouldn't have thanked me if I had taken 50mg of MTX in one go!

 

[NitroNick]

Had the same thing when I was on MTX. The derm was telling me to take x amount of 2.5mg tablets and the pharmacist was giving me 1 10mg and the rest in 2.5 mg. Poor old derm nearly had a fit when I told her. As has been mentioned already its not to much of an issue when a clued up (ok semi clued up) 38 year old takes them but if a 70 year old biddy had been given them the results could be a real tragedy.

[ellieh]

As has been mentioned already its not to much of an issue when a clued up (ok semi clued up) 38 year old takes them but if a 70 year old biddy had been given them the results could be a real tragedy.

My point exactly. MTX is also used to treat juvenile arthritis, can you imagine what would happen if they overdosed a child? That's why I fully intend to kick up a fuss about this even though it goes completely against my nature to do so 

[NitroNick]

I sense a PHO campaign in the offing. Ban 10mg MTX tablets before a life is lost by accident.

[TJB]

you have my vote
the doc tried to give me mixed, 10mg and 2.5mg, but it would have been 2 prescription charges!!!!
get rid of em!

[ellieh]

Well I went this morning to get the prescription changed, saw yet another stand-in gp as mine is still off, the guy really couldn't care less about the mix up and didn't seem to think it mattered at all (my skin thinks differently  ), so i went and demanded a complaint form and have placed an official complaint. I'm sure it won't make any difference whatsoever but it's the principle of the thing.

[Luvvi]

Good for you!!