My Experience with Methotrexate for Urticaria & Angioedema

I've been on Methotrexate (MTX) since April 2023 for my chronic urticaria & angioedema and I finally have my life back! Just wanted to post my experience here in case it helps someone who feels like they're out of options and have tried everything.

A little background, I first dealt with urticaria & angioedema in 2017 and had it for about 10 months. During that time, I got 2 shots of Xolair which combined with 4 different antihistamines, eventually put me into remission. After 5 years, the hives returned last summer (July '22) and dealing with them was hell. I took antihistamines for about a month, then they stopped working (I tried ALL h1 & h2 blockers and nothing worked). The only thing at that point which worked were steroids, so I stayed on them for several months. My dermatologist eventually got me started on Xolair, but it didn't seem to be working as quickly as it did when I took it 5 years ago so I was seeing no progress. After 8 months of suffering and no relief from Xolair, I decided to try immunosuppressants, which my dermatologist had told me we would try as a last resort. We decided to go with MTX, which is often used to treat other autoimmune conditions. I'm on 15 mg/week (taken 1 day a week), and also take 5 mg of folic acid daily (except on the day I take the MTX).

Full disclosure, it takes the body a while to become accustomed to the drug so you may go through a few days of feeling shitty while experiencing side effects like nausea and extreme fatigue but after that adjustment period, you're back to normal. When I started taking MTX, I spent about 3 days with flu-like symptoms and nausea, but my doctor had warned me so I took the week off and just stayed in bed. Once those rough few days were over, I was 100% back to normal and now I haven't had any hives in several months and I experience no other side effects. While taking MTX, you do have to have routine bloodwork done every couple of months to see everything is functioning well, and so far, all my results look great. I feel like I finally have my life back and will continue taking MTX for the foreseeable future. I may try to gradually taper off the MTX after about a year to see if I'm in remission but even if I have to keep taking it, I'm okay with that if it means I can keep being hive-free!