If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day.

What is methotrexate?

Methotrexate is a strong medicine used to treat several conditions. It belongs to a class of drugs called antimetabolites. It works by slowing down the production of cells. It also can suppress the immune system. This makes your immune system less active.

Methotrexate is used to treat:

• Certain types of cancer. These include breast cancer, lung cancer, some cancers of the head and neck, leukemia, and certain types of lymphoma. It slows or stops the growth of the cancer cells.
• Severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this autoimmune disease, the body attacks its own joints. This causes pain, swelling, and loss of function in the joints. Methotrexate suppresses the immune system, which helps symptoms of RA.
• This is a skin disease that causes red, scaly, itchy patches to form on the body. Methotrexate slows the growth of skin cells. This keeps scales from forming. It’s used when other treatments don’t help.

Methotrexate also can be used to treat Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases.

Path to improved health

Methotrexate is usually taken by mouth as a tablet. Sometimes it is given as an injection (a shot). The dosage and how often you take it depends on why you’re taking it. Some people take it on a rotating schedule of alternating days. People with RA or psoriasis often take it once a week. It is a strong medicine, so it is important to take it exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to. Some people have mistakenly taken it once a day instead of once a week. They experienced very serious side effects, including death.  NEVER change the amount you take or the time of day you take this medicine.

If you forget a dose, contact your healthcare provider or pharmacist before you take another dose. It can take weeks or months before you feel the full effects of methotrexate. Don’t take more of it to try to speed up the process. Taking too much can cause harmful side effects.

Always talk to your healthcare provider before stopping this medication.

Things to consider

Methotrexate may cause side effects. The most common include:

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Mouth sores
• Nausea (and sometimes vomiting)
• Reddened eyes
• Swollen, tender gums
• Thinning hair

Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about any side effects you have. Some side effects can be serious. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you have:

• A fever or feel as if you have the flu.
• Diarrhea.
• A nagging cough.
• Shortness of breath.
• Unusual bruising or bleeding (including blood in the stool, black, tarry stools).
• Blurred vision or loss of vision
• Confusion
• Weakness or difficulty moving one or both sides of your body

Methotrexate can cause other side effects, too. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you experience any unusual problems while taking this medicine.

What else should I remember about taking methotrexate?

It’s important to keep every appointment with your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will need to watch the medicine’s effect on your body. Your healthcare provider will also order blood tests to check your kidneys, liver and blood production.

Don’t drink any alcohol, not even beer or wine. Drinking alcohol while you’re taking methotrexate can cause serious liver problems.

Don’t take medicine for pain or inflammation unless your healthcare provider tells you it’s okay. Pain medicines can increase the effects of methotrexate, which can be bad for you.

Don’t get any vaccines (shots) while you are taking methotrexate. If you have stopped taking methotrexate, contact your healthcare provider to make sure that it’s okay to get a vaccine.

Taking methotrexate can make it easier for you to get an infection, so try to avoid people who are sick.

Methotrexate and pregnancy

Do not take methotrexate if you or your partner are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding. Methotrexate can hurt your baby. Even touching or inhaling the dust from the tablet can allow the medicine to get into the body. Methotrexate goes into sperm, so it’s important that a man taking it doesn’t get his partner pregnant.

You must use birth control while taking methotrexate. You can take birth control pills, or a condom, or not have sex.  After stopping methotrexate, women must continue to use birth control or not have sex until they have had at least 1 menstrual period since your last dose.

Men must continue to use birth control or not have sex for 3 months after their last dose of methotrexate.

If you have a young baby before taking methotrexate, don’t breastfeed them while taking this drug.