Methotrexate

Methotrexate is a common medication that is prescribed to patients diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome and other autoimmune diseases. Methotrexate replaced the more powerful and toxic antifolate aminopterin starting in the 1950s. The two medications should not be confused. It interferes with the growth of certain cells of the body that reproduce quickly and excessively. The most common illnesses it is used to treat are cancer, severe psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis (large doses of methotrexate are used in chemotherapy). In the 1940's, methotrexate was developed for leukemia therapy. The first attempt to use it against rheumatoid arthritis was reported in 1951. Methotrexate is a last resource drug- it is usually administered when other medications have failed to help.

Possible side effects of administering methotrexate include anemia, neutropenia, bruising, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, dermatitis, and diarrhea. A small percentage deve;op hepatitis and pulmonary fibrosis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved methotrexate, and puts it in category “X” on pregnancy because it can cause birth defects in unborn children and should absolutely not be used if you are pregnant or you are breast feeding. This is important for the male party as well when conceiving a child. Nether parent or partner should be taking the medication. It is important that both partners use a preventative form of birth control. However, in a methotrexate abortion, it stops embryonic cells from dividing and multiplying and is a non-surgical method of ending pregnancy in its early stages. Within a few days or weeks of receiving an injection of methotrexate (MTX) at the clinic, the pregnancy ends through an experience similar to an early miscarriage. It has been successfully used since 1982 in a single dose to treat ectopic (tubal) pregnancies (where the fertilized egg is embedded in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus).

The drug works like this… A certain dosage (depending on how serious the illness) is administered once a week or once a day. After a certain period of time, the drug is stopped and the progress of the patient and cell count is noted. Methotrexate is used to regulate numbers and figures, not sustain for life.

Prices of different amounts of methotrexate vary. Methotrexate is available in 2.5-mg tablets as a generic or a brand-name dose pack called Rheumatrex. The dose packs consist of four cards with two, three, four, five or six 2.5-mg tablets. The cost for a weekly dose (7.5 to 15.0 mg) of methotrexate tablets ranges from $6 to $15 for the generic product and from $9 to $22 for Rheumatrex. The weekly cost for methotrexate injection (generic only) ranges from $6 to $25.

If you are prescribed methotrexate, RateADrug.com has a plethora of sample surveys from other patients who have taken it. Take a look at common side effects and stories experiences on the website by the patients who took this medication (as well as many others). And Good Luck!