Why methotrexate once weekly

While on methotrexate you must limit yourself to 2 alcoholic beverages per week. Blood work will be done every weeks to check your liver function. This blood work will also include a complete blood count CBC since methotrexate can also cause a decrease in blood counts. This blood work is very important. It allows the rheumatologist to make timely changes to your dose of methotrexate if there is ever problem. Methotrexate is known to cause birth defects in the children of both men and women taking this drug.

If you are pregnant, considering having a child, or nursing, discuss this with your rheumatologist before beginning this medication. You must use an effective form of birth control while taking methotrexate and for at least 3 months after the methotrexate is stopped. Your rheumatologist or nurse can give you additional guidance. Rose Cairns does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Methotrexate, sold under the brand name Methoblastin , is an antifolate drug, which means it inhibits the activation of folic acid in the body. It is taken once per week to treat a range of conditions. These include rheumatoid arthritis, the skin disorder psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Methotrexate was first developed in the s as a cancer treatment and is still used for this in higher doses. The methotrexate drug molecule is structurally similar to folic acid, which is important for making new cells.

It inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase that turns folic acid into its active form. This reduces cell growth and is why methotrexate is used to treat some cancers. The way methotrexate works for inflammatory conditions is less clear. But we know it has a range of effects on DNA synthesis and immune signalling, which are thought to reduce the inflammation.

In rheumatoid arthritis, methotrexate reduces inflammation and damage to joints. Rather than just masking pain, methotrexate reduces it by reducing severity of the disease. Methotrexate was developed in the s when researchers discovered that increased folic acid worsened leukaemia and that dietary deficiency of folic acid reduced the cancer cell count.

Risk of liver disease in methotrexate treated patients. World J Hepatol. Methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis: optimizing therapy among different formulations. Current and emerging paradigms. Clin Ther. Accumulating evidence for a drug-drug interaction between methotrexate and proton pump inhibitors.

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Other Warnings for Methotrexate. Was this page helpful? Patients achieving ACR scores of 20 and 50 were determined at 8 and 16 weeks. In addition, the incidence of hepatotoxicity was also studied. Of the 80 patients, 66 completed 8 weeks of study, whereas 53 completed 16 weeks of study.