What is Methotrexate?

Commonly Used Brand Name(s)Rheumatrex Dose Pack, Trexall, Xatmep

Therapeutic ClassificationsAntineoplastic Agent

Pharmacologic ClassificationsAntimetabolite

Blackbox WarningTOP

Oral route (Solution)

Severe Toxic Reactions, Including Embryo-Fetal ToxicityMethotrexate can cause severe or fatal toxicities. Monitor closely and modify dose or discontinue for the following toxicities: bone marrow suppression, infection, renal, gastrointestinal, hepatic, pulmonary, hypersensitivity and dermatologic.Methotrexate can cause embryo-fetal toxicity and fetal death. Use in polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis is contraindicated in pregnancy. Consider the benefits and risks of methotrexate and risks to the fetus when prescribing methotrexate to a pregnant patient with a neoplastic disease. Advise patients to use effective contraception during and after treatment with methotrexate .

Oral route (Tablet)

Only use for life-threatening neoplastic disease or severe rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis unresponsive to other therapies. Death, fetal death and/or congenital anomalies, lung disease, tumor lysis syndrome, fatal skin reactions, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia have been reported. Monitor for bone marrow, liver, lung, and kidney toxicities. Unexpectedly severe (sometimes fatal) bone marrow suppression, aplastic anemia, and gastrointestinal toxicity have been reported with concomitant administration of methotrexate (usually in high dosage) along with some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Hepatotoxicity, fibrosis, and cirrhosis occur with prolonged use. Diarrhea and ulcerative stomatitis require interruption of therapy. Methotrexate elimination is reduced in patients with impaired renal function, ascites, or pleural effusions. Increased risk of soft tissue necrosis and osteonecrosis with concomitant radiotherapy. Malignant lymphoma may occur .

OverviewTOP

Methotrexate tablets are used alone or together with other medicines to treat several types of cancer such as breast, head and neck, lung, blood, bone, lymph node, uterus cancers, and severe rheumatoid arthritis. It is also used to control symptoms of severe psoriasis in adults who have not been helped by other treatments.

Methotrexate oral solution is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children, and help manage polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in children who had other treatments that did not work well.

Methotrexate belongs to the group of medicines known as antineoplastics (cancer medicines). It blocks an enzyme that is needed by cells to live. This interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed by the body. For patients with arthritis or psoriasis, methotrexate may work by improving the immune system.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Proper UseTOP

Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, do not use it more often, and do not use it for a longer time than your doctor ordered.

Measure the oral liquid medicine with a marked measuring spoon, oral syringe, or medicine cup.

DosingTOP

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

For oral dosage form (tablets):
- For cancer:
  - Adults—Dose is based on type of cancer and body size and must be determined by your doctor. A dose of 10 to 30 milligrams (mg) once per day may be given for several days and then repeated after a rest period. For some conditions, 5 to 50 mg once per week may be used. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
  - Children—Dose is based on type of cancer and body size and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is generally given once per day for several days and then repeated after a rest period. The dose may also be given once per week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
- For psoriasis:
  - Adults—At first, 10 to 25 milligrams (mg) once per week or 2.5 mg every 12 hours for 3 doses once each week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 30 mg once per week.
  - Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
- For rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile arthritis:
  - Adults—At first, 7.5 milligrams (mg) once per week or 2.5 mg every 12 hours for 3 doses once each week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
  - Children—Dose is based on body size and must be determined by your doctor. The starting dose is 10 milligrams (mg) per square meter (m(2)) of body size once per week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
For oral dosage form (solution):
- For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL):
  - Children—Dose is based on body size and must be determined by your doctor. At first, 20 milligrams (mg) per meter squared (m(2)) of body size once a week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
- For polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA):
  - Children—Dose is based on body size and must be determined by your doctor. At first, 10 milligrams (mg) per meter squared (m(2)) of body size once per week. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

Missed DoseTOP

This medicine needs to be given on a fixed schedule. If you miss a dose or forget to use your medicine, call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions.

Use & StorageTOP

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Before UsingTOP

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

AllergiesTOP

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

PediatricTOP

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of methotrexate for the treatment of cancer (including acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children with psoriasis.

GeriatricTOP

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of methotrexate in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have kidney problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose.

Breast FeedingTOP

Studies in women breastfeeding have demonstrated harmful infant effects. An alternative to this medication should be prescribed or you should stop breastfeeding while using this medicine.

Drug InteractionsTOP

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live
Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
Varicella Virus Vaccine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Aceclofenac
Acemetacin
Adenovirus Vaccine
Amoxicillin
Amtolmetin Guacil
Asparaginase
Aspirin
Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live
Bentiromide
Bromfenac
Bufexamac
Capecitabine
Celecoxib
Chloral Hydrate
Cholera Vaccine, Live
Choline Salicylate
Clonixin
Dantrolene
Dasabuvir
Dexibuprofen
Dexketoprofen
Dexlansoprazole
Diclofenac
Dicloxacillin
Diflunisal
Dipyrone
Doxifluridine
Doxycycline
Droxicam
Esomeprazole
Etodolac
Etofenamate
Felbinac
Fenbufen
Fenoprofen
Fepradinol
Feprazone
Floctafenine
Floxacillin
Flufenamic Acid
Fluorouracil
Flurbiprofen
Foscarnet
Fosphenytoin
Hydrochlorothiazide
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen Lysine
Indomethacin
Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live
Ketoprofen
Ketorolac
Leflunomide
Levetiracetam
Lornoxicam
Loxoprofen
Lumiracoxib
Meclofenamate
Mefenamic Acid
Meloxicam
Mezlocillin
Morniflumate
Nabumetone
Naproxen
Nepafenac
Niflumic Acid
Nimesulide
Nimesulide Beta Cyclodextrin
Omeprazole
Oxaprozin
Oxyphenbutazone
Pantoprazole
Parecoxib
Penicillin G
Penicillin V
Phenylbutazone
Phenytoin
Piketoprofen
Piperacillin
Piroxicam
Pirprofen
Poliovirus Vaccine, Live
Pristinamycin
Probenecid
Proglumetacin
Propionic Acid
Propyphenazone
Proquazone
Pyrimethamine
Rabeprazole
Salicylic Acid
Salsalate
Simeprevir
Smallpox Vaccine
Sodium Salicylate
Sulfamethizole
Sulfamethoxazole
Sulfapyridine
Sulfisoxazole
Sulindac
Tamoxifen
Tegafur
Tenoxicam
Teriflunomide
Tiaprofenic Acid
Ticarcillin
Tolfenamic Acid
Tolmetin
Triamterene
Trimethoprim
Typhoid Vaccine
Valdecoxib
Warfarin
Yellow Fever Vaccine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Amiodarone
Cyclosporine
Eltrombopag
Etoricoxib
Mercaptopurine
Procarbazine
Rofecoxib
Theophylline

Other InteractionsTOP

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Cola

PrecautionsTOP

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. The medicine may also cause birth defects if it is used by the father when his sexual partner becomes pregnant. Men should use birth control during and for at least 3 months after the last dose. Women should use birth control during and for at least 6 months after the last dose. Tell your doctor right away if pregnancy occurs while you are using this medicine.

Talk with your doctor before using this medicine if you plan to have children. Some men and women who use this medicine have become infertile (unable to have children).

Limit alcohol use with this medicine. Alcohol may increase the risk for liver problems.

Check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.

Methotrexate can lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, which increases the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.
Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine or stools, or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.
Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.
Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.
Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.

This medicine may cause stomach and bowel problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have abdominal or stomach pain, black, tarry stools, constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, pain in the back of the throat or chest when swallowing, or vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds.

Check with your doctor right away if you have cough, fever, or shortness of breath. These could be symptoms of a serious lung or breathing problems.

While you are being treated with methotrexate, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor's approval. Methotrexate may lower your body's resistance and the vaccine may not work as well or you might get the infection the vaccine is meant to prevent. In addition, you should not be around other persons living in your household who receive live virus vaccines because there is a chance they could pass the virus on to you. Some examples of live vaccines include measles, mumps, influenza (nasal flu vaccine), poliovirus (oral form), rotavirus, and rubella. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you have questions about this, talk to your doctor.

Serious skin reactions can occur with this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, red skin lesions, severe acne or a skin rash, sores or ulcers on the skin, or fever or chills while you are using this medicine.

This medicine may cause a serious reaction called tumor lysis syndrome. Tell your doctor right away if you have a change in urine amount, joint pain, stiffness, or swelling, lower back, side, or stomach pain, rapid weight gain, swelling of the feet or lower legs, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.