Chemotherapy Drug Information
<< BackMethotrexate
Your doctor has ordered the drug methotrexate to help treat your illness. The drug can be given by injection into a vein. Methotrexate is in a class of drugs known as antimetabolites; it slows the growth of certain cells in your body.
Before taking methotrexate,
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially azathioprine (Imuran); non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or Nuprin), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Actron or Orudis), or naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, or Naprosyn);oral acne medications such as isotretinoin (Accutane) and tretinoin (Vesanoid); oral diabetes medications; phenytoin (Dilantin); probenecid (Benemid); sulfa drugs (Bactrim, Septra); tetracycline; (Achromycin V, Sumycin); and vitamins.
- Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease, ulcers, problems with your immune system, intestinal disease, lung disease, or cancer.
- You should know that methotrexate may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Methotrexate may harm the fetus.
- Tell your doctor if you have a history of alcohol abuse. Do not drink alcohol; alcohol increases the chance of liver damage with methotrexate.
- Do not have any vaccinations (e.g., measles or flu shots) without talking to your doctor.
Side effects from methotrexate are common and include:
- thinned or brittle hair
- loss of appetite or weight
- mouth blistering
- fatigue
- painful urination or red urine
- diarrhea
- stomach pain
- unusual bruising or bleeding
- fever
- chills
- shortness of breath
- swelling of the feet or ankles
- nausea and vomiting
- rash
- skin rash