METHOTREXATE (ORAL)

(meth oh TREX ate) Brand: Rheumatrex Doze Pack, Trexall

What is the most significant information I must know about methotrexate?

• Methotrexate is generally taken once or twice for week and not each day. You should use the correct doze of methotrexate for your condition. Some people have died after taking methotrexate each day by accident.

• Do not use methotrexate to treat psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis if you have liver malady (especially if caused by alcoholism), or a blood cell or bone marrow disorder.

• Do not use methotrexate if you are pregnant or breast-feeding a baby.

• Methotrexate can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. You may get an infection or bleed more easily. Call your doctor if you have unusual bruising or bleeding, or signs of infection (fever, chills, body aches).

• Methotrexate can reason serious or life-threatening side effects on your liver, lungs, or kidneys. Speak your doctor if you have upper stomach pain, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), dry cough, shortness of breath, blood in your urine, or few or no urinating.

What is methotrexate?

• Methotrexate interferes with the growth of determined cells of the body, especially cells that reproduce quickly, such as cancer cells, bone marrow cells, and skin cells.

• Methotrexate is used to treat determined types of cancer of the breast, skin, head and neck, or lung. Methotrexate is also used to treat severe psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Methotrexate is generally given after another medications have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

• Methotrexate may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking methotrexate?

• You must not use this medication if you are allergic to methotrexate. Do not use methotrexate to treat psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis if you have:

· alcoholism, cirrhosis, or another liver disease;

· a blood cell mess such as anemia (lack of red blood cells) or leukopenia (lack of white blood cells);

· a bone marrow mess; or

· if you are breast-feeding a baby.

• Methotrexate is sometimes used to treat cancer even when patients do have one of the conditions listed above. Your doctor will solve if this treatment is right for you.

• To create certain methotrexate is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:

· kidney disease;

· a folate deficiency;

· pneumonia or lung disease;

· stomach ulcers;

· any type of infection; or

· if you are receiving radiation treatments.

• FDA pregnancy category X. Methotrexate can reason birth defects in an unborn child. Do not use methotrexate to treat psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis if you are pregnant. Speak your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.

• You may need to have a negative pregnancy test till starting this treatment.

• Use birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are using methotrexate, whether you are a man or a woman. Methotrexate use by either parent may reason birth defects.

• If you are a man, use a condom to hold from causing a pregnancy while you are using methotrexate. Continue using condoms for at least 90 days after your treatment ends.

• If you are a woman, use an effective form of birth control while you are taking methotrexate, and for at least one cycle of ovulation after your treatment ends.

• Do not give this medication to a baby without the advice of a doctor.

• Older adults may be more likely to have side effects from this medication.

How must I take methotrexate?

• Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medication in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended.

• You should use the correct doze of methotrexate for your condition. Methotrexate is sometimes taken once or twice for week and not each day. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Some people have died after taking methotrexate each day by accident. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about your doze of methotrexate or how often to take it.

• Use methotrexate regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled till you run out of medication completely.

• Methotrexate can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. Your blood will need to be tested often, and you may need an casual liver biopsy. Your cancer treatments may be delayed based on the results of these tests.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a doze of methotrexate.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of methotrexate can be fatal.

What must I avoid while taking methotrexate?

• This medication can pass into body fluids (including urine, feces, vomit, semen, vaginal fluid). For at least 48 hours after you receive a doze, avoid allowing your body fluids to come into contact with your hands or another surfaces. Patients and caregivers must wear rubber gloves while cleaning up body fluids, handling contaminated trash or laundry or changing diapers. Wash hands till and after removing gloves. Wash soiled clothing and linens apart from another laundry.

• Body fluids must not be handled by a woman who is pregnant or who may become pregnant. Use condoms during sexual activity to avoid exposure to body fluids.

• Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds), especially if you are being treated for psoriasis. Methotrexate can create your skin more sensitive to sunlight and your psoriasis may worsen.

• Avoid drinking alcohol while taking methotrexate.

What are the possible side effects of methotrexate?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Stop using methotrexate and call your doctor at once if you have:

· dry cough, shortness of breath;

· diarrhea, vomiting, white patches or sores internal your mouth or on your lips;

· blood in your urine or stools;

· swelling, rapid weight gain, few or no urinating;

· seizure (convulsions);

· fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

· pale skin, light bruising, unusual bleeding, weakness, feeling light-headed or short of breath;

· nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

· severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your person or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the person or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

• General side effects may include:

· vomiting, upset stomach;

· headache, dizziness, weary feeling; or

· blurred vision.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect methotrexate?

• Much drugs can interact with methotrexate. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Speak your doctor about all your medications and any you start or stop using during treatment with methotrexate, especially:

· azathioprine;

· leucovorin;

· phenytoin;

· probenecid;

· theophylline;

· an antibiotic or sulfa drugs;

· isotretinoin, retinol, tretinoin;

· NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)--ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib, diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others; or

· salicylates such as aspirin, Nuprin Backache Caplet, Kaopectate, KneeRelief, Pamprin Cramp Formula, Pepto-Bismol, Tricosal, Trilisate, and others.

• This list is not complete and much another drugs can interact with methotrexate. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Give a list of all your medicines to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about methotrexate.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.