Some side effects of methotrexate may cause death

Patients with liver diseases, especially liver diseases and disorders caused by alcoholism, blood cell disorders and bone marrow disorders should not use methotrexate to treat neither rheumatoid arthritis nor psoriasis. Also, methotrexate belongs to fda pregnancy category X, so it definitely can cause birth defects in unborn baby. It is necessary to use birth control while on methotrexate and at least for 90 days after the treatment ends.

My mom died in 1998 from taking methotrexate. She had taken it for over 2 years for arthritis. Later we learned you should not take for more than 6 months. We found out she was going to die 11 days before her death.

My mum has been on Methotrexate for 3 yrs and now has methotrexate toxicity and her kidneys are failing.. They cannot get her function back up and she has been in hospital for a month.. can you giveme any advice ??

My father died from side effects of methotrexate (2.5mg dose, for RA treatment) after only 3.5 weeks from first taking the drug.   His white blood cell count and platelette count dropped and he never recovered.  It was a terrible, terrible experience in a short amount of time that he went through (in and out of the hospital and ICU over a short time).   We never in our wildest nightmares imagined this would be the outcome.  He was in his 60s, non-drinker, non-smoker, healthy diet, active.  Now when I see drug commericals, the grave warnings many of them list are all I notice.

Surely a screen can be developed by companies like Merck for patients at high-risk of the deadly side-effects or new treatment plans with extreme-low dosage introduction with frequent monitoring to catch the early on-set of extreme adverse conditions.   My father has a living identical twin from whom big pharma could request more biological information to help develop a screen (assuming there was a genetic aspect to my father's fatal reaction to the drug).  I suggested this in email to several and received no response.  There's no excuse but I fear in big pharma's eyes the deaths are statistically non-existant ... but telll that to the 20+ grandkids of my father who will never know him.

 

GLUTEN-FREE!!! For rheumatoid arthritis, the answer could be as simple as diet -- GO GLUTEN-FREE. The body may recognize wheat as a "foreign protein". Please research this online (the info is out there, but most doctors are either mum or uninformed). After decades of methotrexate and Enbrel shots, our family member was pain-free after only two months of a strict gluten-free diet and fish oil capsules, and he continues to be. It's unconscionable that doctors don't prescribe a gluten-free diet FIRST before deciding on prescribing these strong drugs (for us, the methotrexate caused an almost deadly pneumonia -- twice ). S

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There is a test available for that exact reason. I had seen a newscast saying it was available for a price. Can't remember the amount or the test name. I am sure if you asked your doctor he or she could probably tell you what it is. That could help your dad's brother.
It should be a mandatory test if you are going to be taking a powerful drug like methotrexate.
I refused to take it and my opthomologist declined to see me anymore. I have been on prednisone for twenty years now and it has it's side effects but I was just too scared of taking the other one. I feel for your loss.

Same thing happened to my mom in 1997