Does methotrexate make you gain weight?

Methotrexate was shown to cause a modest amount of weight gain over 6 months, in a study measuring weight changes in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The patients who were most likely to gain weight when starting methotrexate, were patients who had recently lost weight due to rheumatoid arthritis.

Does methotrexate cause bloating and weight gain?

As helpful as this medication is, those taking methotrexate may experience some side effects, including nausea and vomiting, mouth sores and ulcers, headaches, and fatigue. 1 Research has shown that using this drug can also result in weight gain.

Can methotrexate cause weight loss?

This medication is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. It can cause diarrhea, nausea, and an upset stomach, any of which may lead to weight loss. The study examined weight gain and weight loss in more than 30,000 people who were taking RA medication, such as methotrexate, prednisone, or leflunomide.

Does methotrexate make you retain water?

During high-dose methotrexate therapy we recognized a significant increase in AVP secretion as it has previously been reported for other cytostatics. We observed an excessive augmentation of AVP excretion in 24 h urine in 9 patients receiving high-dose methotrexate combined with a considerable water retention.

Does methotrexate affect appetite?

This medicine may cause stomach and bowel problems. Check with your doctor right away if you have 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.

Medications That Cause Weight Gain (Medicines Cause Weight Gain) 2022

What foods should you avoid when taking methotrexate?

There are no specific foods that you need to avoid while taking methotrexate. However, methotrexate may reduce your ability to fight infection. Therefore, it's best to avoid unpasteurised milk and soft cheeses.

Why should you not touch methotrexate?

Methotrexate and pregnancy

Even touching or inhaling the dust from the tablet can allow the medicine to get into the body. Methotrexate goes into sperm, so it's important that a man taking it doesn't get his partner pregnant.

What happens if you take methotrexate and folic acid on the same day?

You can safely take folic acid without any impact on the efficacy of methotrexate.

Can I exercise while taking methotrexate?

Methotrexate may cause kidney damage. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids during your treatment with methotrexate, especially if you exercise or are physically active. Call your doctor if you think you might be dehydrated. You may become dehydrated if you sweat excessively or if you vomit, have diarrhea or have a fever.

Does methotrexate affect sleep?

Studies Show Link Between Inflammation and Sleep Disruption

Another study, published in August 2017 in the journal NeuroImmunoModulation, concluded that inflammation influences sleep. Researchers revealed that treatment with methotrexate or Enbrel (etanercept) improved sleep quality.

Does methotrexate make you moody?

While methotrexate works for many patients, studies generally find that around 30 percent of patients experience nausea after taking the drug. Others deal with vomiting, mouth ulcers and hair loss. Behavioral symptoms can include moodiness and irritability.

Does methotrexate cause bloating?

The disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) methotrexate is another frequently mentioned cause of stomach discomfort cited by myRAteam members. This medication can result in several gastrointestinal ailments, including stomach bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea.

Do you gain weight with rheumatoid arthritis?

RA medications such as steroid prednisone can lead to weight gain. “It is linked to fluid retention and increased appetite,” explains Maya-Villamizar. Talk to your doctor if prednisone is keeping you from reaching your weight loss goals.

Does methotrexate make you tired?

Common Side Effects

Many also complain of headaches, fatigue and an overall “blah” feeling. This is sometimes called “methotrexate fog,” and can occur a day after receiving a dose of methotrexate (which is taken in pill form or injected once a week).

What are the long term side effects of methotrexate?

People who took methotrexate had small-to-moderate increases in risks for skin cancer, infections, and gastrointestinal, lung and blood problems, according to the study published Feb. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

What happens when you stop taking methotrexate?

Patients who stopped taking methotrexate reported having substantially more gastrointestinal issues — including nausea, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite — from methotrexate than current users did. Just 26 percent of current MTX users reported nausea, compared with 40 percent of those who used it previously.

Can I drink coffee while taking methotrexate?

Dietary caffeine intake does not affect methotrexate efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol.

Does methotrexate shorten your life?

Editorial comment: This study suggests that effective MTX treatment enhances life expectancy even in severe advanced disease, as evidenced by the lower SMRs in the responders compared to nonresponders.

Can you be in the sun while taking methotrexate?

Methotrexate is often listed as causing sun sensitivity. However, methotrexate is not, in fact, a sun sensitizing drug, but rather produces a reaction called radiation recall. Areas where patients have had sunburns in the past may react again after starting methotrexate.

Should I stop taking methotrexate during Covid?

Should I routinely stop my treatment? advice from all of the British, European, and US guidelines is that the treatment should continue. ► It is especially important that you do NOT stop steroid tablets. These must be continued through any illness.

Can methotrexate affect your eyes?

In some patients, methotrexate can cause serious side effects. These include blurred vision or a sudden loss of vision, confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures, and weakness or difficulty moving one side of your body.

Is methotrexate a high risk medication?

Methotrexate is a high-alert drug, and extra safeguards are needed whenever it is prescribed, dispensed, and administered, regardless of the setting, dose, or indication for use. While severe harm and fatalities have occurred during hospitalization, many of the adverse outcomes have occurred after discharge.

What is a natural alternative to methotrexate?

But new research published in the BMJ suggests that a Chinese herbal remedy is just as effective as methotrexate. Share on Pinterest Researchers say a Chinese herbal remedy – TwHF – is just as effective in reducing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis than commonly used drug, MTX.

Can I drink alcohol on methotrexate?

For its part, the American College of Rheumatology says “methotrexate should not be taken if kidney or liver function is not normal. Alcohol significantly increases the risk for liver damage while taking methotrexate, so alcohol should be avoided.”

What can I take instead of methotrexate?

In elderly patients with RA who are unable to tolerate methotrexate, the alternatives are hydroxychloroquine or sulfasalazine for mild-to-moderate disease and cyclosporin or leflunomide for severe disease, given in combination with low-dose oral corticosteroids.