IMPORTANT WARNING:
Methotrexate may cause very serious, life-threatening side effects. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving methotrexate injection for your condition.
Methotrexate injection may cause a serious, life-threatening reaction that may occur while or shortly after you receive this medication. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after receiving methotrexate, tell your doctor immediately: rash, itching, hives, throat tightness, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble swallowing; runny or stuffy nose, dizziness or lightheadedness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, wheezing, or feeling faint.
Tell your doctor if you or your partner is pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Methotrexate injection may harm your unborn baby. If you are female, you will need to take a pregnancy test before you receive methotrexate and use a reliable method of birth control during your treatment and for 6 months after your final dose. If you are male, you and your female partner should use a reliable method of birth control during your treatment and for 3 months after your last dose. If you or your partner become pregnant, call your doctor immediately. Methotrexate may cause harm or death to the fetus.
Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had excess fluid in your stomach area or in the space around your lungs and if you have or have ever had kidney disease or are receiving dialysis treatments. Also tell your doctor if you are taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, choline magnesium trisalicylate (Tricosal, Trilisate), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), magnesium salicylate (Doan's), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or salsalate. These conditions and medications may increase the risk that you will develop serious side effects of methotrexate. Your doctor will monitor you more carefully and may need to give you a lower dose of methotrexate or stop your treatment with methotrexate.
Methotrexate may cause a decrease in the number of blood cells made by your bone marrow. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a low number of any type of blood cells or any other problem with your blood cells. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: sore throat, chills, fever, ongoing cough and congestion, or other signs of infection; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual tiredness or weakness; pale skin; or shortness of breath.
Methotrexate may cause liver damage, especially when received for a long period of time. Tell your doctor if you drink or have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol or if you have or have ever had liver disease. Your doctor may not want you to receive methotrexate injection unless you have a life-threatening form of cancer because there is a higher risk that you will develop liver damage. The risk that you will develop liver damage may also be higher if you are elderly, obese, or have diabetes. Ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are receiving methotrexate injection. Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medications: acitretin (Soriatane), azathioprine (Imuran), isotretinoin (Accutane), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), or tretinoin (Vesanoid). Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: nausea, extreme tiredness, lack of energy, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or flu-like symptoms.
Methotrexate may cause lung damage. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had lung disease. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: dry cough, fever, or shortness of breath.
Methotrexate may cause damage to the lining of your mouth, stomach or intestines. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had stomach ulcers or ulcerative colitis (a condition which causes swelling and sores in the lining of the colon [large intestine] and rectum). Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: mouth sores, diarrhea, black, tarry, or bloody stools, and vomiting, particularly if vomit is bloody or looks like coffee grounds.
Using methotrexate may increase the risk that you will develop lymphoma (cancer that begins in the cells of the immune system). If you do develop lymphoma, it might go away without treatment when you stop receiving methotrexate, or it might need to be treated with chemotherapy.
Methotrexate may cause serious or life-threatening skin reactions. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: fever, rash, blisters, or peeling skin.
Methotrexate may decrease the activity of your immune system, and you may develop serious infections. Tell your doctor if you have any type of infection and if you have or have ever had any condition that affects your immune system. Your doctor may tell you that you should not receive methotrexate unless you have life-threatening cancer. If you experience signs of infection such as a sore throat, cough, fever, or chills, call your doctor immediately.
If you receive methotrexate while you are being treated with radiation therapy for cancer, methotrexate may increase the risk that the radiation therapy will cause damage to your skin, bones, or other parts of your body.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests before, during, and after your treatment to check your body's response to methotrexate and to treat side effects before they become severe.
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