Methotrexate (MTX), formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune-system suppressant.[4] It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and ectopic pregnancies.[4] Types of cancers it is used for include breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, lymphoma, gestational trophoblastic disease, and osteosarcoma.[4] Types of autoimmune diseases it is used for include psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease.[4] It can be given by mouth or by injection.[4]
Common side effects include nausea, feeling tired, fever, increased risk of infection, low white blood cell counts, and breakdown of the skin inside the mouth.[4] Other side effects may include liver disease, lung disease, lymphoma, and severe skin rashes.[4] People on long-term treatment should be regularly checked for side effects.[4] It is not safe during breastfeeding.[4] In those with kidney problems, lower doses may be needed.[4] It acts by blocking the body's use of folic acid.[4]
Methotrexate was first made in 1947 and initially was used to treat cancer, as it was less toxic than the then-current treatments.[8] In 1956 it provided the first cures of a metastatic cancer.[9] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[10][11] Methotrexate is available as a generic medication.[4] In 2021, it was the 132nd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 4million prescriptions.[12][13]
^"methotrexate – definition of methotrexate in English from the Oxford dictionary". OxfordDictionaries.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
^ abcdefghijklm"Methotrexate". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^"FDA-sourced list of all drugs with black box warnings (Use Download Full Results and View Query links.)". nctr-crs.fda.gov. FDA. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
^ abcde"Trexall, Rheumatrex (methotrexate) dosing, indications, interactions, adverse effects, and more". Medscape Reference. WebMD. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
^ abBannwarth B, Labat L, Moride Y, Schaeverbeke T (January 1994). "Methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. An update". Drugs. 47 (1): 25–50. doi:10.2165/00003495-199447010-00003. PMID 7510620. S2CID 46974070.
^Sneader W (2005). Drug Discovery: A History. John Wiley & Sons. p. 251. ISBN 9780470015520. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017.
^"Today's anti-cancer tools are ever better wielded". The Economist. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
^World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
^World Health Organization (2021). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/345533. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
^"The Top 300 of 2021". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^"Methotrexate - Drug Usage Statistics". ClinCalc. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
Methotrexate (MTX), formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune-system suppressant. It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases...
as leucovorin, is a medication used to decrease the toxic effects of methotrexate and pyrimethamine. It is also used in combination with 5-fluorouracil...
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate, may be used to try to slow the progression of disease. Biological DMARDs...
deoxynucleoside analogues and thiopurines. The anti-folates include methotrexate and pemetrexed. Methotrexate inhibits dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), an enzyme that...
(DMARDs). Upadacitinib may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate. Upadacitinib was approved in January 2022, by the FDA for treating adults...
to remove the fallopian tube all together. The use of the medication methotrexate works as well as surgery in some cases. Specifically it works well when...
problems, steroids such as prednisone are indicated. Medications such as methotrexate, chloroquine, or azathioprine may occasionally be used in an effort to...
such as infliximab and adalimumab, the TNF inhibitor etanercept, and methotrexate for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. The biologic agent rituximab...
moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, applied in combination with methotrexate, if other drugs like disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and...
treatment may improve symptoms. Medications used include corticosteroids, methotrexate, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Outcome depends...
As such, it will help to reduce the side effects of methotrexate. Contraindications of methotrexate include: Patient with active infection Ascites Immunodeficiency...
vitamin D3 cream, ultraviolet light, immunosuppressive drugs, such as methotrexate, and biologic therapies targeting specific immunologic pathways. About...
corticosteroids family are typically used with other agents such as methotrexate or azathioprine recommended if steroids are not working well. Intravenous...
dihydrofolic acid by dihydrofolate reductase. This reaction is inhibited by methotrexate. It is converted into 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate by serine hydroxymethyltransferase...
synthesis of nucleic acids. These include: folic acid analogues, such as methotrexate purine analogues, such as azathioprine and mercaptopurine pyrimidine...
favorable survival outcomes that accompanied use of Cyclophosphamide Methotrexate Fluorouracil (CMF) after the initial mastectomy. In 1976, shortly after...
strongly resemble the real substrate of the enzyme. For example, the drug methotrexate is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, which...
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as an energy source in the cell, developed methotrexate for the treatment of cancer and led the department at Lederle laboratories...
(Voraxaze) is a medication used for the treatment of elevated levels of methotrexate (defined as 1 micromol/L) during treatment of cancer patients who have...
with folate metabolism are used to treat cancer. The antifolate drug methotrexate is often used to treat cancer because it inhibits the production of the...
methotrexate even at low doses. In contrast to intravenous methotrexate for cancer patients, leukoencephalopathy induced by orally taken methotrexate...
addition of IV methotrexate and folinic acid (leucovorin) may extend survival to a median of 3.5 years. If radiation is added to methotrexate, median survival...
synthesis. Trimethoprim, an antibiotic, inhibits bacterial DHFR while methotrexate, a chemotherapy agent, inhibits mammalian DHFR. However, resistance has...
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Post-transplant Associated with methotrexate therapy Primary central nervous system lymphoma occurs most often in...
cromoglycate, and environmental control. Experimentally, a low dose of methotrexate or cyclosporin and omalizumab (a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody) has been...
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