Methotrexate Side Effects - anyone had anything similar?

MRach321

Hey I am 20 years old with psoriatic arthritis i have been on Methotrexate for about 5 months but recently its caused an ugly rash on my face, not psoriasis more like spots, anyone had similar experiences with these meds

annabanana

Hi @MRach321 , sorry to hear about your reaction to methotrexate! Have you mentioned this to your doctor, as a rash is usually a sign of an allergic reaction. If it is more like acne than an allergic reaction then it could be perhaps fungal/bacterial acne? Nevertheless, I would recommend reaching out to a doctor so you can have a definitive answer and (hopefully) a treatment.

frogmorton

Don't know whether it's relevant, but are you/have you been on steroids while waiting for your MTX to work?

My daughter was on steroids for cancer and it gave her horrendous acne. Just a thought. If so it should go given time.

Worth checking with your rheumatology team. This side effect is not that well known, but the Drs spotted it straight away with my daughter.

Good luck

Toni x

MD99

This could be totally irrelevant so please ignore if so! I have psoriasis and every now and again I get dermatitis / perioral dermatitis which causes lots of little spots and a rash, especially around my nose and mouth. I had never really heard of it until I started getting it.

MRach321

Thanks for all the advice, This week every day ive had these flashing migraines for about 45 minutes - mainly painless but they ruin my vision for the rest of the day. I believe its from the MTX. They are literally taking over my life😫

If it would be MTX why would it happen now if i started it about 6 months ago without any side effects yet? spoke to dr they believe its unrelated to MTX and have given me more pills.. Anyone had simialar migraines?

Arthuritis

@MRach321 With a drug like MTX that takes time to fully be effective, these weird side effects may still be part of MTX, which affects all tissues dependant on folate, including the brain. If you are taking something for your stomach upset like omeprazole, a PPI, that makes it difficult to absorb B12, essential for neural function, and it takes time for the body’s stores to be depleted. So it may be worth checking if you have any nutritional deficiencies induced by your medication showing up as these neurological symptoms. The rash could be as explained by Toni, but only GP who can get the rash examined under a microscope and culture any cells determine what caused it, eg suppressed immunity can cause bacteria to thrive. I assume you take folic acid a day after MTX?