Severe neck pain with Methotrexate

Anniewheels · 12. Feb 2025, 09:27

Since starting on Methotrexate, 2 weeks ago, I suddenly developed a very painful neck, very similar to the pain after sustaining a whiplash injury & am unable to move my head through the normal range of movements. Has anyone else experienced this & if so how long does it last?

olivia_b · 12. Feb 2025, 11:25

Hello @Anniewheels,

Welcome to the online community!

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time on Methotrexate, personally I did get quite sick on the medication however I don't think I ever had a stiff neck. I experienced mostly sickness and fatigue when taking my meds and that was the reason I came off it.

I have linked some information below about the meds themselves but I also highly recommend contacting the helpline for some advice on 0800 5200 520.

https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/methotrexate/

I really hope you manage to get things sorted and please do let us know if you have any more questions.

All the best,

Olivia

amybrighton · 7. Apr 2025, 18:19

Hey @Anniewheels, I was so excited to come across your post.

I've been on methotrexate since last July and now almost always have the stiff neck that you describe, having never had it before. My consultant and nurse team don't recognise it as a side effect and my osteopath (who I see for this new neck pain!) notes that arthritis itself does affect that neck, so it's more likely that.

I'm now testing/tracking whether I can see patterns in when it's worse to try to confirm or rule out a link - I then plan to skip a week or two (with the knowledge of my nurse team) and see whether it makes any difference.