Methotrexate Side Effects & Patient Stories
Here’s what cancer patients had to say about their experiences with Methotrexate:
I had three drugs on Week 1 and two drugs on Week 2. I did that seven times.
My first week was etoposide, methotrexate and actinomycin-D. That was an overnight infusion, so I had to stay in the hospital for that.
I checked in at 8:30am, got settled in, did my labs, and all that. I normally didn’t start on chemo until about 2pm. I would go from about 2pm to about 6am.
I’d hang out and wait. Then I had another infusion for an hour and a half, and I’d go home in the mid-afternoon.
— Caroline Chisolm (Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplastia Grade 3)
I’ve had a really bad chemo cough. That’s from the methotrexate I’m on now for maintenance.
— Ciara Toth (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)
They had done research on the combination of methotrexate and navelbine, also known as vinblastine, and doing that in low doses over the course of a year.
That had shown to be very responsive. But my oncologist told me at the very beginning that I was something like the 60th patient that he had treated in his career with this. It’s something that’s not common.
I never really knew what to expect for my first 18 rounds of treatment. I would say that the first one was an hour-and-a-half to two hours, but then from there it varied anywhere between 45 minutes and my entire day.
I had two separate chemos, the methotrexate and the vinblastine, and at the first location, they were both administered by a chemo bag, like a drip. They didn’t do any saline.
— Ashley Williams (Desmoid Tumors)
I alternate between one and two mercaptopurine pills. Those are just a chemo pill I’ve been taking for years now. That’s the only daily one.
There’s methotrexate that’s a more common one that I take weekly unless it’s a treatment week then I’m not taking it because I get it through the IV.
— Evan Lessler (Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)
Patient Stories with Methotrexate
Anna T., B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-ALL)
Symptoms: Heavy period for a few hours, fatigue, feverish, sweating, bruises on legs
Treatment: ECOG 10403
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Renata R., B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+ALL)
1st symptoms: Fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, fevers, night sweats
Treatment: Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, TKI, stem cell transplant (tentative)
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Sheryl B., Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), Stage 4
1st Symptoms: (Over 15 years) Skin irritation from temperature changes, rising WBC levels, unexplained fatigue, retinal hemorrhage, hardened abdomen (from enlarged spleen)
Treatment: 6 cycles Hyper-CVAD chemotherapy
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Alicia B., Desmoid Tumor, Stage 4
Cancer details: Rare, <3% of all soft tissue tumors, more common in women
1st Symptoms: lump found in right armpit
Treatment: Chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, clinical trials, surgery, including forequarter amputation
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Ashley W., Desmoid Tumor
Cancer details: Rare, <3% of all soft tissue tumors, more common in women
1st Symptoms: leg tightness, increased swelling in leg
Treatment: Chemo infusion (Methotrexate, Navelbene), oral chemo (Nexovar)
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Caroline Chisolm, Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia, Grade 3
Cancer Details: As a result of a molar pregnancy
1st Symptoms: Morning sickness and an unusually high beta hCG
Treatment: EMACO chemotherapy
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Emily G., Diffuse Large B-Cell (DLBCL), Stage 4
1st Symptoms: Pain in left knee
Treatment: R-CHOP chemo (6 cycles), high-dose methotrexate chemo (3 cycles)
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