Common side effects include

 

Nausea, loose bowel motion, reduced appetite, fatigue, headache, uncommonly hair loss, and mouth ulcers - usually occur for a few weeks after starting methotrexate and last for less than 24 hours after taking the weekly dose

 

These side effects are usually offset by adhering to the folic acid regimen your doctor prescribed for you, but if not contact the Rheumatology team.

 

You may minimise these side effects by taking your methotrexate at nighttime; increasing your folic acid to between 3 and 5 out of 7 days; You can also split the dose - take half the dose in the morning and the second half in the evening.

 

​If the side effects persist, we occasionally switch the injection (subcutaneous) form of the drug