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Methotrexate and memory loss

Posted , 11 users are following.

Dinah54
Dinah54

I am on my second week of methotrexate which was prescribed for sero negative inflammatory arthritis.

I am finding it hard to string a sentence together. It's word retrieval that is the problem. Not ideal for a journalist!

Is this a known side effect of methotrexate?

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • kristy7
    kristy7 Dinah54

    Posted

    Hi Dinah,

    Sorry to hear of your troubles. I know with my Dad that he was intermittently confused and MTX definetly can have that effect...

  • steph1222
    steph1222 Dinah54

    Posted

    I have been on MTX for about 6 weeks and my boss at work has noticed that I'm forgetting thing that I have done for 20 years. I've had this brain fog happen before when I was on a blood pressure medicine. As soon as I stopped taking it everything returned to normal. So when this started happening again I started to wonder, which led me here. I'll have to watch more closely to see exactly which days are worse after taking the medication. Yesterday was a bad day. But I honestly can't remember if I took it last night or the night before. Ergo.. My problem.. I am convinced it's the medicine.
    • Lisa_Batts
      Lisa_Batts steph1222

      Posted

      Dear Steph,

      It's horrible isn't it but you aren't going mad. There is actually a recognised symptom of memory loss with MTX called methotrexate fog. A lot of doctors don't believe it but I've been on MTX for a year (roughly) and I definitely get it. Mine is always the day after I've taken the MTX and into the next day until afternoon. Try and monitor when yours happens and perhaps have a word with your employer so they are aware. I think it has lessened the longer I've been on it 😊😊 I hope yours does too 🤗

    • deborah26407
      deborah26407 steph1222

      Posted

      Hi Steph1222,  I was just wondering how you were going?  I'm wondering if there could be a link between my Dad's FTD diagnosis and methotrexate, since so much of his behaviour doesn't really fit any type of frontotemporal behaviour - it's mainly his speech which has become much worse over the 6 years he's been on methotrexate for RA. Just googled dementia caused by methotrexate out of desperation....  Would love to hear how you are going now.  Many thanks.

  • melissa64516
    melissa64516 Dinah54

    Posted

    I am having the same problem.
    • Guest
      Guest melissa64516

      Posted

      Google mucinexDM and methotrexate toxicity. You will find an interesting article. If your doc approves, you can take a mucinex DM must be DM formula with your dose and then 12 hours later and it helps tremendously with the cognitive effects.
  • mazz33
    mazz33 Dinah54

    Posted

    Yes...Dinah I believe it is and have tested it out on myself....You get the occasional honest and up to date Rheumo that will admit it and others fail to....it can be very frustrating having brain drain and inefficient memory recall....

     

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