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Methotrexate overdose

Posted , 9 users are following.

sharniemarsh
sharniemarsh

Hi, 

Just wondering if anyone has information on methotrexate poisioning.  My mum has recently passed away and a few months ago, we found out that her prescribed amount of methotrexate had been changed from 2.5mg tablets to 10mg tablets without anyone picking this up.  She was told to take 4 of these per week (so instead of 10mg, she was taking 40mg), this went on for 2 years then most recenly in September it was upped again to 6 pills (60mg) and this went on for 3 weeks at this very high dose until she was in a terrible condition and it was picked up that she had been swapped to the 10mg tablets over 2 years ago.  My mum was on this medication for her rhemotoid arthertis but in the last month, it was picked up she had lung cancer which had travelled into her spine.  She died last week (less than 2 weeks after diagnonis of cancer) and she feels in her heart she got these cancers from so much methotrexate in her system.  My mum was a very strong lady and died a week before her 60th birthday and is not one to give up easy.. I just wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience or if anyone else has any information on this.  I would hate for this to happen to anyone else so I want to make sure that everyone who is on this drug is aware of the amount they are taking

Thanks

Sharnie

1 like, 19 replies

19 Replies

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  • brenda05405
    brenda05405 sharniemarsh

    Posted

    So sorry for the loss of your mother. Did she get regular blood tests? 
    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh brenda05405

      Posted

      Hi Brenda, 

      Yes she did, I am pretty sure she got monthly blood tests... We spoke to the doctor and asked him why it wasnt picked up.  Apparently they dont test for the amountof methotrexate in the blood.. I also have no idea why after her feeing so terrible for so long, they didnt re-evaluate her medication every 3 months.  This happened to my Mum in NZ. I have all her medical records to read through but havent had a chance yet as only just had her funeral.

  • todd86715
    todd86715 sharniemarsh

    Posted

    Speechless. Very sorry. I am new to this treatment but I am thankful for your actions to make all of us aware of your unfortunate loss. God bless you and your family
    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh todd86715

      Posted

      Thank you Todd...  I dont want my mother to die in vain and I hope that I can help as many people as I can to check that their medication dosage is correct.  I am sure this drug can do wonders for people but she felt like at such a high dose for such a long time, there was so much poison in her system.  She wasnt one to complain and it was only after reading a journal of hers she kept, that I realised how much she went through.  I just want people to be aware and make sure that this doesnt happen again.  The doctor could not deny or confirm that her death was a result of this overdose but she believed that it was what was destroying her.  I hope everything works out for you Todd and please if you feel like you are not medicated correctly, get a second or 3rd opinion.  

      God bless you too!

      Sharnie

    • todd86715
      todd86715 sharniemarsh

      Posted

      You have brought such wise counsel for me. I have been thinking along those lines. Thanks for your ooeness once again.
  • mrsmop
    mrsmop sharniemarsh

    Posted

    Hi Sharnie, how terrible for your Mum.

    I am on MTX [Methotrexate] though not currently taking it.  My Consultant always writes 10mg, please dispense 2.5mg tabs - on the prescription.  The Hospital Pharmacy is very careful about checking the dose and tablets.  The Community Pharmacy never mention the dose or anything else when I collect them there.

    I have often asked why, when they only make 2 formats of pill, 2.5mg and 10mg, they make them so similar to look at.  It would be much more sensible to make the 2.5 yellow, as they are and the 10 a different colour, maybe green, so that there cannot be a mix up.

    I don't know the system in NZ but I would hope that here in the UK, they would pick up on something from the blood tests if nothing else.  I would have thought that on the dose your mum was taking, her liver enzymes might have become elevated, thus triggering more checks but maybe not. 

    59 is so young.  It must be devastating for you to lose her.

    Have you read this article?

     https://patient.info/doctor/rheumatoid-arthritis-and-the-lung

    Interesting that the research was done in NZ.  Is that where you live too?

    I wish you well, Sharnie

     

    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh mrsmop

      Posted

      Hi 

      Thank you for the article.  I am glad your pharmasist is very careful with dosage.  I think in mums case, it should have been picked up earlier by many people but in the end, the doctor signed for it.  I also agree that the pills should be different and maybe they shouldnt be prescribed in 10mg format.  I dont really know.. I know taking this much of something cant be good for someone and I dont want this to happen to anyone else.  My mum was living in NZ and I am living in Australia. It was devasting to lose her sad

  • johnfs49
    johnfs49 sharniemarsh

    Posted

    Never heard of anyone taking more that 25mgs.

    Some places won't dispence the 10mg tablets because of over dose.

    You need to see what the doctor prescribed to see if this was a mistake by the pharmacy who dispenced the MTX.

    Sounds like the pharmacy dispenced 10mg with a 2.5mg dose to take.

    4 tablets at 2.5 mg = 10mg. 6 tables would be 15mg which would be an amount that would sound correct.

    You really need to see the prescription sheet to see what dose what stated on it.

    I fully expect you to find that it was an error from the pharmacy and not the doctor who prescribed this.

    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh johnfs49

      Posted

      Thanks John.  I think maybe the 10mg shouldnt be prescribed for this reason alone.  I am sure this would have happened to others too.  Her medication was changed for some unknown reason from 2.5mg to 10mgs.  The doctor kept signing for it for 2 years, the pharmacy didnt pick it up, the blood tests didnt show (or were not tested) even though she was getting sicker and sicker. It should have been picked up somewhere along the lines before she was then upped to 6 pills (60mg) and her lungs were terrible at that stage.  She was coming to visit me in Australia on holiday and was so looking forward to it.  They picked up the wrong dosage 2 days before she flew over.  It was horrible to see the state she was in, she couldnt even manage to walk up a few stairs and this was a fit lady who loved the outdoors and was so young at heart and was so excited about coming over and we had planned to do so many things.  This was in October 2014.  She stopped taking it altoghether once she found out to try and rid her body of the poison and although her lungs improved, the rest of her body started failing her to the point she ended up in at hospital as she was in agony and was giving pain killers, a wheelchair and sent home, after numerous xrays, ct scans, a MRI was finally given and this is where they picked up the cancers in her spine and her lungs and this was only 18th Feb.  She died on the 5th March.  I just want people to be aware as although the doctor couldnt confirm or deny her death was a result of this, it is plain to see it should have been picked up a long time ago and maybe things would have been different...

      Thanks

      Sharnie

    • johnfs49
      johnfs49 sharniemarsh

      Posted

      All the blood tests do really is check liver and kidney funtions.

      These are the main things that are classed as the side effects.

      The blood tests wouldn't tell anything else, unless they test for other things.

      I take 2 X 10mg tablets, my pharmacy said they don't dispence the 10mg tablets unless the dose is for 10mgs or 20mgs. If it's 5 or 15mgs they always dispence 2.5 mg tablets.

      You will probably find that the dose your mother was prescribed by the doctor was 15mgs which should have come in 2.5mg tablets and the pharmacy dispenced the 10mg ones.

  • Lisa_Batts
    Lisa_Batts sharniemarsh

    Posted

    I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. If you look up on the info on methotrexate it should always be prescribed in 2.5mg and not 10 as this mistake has happened in the past. I feel so sad and angry for you. Sometimes it is good to accept things and move on but personally I would find out at what source this error occurred and I would fight it. One to get justice and two to make sure this doesn't happen again. I feel for you so much send you my thoughts and strength. Lisa x
    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh Lisa_Batts

      Posted

      Hi Lisa

      We are torn about what to do and the fact that makes it harder is this was our family doctor and my mums employeer as she worked as a medical receptionist.  He has apologised profusely and told us this is the biggest mistake he has ever made.  He knew mum well so this would be hard on him.  We dont want to hurt anyone, or destroy anyone, but I do want more answers and want to stop this from happening again so I thought I would post this on a few forums to get some feedback, to see if this or anything similar has happened to anyone else,

      Thanks for your kind words

      Sharnie

    • Lisa_Batts
      Lisa_Batts sharniemarsh

      Posted

      I am still sending you strength thoughts and sorry for delay in replying. This is a tragedy and human error does occur and you have to deal with this in the way that makes life easier to live at peace with.

      Of course you don't want to make the doctor feel awful but this was not just an error, it was a fatal error which also went through a pharmacist and was double checked and still was not picked up on. I don't know your mums age or indeed her doctors but a fatal error is something I feel should always be confronted so that it doesn't happen again. I feel my doctor as she has got older has started to make more errors.doctors are human and as they get older maybe some of them have things going on that if not pointed out could cause them to make mistakes. Just food for thought.

      Bless you xxx

    • sharniemarsh
      sharniemarsh Lisa_Batts

      Posted

      Hi Lisa

      Thank you.  My mums was only 59... She died 5 days before her 60th birthday sad  She really did have much more life to live as she was so active and loved the outdoors, music etc..   Her partner is currently going through the process of ACC in NZ (accident compensation corporation) which the doctor has advised him to do and from that, they are looking into an investigation.  I totally understand what you mean, there is a expiry date on most things (doctors included).... I am still trying to find info if this has happened to anyone else but I can only find information on actute poisoning, where the patient has taken a large dose in a small amount of time (i.e - a few weeks)... I have found a case where a patient took 70mg for less than 2 weeks and died.  My mum took 40mg (instead of 10mg) for 2 years and then 60mg for 3 weeks before they figured out she was on the wrong dose.... 

      I just dont want anyone else to go through this sad

      Thanks

      xx

    • Lisa_Batts
      Lisa_Batts sharniemarsh

      Posted

      My heart really goes out to you and your family. I am thinking of you all and sending strength and saying some words for you. X
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