After several years of taking methotrexate with good results my wife became very short of breath after mild exertion. The emergency room physician told her to stop taking methotrexate and the problem got no worse. Unfortunately after nine months it has gotten only slightly better.
Some medical studies seem to show a few patients do develope serious lung problems which may or may not clear up. In my wife's case she was also developing memory problems which have cleared up somewhat. This apparently is not uncommon when large doses of MTX are used in chemo. The moral would seem to be to pay attention to any unusual developments. They could be serious.
Thank you for the warning Bill. I appreciate you sharing that with our group. We have many members who are on Methotrexate and who have been for extended periods of time at high doses for RA; myself included.
I hope your wife's problems continue to improve over time.
I hope they do, too, Bill. As one who just started taking MTX about 3 1/2 months ago, I've been more concerned about it helping me than in what it does to me.I was a bit paranoid about having to take mtx again, but I have had a pnemonia vaccination prior to starting the drug, so here's hoping! (And I'm probably going overboard on the hand-washing, so I don't pick up germs.)
But for all that, the pros vastly outweighed the cons, because the mtx put me into remission, which lasted nearly 5 years!! (I have reactive arthritis, not RA).
I think that is the general idea, the benefits typically out weigh the risks.