Methotrexate

[Tinkerbell1959]

I would be interested if anyone in the group has joined any research with regards to Osteoarthritis and taking Methotrexate as a research project may be open to me. I would be interested in hearing what side effects you may have had and especially the positive outcomes.

Many thanks

Donna

[Hidden]

Dear Donna

Are you someone with RA yourself or are you a researcher?

Please email me directly if you are the latter as we can help you reach people in a far more effective way if your research proposal passes our criteria etc.

My email is [e-mail]

thank you

Clare

[Tinkerbell1959]

I am a patient who is hoping to join a research study

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to Tinkerbell1959]

Hi Donna

If I have understood you correctly, I assume you have osteoarthritis (OA) rather than rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or do you have both?

If you use the search box (top right) and search for methotrexate (or MTX, which it is sometimes shortened to) you will probably find a number of posts about people's experiences/side effects etc. You would also be welcome to call the helpline to discuss common side effects to the drug (0800 298 7650) and we also have an article about the drug on our website: nras.org.uk/methotrexate-in...

However, as this is an RA forum and the trial is for its use in OA, you are unlikely to find anyone else who is on this trial, as the people using MTX on this site will be using it for RA. In RA, MTX has been widely used since the 1980s and is the most commonly prescribed RA medication, so the experience of someone taking it as a very typical RA drug will be very different to someone taking it as a trial to test its benefits in OA.

I would therefore suggest that it might also be worth putting a post on the Arthritis Care forum, as I think they are more likely to have people who are on this trial:

arthritiscare.org.uk/help-a...

I hope this helps.

Victoria

(NRAS Helpline)

[flow4]

I've searched Medline for you. There's not much research into this, but there are two studies you might find relevant - see references below. The first one might be the research that underpins the trial you're joining (you can check by following the link at the end of the abstract)... Hope this is useful

________________________________________

Title: Methotrexate for pain relief in knee osteoarthritis: an open-label study.

Citation: Rheumatology (Oxford, England), May 2013, vol. 52, no. 5, p. 888-892 (May 2013)

Author(s): Wenham, Claire Y J, Grainger, Andrew J, Hensor, Elizabeth M A, Caperon, Anna R, Ash, Zoe R, Conaghan, Philip G

Abstract: Synovitis is very common in knee OA and associated with pain. This open-label study evaluated an anti-synovitis therapy, MTX, for pain relief in knee OA. Inclusion criteria included pain visual analogue scale (VAS) >40/100 mm, ACR clinical criteria for knee OA and intolerance/inefficacy of NSAID and opioids. US at baseline and 24 weeks assessed effusion and synovial thickness. Patients received MTX up to 20 mg/week for 24 weeks. Thirty participants were recruited; mean age 64.5 years, median pain VAS 68 mm. At 24 weeks, 13/30 (43%) achieved ≥30% reduction in pain VAS, 7 (23%) achieved ≥50% reduction and 4 (13%) had worsened. Thirteen achieved Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) responder criteria. All had effusion/synovitis at baseline. There was no correlation between change in imaging and change in pain scores at 24 weeks. This open-label trial suggests analgesic efficacy for MTX in OA knee and suggests that a randomized controlled trial is warranted. Trial Registration. Current controlled trials, controlled-trials.com/, ISRCTN66676866.

Source: Medline

________________________________________

Title: ACP Journal Club. Methotrexate reduced pain and improved function in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Citation: Annals of internal medicine, Aug 2014, vol. 161, no. 4, p. JC6. (August 19, 2014)

Author(s): Hart, Lawrence E

Source: Medline

Full Text:

Available from Ovid in Annals of Internal Medicine

Available from EBSCOhost in Annals of Internal Medicine

________________________________________

Search History:

1. Medline; methotrexate.ti,ab; 32836 results.

2. Medline; 1 AND osteoarthritis [Limit to: Publication Year 2005-2015 and (Language English) and Humans]; 33 results.

[Riedenise]

I just wanted to give my opinion, I have Ra and Oa. OA mainly in my knees and top finger joints. I have been on mtx since Jan 2013, I'm on 25mg injection pen. I ve found that the mtx doesn't do anything for my knees, they are very painful, swollen and puffy, I have baker cysts behind each knee. I'm in constant pain, walk with a stick, or hobble I should say.

I wish you luck in your trial and hope mtx will help and work for you.

I also have fibromyalgia and suffer greatly with pain for that.

[nomoreheels]

I've read that Arthritis Research awarded a grant for a PROMOTE trial by Leeds Uni which started in 2012 using oral MTX specifically for knees affected by OA though the trial had reached phase iii (arthritisresearchuk.org/res..., though of course the one you're considering may be a different trial entirely. The Nuffield in Oxford was one recruiting more recently, again led by the team at Leeds ox.ac.uk/news/2015-07-13-ox... though I'm not sure if they're still recruiting. It's possible other hospitals have become involved since though of course.

I have both RD & OA & taking MTX. Unfortunately it doesn't do much for my OA knees. I wish you luck if you're selected.