methotrexate, brain fog, confusion

[Sunflowergirl01]

Anyone here take low dose methotrexate & developed brain fog or even memory issues? Confusion? I find a few cases online. The doctor says it is not the methotrexate. This is despite the fact my husband has developed intermittent ataxia, slurred speech, confusion, fatigue, etc.. only since starting the treatment.

[MidWhitgiftian]

Am currently on low dose of Metho. and low dose Prednisolone, memory not like it was'.

[Whitegate]

Yes but I'm 86 so the age of the braun is a bigger influence

[cyberbarn]

I was on a low dose of methotrexate which worked really well for about 6 months then I started feeling generally not well, I guess what people might call malaise. Then I started getting abdominal pain. When I stopped mtx for a covid jab, it all went away and I felt so much brighter, more energetic. I wouldn't say I had memory loss as such, but I did feel like I was walking through fog, and it crept up on me so I didn't notice how bad it was until I stopped.

[cathie]

I took mtx many years ago but didnt get brain fog. There is research linking inflammation to depression and brain fog though. Might that be worth exploring?

[KittyJ]

I would get your husband checked out by his GP as it could be something else unrelated to mtx, I wouldn’t just assume it’s the mtx. The only way to find out for sure is to stop the mtx for a couple of weeks as some people have done here but that might not be ok for him if he’s not been on it long as you don’t want to risk a flare. Start with the GP because common symptoms are fatigue/nausea but the others you mention don’t seem to be mentioned here when people talk about side effects.

[Happy5]

Suggest you contact RA dept about this sounds excessive reaction to me.

[Hope164]

Hi Sunflowergirl01, I took methotrexate for 4 years and suffered 3extreme fatigue and memory loss etc.

I came off it and miraculously those symptoms have gone, except short term memory loss which I already had.

Regards

Liz 🥰

[YorkieBard]

I can't remember....

[Nikky101]

Yes I suffered almost immediate brain fog, memory loss and severe fatigue which didn’t improve so came off it after three months. I knew it wasn’t right for me almost immediately but I had to persist in letting rheumy know it was making my life miserable . she gave me the steroid injections which helped a lot but the effect wore off within weeks and I did not see that as a long term solution. I was better on Hydroxychloroquine but that gave me hair loss …Good luck. Persistence pays off - in my experience you have to let rheumy know how it’s affecting you.

[Sebastian247]

I posted recently about experiencing almost identical problems (brain fog, fatigue, general malaise). I'm on 20mg orally (not sure what a low dose is...) and have been for two years. I stopped taking it for 5 weeks ago (missed four weekly doses) and felt distinctly better. I didn't mention it in my previous post but I did think my memory had improved, and definitely clarity of thought.

Even more unexpected was that I felt less anxious and had fewer panic attacks. I've suffered from depression and anxiety for years but the anxiey and panic attacks have got worse, and for increasingly trivial events. I'd never connected this to the MTX, but now I'm wondering.

I've been stone walled by rheumatology about changing medication. Their response was to diagnose fibromyalgia to explain away the MTX side effects. I don't have fibro and was not even examined for it when they diagnosed it.

I started back on MTX yesterday and today am feeling awful (fluey, foggy, general malaise, tired and struggling to concentrate). Some of this will ease as I get used to it again, but I will then find out if the longer term side effects return and can with certainty link it to the MTX. If / when that occurs I will be going back to rheumatology demanding to be put on a different drug.

But interestingly for me the RA symptoms haven't returned since stopping the MTX.

I'm fairly certain MTX has more side efects than is commonly understood or accepted by rheumatology. Were all unique and may react differently to drugs.

Hope this helps. Seb

[Robejo]

I take 15mg weekly, and have done so for last 3 years (with a 6 month sabbatical in the middle). Side effects occur with distinct regularity: I feel sudden onset of fatigue around 6hrs after taking. Therefore I try to take the dose mid-afternoon which means I hit the sack at the right time. I then have an unsettled night sleep, typically with some wild and often anxious dreams. The next 24hrs I am jittery, mildy panicky, foggy and snappy. 48hrs on I have returned to normality. I do find that intense cardiovascular exercise helps during those 48hrs. Currently on penicillin which isn't mixing well. Living the dream 😀