It’s unusual how a drug that was primarily created for controlling leukemia and breast cancer is so effective for rheumatoid arthritis, but it seems that it’s just how Methotrexate works. This special medication works on controlling the speed of how fast cancerous cells grow and spread, and until today scientists are still stumped on how such an action can help treat rheumatoid arthritis, but as more and more findings show that Methotrexate can effectively keep rheumatoid arthritis from getting worse, the drug once made for several types of cancer became another medication that those stricken with rheumatoid arthritis can take.

Methotrexate is found to be incredibly potent when given during early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, and most of the time it is administered in high dosages, especially when the doctors decide that the Methotrexate side effects wont be as dangerous when compared to how the drug can control the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis differs from the other kinds of arthritis by being present in the joints, such as the wrists, the fingers, and the knees. Severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis can cause damage to the heart, skin, and eyes.

The causes for rheumatoid arthritis are as mysterious as the fact why Methotrexate can effectively stop the disease from progressing, and fortunately it affects only a small minority of the world population, around 11136559.000000or those who live in the USA. Somehow the disease is more common among women and the elderly, although it can also affect younger children and men.

Methotrexate can react adversely if you take other medicines along with it, and even you have other health problems such as high cholesterol and will need to take Simvastatin, talk the problem over with your doctor, for Methotrexate can cause the Simvastatin side effects to appear or get out of control. In most cases, the doctor will consider which health problem should be given more priority, and if it turns out that treatment for rheumatoid arthritis with Methotrexate is more important, Simvastatin therapy will be postponed or kept under control with very small doses of the drug.

Dosages for Methotrexate differ all the time, which is why you should carefully observe your doctors instructions on when and how much to take of the drug. Carefully observe any reactions when taking the drug, even if you are already under Methotrexate therapy for several months, since side effects can appear long after taking the drug. Never change the dose of Methotrexate yourself without first consulting your doctor, for this can cause Methotrexate to give sudden side effects or stop controlling the rheumatoid arthritis in your body.