Question
I am 25 years old and had been on methatrexate since September 2004 and have just been taken off it(January 2006). Over the last year I had noticed that I had become forgetful-forgetting simple things(like putting something down and not remembering where I had put it two minutes later). I had worried a little about it but didn’t make any connection with my medication. I met a lady the other day who had been on methatrexate for RA and she had to come off it as she had become very forgetful. Do you know if there are any links between methtrexate and memory loss? If so, does memory tend to come back after coming off drug?
Answer
This has not been well studied and there is no clear explanation why this might occur. I have certainly heard this complaint from a number of my patients on MTX. It tends to be most signficant right after the weekly dose. Often patients will also complain of fatigue and malaise or headache after the weekly dose as well. These symptoms tend to improve through the week. Generally, these symptoms resolve shortly after stopping MTX. If your symptoms persist, you may wish to be formally evaluated.
