Side effect hair loss

Hair loss is a rare but possible consequence of taking medication. However, there are a number of possible causes of hair loss, so it could be a coincidence if hair loss occurs while taking Methotrexate. If a connection is probable, it should be considered in consultation with the doctor: If the drug is important and has no alternative for treatment, the side effect of hair loss should be accepted.

However, if necessary, Methotrexate can be discontinued and another medication taken. Depression is another known side effect of Methotrexate therapy. It occurs with a frequency of 1 to 0.1%. This means that out of 1000 patients taking methotrexate, 1-10 patients develop depression.

Methotrexate and alcohol – is it compatible?

Alcohol: One of the feared side effects of taking Methotrexate is an increase in liver values. Since alcohol consumption also has a negative effect on the liver and thus increases liver values, there is a risk of additional stress on the body if methotrexate is taken at the same time. In most cases, the vast majority of methotrexate is metabolized the day after ingestion and is no longer found in the body.

However, the metabolism produces a conversion substance – also called metabolite – which is very similar to methotrexate. This is excreted from the body on the second day after ingestion. In principle, an unscrupulous consumption of alcohol is then possible again.

However, this should of course be done in moderation, completely independent of the intake of methotrexate. It therefore makes sense to coordinate the intake of methotrexate with weekly events: If the “regulars’ table” always takes place on Saturday evening, at which one or the other beer is drunk, it makes more sense to inject the methotrexate at the beginning of the week, and not the day before. In case of doubt, the liver values can be determined very easily by taking a blood sample from the family doctor.

The analysis does not take more than 3 days. A one-time derailment of the liver values is not yet a broken leg. Unlike other organs, the liver is surprisingly resistant and can regenerate itself very well.

However, if liver values are permanently poor, functional failure can occur, which would make a liver transplant necessary. In most cases, however, liver values normalize when alcohol consumption is adjusted to the intake of methotrexate. In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg is implanted in the fallopian tube.

The fallopian tube is the connection between the uterus and the ovaries. After the male sperm have found their way through the uterus, they continue their journey via the fallopian tubes to the woman’s ovaries. This is where fertilization of the female egg cell(s) takes place.

The fertilized egg then travels back the same way the sperm came, passing through the fallopian tubes again. On its way into the uterus, however, it can “get stuck” in the fallopian tube for various reasons, and implant itself there. Reasons for this implantation in the wrong place are, for example, scars in the fallopian tube that the fertilised egg cannot get past.

If the egg has settled in the fallopian tube, this is called an ectopic pregnancy. This is a significant complication, as the fallopian tube does not have the properties of the uterus that allow the egg to mature into an embryo and fetus. For example, as the ovum grows, the space in the fallopian tube becomes insufficient.

This can lead to a rupture of the fallopian tube, i.e. a rupture of the fallopian tube. The maturing egg then either falls off and the pregnancy is terminated. Or, the egg cell nests in the peritoneum, which is located outside the ruptured fallopian tube.

Such an implantation is then called abdominal pregnancy, or ectopic pregnancy. In any case, a rupture of the fallopian tube is associated with severe pain, resulting in the symptoms of an “acute abdomen“. However, an ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed relatively easily with the help of ultrasound during a gynecological examination.

If the diagnosis is confirmed, the fertilized egg is removed surgically or with medication. The egg is definitely not viable in the fallopian tube, but in the absence of treatment it can lead to pain (see acute abdomen) in the best case, and in the worst case to the death of the mother.Since surgical treatment of ectopic pregnancy is often not desired, methotrexate can be used as a drug alternative. Surgical treatment can lead to scarring within the fallopian tube, which promotes a new ectopic pregnancy.

This scarring does not occur under methotrexate therapy. However, strict conditions apply to the use of methotrexate in an ectopic pregnancy: On the one hand, the embryo including surrounding tissue must not measure more than four centimeters. On the other hand, the level of the pregnancy hormone HCG plays a role.

HCG levels are usually highly elevated in pregnancies, only slightly elevated in ectopic pregnancies, and low in the absence of a pregnancy. It is also used in commercially available pregnancy tests for determination. A very high HCG value would be unusual in an ectopic pregnancy and would speak against methotrexate therapy.

However, if all criteria are met, methotrexate can be injected to induce the destruction of embryonic tissue. However, the dose is much lower than in chemotherapy or psoriasis treatment. Therefore, the usual side effects associated with Methotrexate therapy do not occur.

The advantage of using Methotrexate is, as already described, the absence of scarring in the fallopian tube. Only 7% of women treated with Methotrexate develop another ectopic pregnancy after treatment. However, it is advisable to wait 6-12 months before attempting to become pregnant again, in order to give the fallopian tube enough time to regenerate.