Are side effects common for methotrexate?

[dlitt<33]

I have had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since I was very little. I took methotrexate by injection up until i was about 11 years old with no side effects. It worked extremely well and I was in remission. Now I am 13 and I got diagnosed with the arthritis again in my fingers. Although it is not severe they are guessing it will spread. I've gotten MRI's and CT-scans and they are still reviewing them but there is a good possibility I might have arthritis in my jaw as well. The doctor prescribed me methotrexate again but this time in a pill form. I am extremely nervous about the side effects that I have looked up. A lot of them are fetal. My mom tells me she wants me to take it if I definitely have it in my jaw but otherwise she says its not worth it. My dad is a doctor. He hasn't decided whether or not he's going to have me take it.

I would really like an educated response to my question. Is it worth taking it? Are the side effects common? What are common side effects? If I took it once for 3 years with no side effect does that give me a smaller chance of having a side effect this time? Thanks in advance!!!

[tinmuning]

The incidence & severity of side effects are dose related. You must have been given a faily low dose when you were 11 years old, thus the side effects were negligible.

The most frequently reported adverse reactions include ulcerative stomatitis, leukopenia, nausea, and abdominal distress. Other frequently reported adverse effects are malaise, undue fatigue, chills and fever, dizziness and decreased resistance to infection.

Of course, with you father as a doctor, he must have been carefully weight the pros and cons of you taking the dug again. The possible benefits that you may get from the drug should outweigh the possible unwanted effects of the drug.

[dlitt<33]

Thanks for your thorough reply.