Side Effects Associated with Methotrexate Treatment

Side Effects Associated with

Methotrexate Treatment

Drug side effects

Nausea

Vomiting

Stomatitis

Diarrhea

Gastric distress

Dizziness

Severe neutropenia (rare)

Reversible alopecia (rare)

Pneumonitis

Treatment effects

Increase in abdominal pain (occurs in up to two

thirds of patients)

Increase in β-hCG levels during first 1–3 days of

treatment

Vaginal bleeding or spotting

Signs of treatment failure and tubal rupture

Significantly worsening abdominal pain, regardless

of change in β-hCG levels

Hemodynamic instability

Levels of β-hCG that do not decline by at least

15% between day 4 and day 7 postinjection

Increasing or plateauing β-hCG levels after the first

week of treatment