The effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the disposition of methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

✍ Scribed by M. Perwaiz Iqbal; Javed A. Baig; Azra A. Ali; Sarfaraz K. Niazi; N. Mehboobali; M. Azmat Hussain

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 117 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0142-2782
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-081x(199804)19:3<163::aid-bdd82>3.0.co;2-l

✦ Synopsis

We have studied the pharmacokinetics of methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis concurrently taking the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin, diclofenac, naproxen, indomethacin, and ibuprofen.

The area under the curve, the total systemic clearance, the distribution volume, and the half-life of methotrexate in patients receiving concurrent NSAID therapy did not change significantly (at p B 0.05). Concurrent treatment with NSAIDs resulted in increased inter-patient variability of methotrexate concentration, possibly as a result of biochemical interactions; however, it does not appear clinically relevant.

The data suggest that the NSAIDs do not significantly affect the disposition of methotrexate, contrary to some of the earlier reports.