side effects with methotrexate

I cannot help very much but can tell you what I experienced and was told. I had 4 intrathecal treatments. 

I have headaches more now but not severe or long lasting. My Dr said to take Tylenol and drink lots of caffeine after treatment if I had problems. Of course if it is a severe headache with nausea it would most likely require a blood patch. Luckily I did not have that. Of the 4 each treatment level of discomfort was a little different. Most of the discomfort was during the treatment. All done now and just one treatment of RCHOP left hopefully. Should find out Monday. The day after intrathecal I had RCHOP so the prednisone may have hidden some of the side effects.

Samdy Ray

Hi Jim,

I had chemo called Hyper-CVAD, which included 8 intrathecals, 4 with Methotraxate and 4 with Cytarabine. I had the awful headache after the 2nd one. The nurse told me to drink a Mountain Dew soda as soon as possible after the procedure. I had one after every intrathecal and never got the headache again. Worth a shot?? I am guessing it's the caffeine. Wish you the best with your treatment!

Cat

Jim: a note of caution about use of Mountain Dew as a source of caffeine:  the prednisone in your chemo cocktail can cause your blood glucose to rise significantly, so you need to be careful with carbohydrate/sugar intake.  You really do not want to complicate your clinical situation by pushing yourself into the "diabetes" zone (my bld glucose doubled in 24 hrs).  If you can find diet MDew, then great. Otherwise, use in moderation or find an alternative.  In the U.S., there are over-the-counter acetominophen (= "Tylenol") formulations that contain as much caffiene as a 12 oz MDew.  But, again, you need to be careful & check labels: many of these also contain aspirin and you cannot have aspirin.  So read carefully & check with your doctor before using.  About the blood patch: my understanding is that this is only used when you have a leak of spinal fluid.

For constipation: sounds like you are on the right track.  I & others in this forum found that starting a stool softener or laxative a day or two before each round of chemo & continuing that while getting chemo was helpful.  I went further & brought my own fiber cereal to the hospital for daily breakfast.  I also used a recipe provided by our geriatrics clinic:  in blender blend together 1/3 portion powdered fiber cereal, 1/3 portion prune juice, 1/3 portion applesauce.  Store referigerated for no more than 1 week; 1 - 2 Tblsp daily. This is personal preference though.  There is a discussion on this subject in the thread entitled "Large B-cell lymphoma" from a few days ago (jump down towards the end). A last comment about hydration: the fluid entering your body via the I.V. is not lubricating your bowels the way drinking fluids does, so it's important to keep up normal oral fluid intake. Best of luck!

Evarista said:

Mountain Dew caution, etc.

Jim: a note of caution about use of Mountain Dew as a source of caffeine:  the prednisone in your chemo cocktail can cause your blood glucose to rise significantly, so you need to be careful with carbohydrate/sugar intake.  You really do not want to complicate your clinical situation by pushing yourself into the "diabetes" zone (my bld glucose doubled in 24 hrs).  If you can find diet MDew, then great. Otherwise, use in moderation or find an alternative.  In the U.S., there are over-the-counter acetominophen (= "Tylenol") formulations that contain as much caffiene as a 12 oz MDew.  But, again, you need to be careful & check labels: many of these also contain aspirin and you cannot have aspirin.  So read carefully & check with your doctor before using.  About the blood patch: my understanding is that this is only used when you have a leak of spinal fluid.

For constipation: sounds like you are on the right track.  I & others in this forum found that starting a stool softener or laxative a day or two before each round of chemo & continuing that while getting chemo was helpful.  I went further & brought my own fiber cereal to the hospital for daily breakfast.  I also used a recipe provided by our geriatrics clinic:  in blender blend together 1/3 portion powdered fiber cereal, 1/3 portion prune juice, 1/3 portion applesauce.  Store referigerated for no more than 1 week; 1 - 2 Tblsp daily. This is personal preference though.  There is a discussion on this subject in the thread entitled "Large B-cell lymphoma" from a few days ago (jump down towards the end). A last comment about hydration: the fluid entering your body via the I.V. is not lubricating your bowels the way drinking fluids does, so it's important to keep up normal oral fluid intake. Best of luck!

"Mountain Dew" of course originally was a name of moonshine.   Living just below the mountains of Asheville, NC, in the heart of moonshining country, it brings back memories.  NASCAR began after moonshine runners souped up their cars to run the mountains delivering the product.   Fully legal moonshine is now extremely popular in boutique bars in the Upstate region of S.C., and around much of the nation.

The Mountain Dew soft drink my brother and I used to drink in the 1960s came in the dark green glass bottle, and had on the bottle a hillbilly holding a jug, from which the cork had blown out and gone through the brim of the hillbillie's hat  -- an obvious reference to the moonshine roots of the name (this image was trademarked in 1948).

Mountain Dew is of course today one of the most popular drinks among teens and young adults ("Doin' the Dew"), and does have substantial sugar and caffine.   Crush, Nehi -- all of the old southern soft drinks from the 1950s were (are) extremely sweet.  Not the most healthy, just the most delicious.

Diet Mountain Dew is available virtually anywhere regular Mountain Dew is sold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryOZ8otRhdg

Hey Jim my name is Justin I also am diagnosed with DLBCL in the testis. I haven't received any treatments and haven't even seen my oncologist yet. I'm curious to know how they reached your diagnosis. Did you just have lymphoma in your testis or was any other extranodal involved or lymph node?

I just had my 2nd inthrathecal methotrexate treatment. The first treatment wasn't a great one... I had a headache off and on for over a week. It wasn't accompanied by any other symptoms and it was manageable. I just had my 2 Nd today and the procedure itself went better than the first one but I do have a slight headache not really that bad but along with my headache I have upper back pain which isn't consistent but when it comes its pretty bad. It feels like my nerves more than anything, kind of a weird feeling and it's hard to move but when I stretch it out it relieves the pain. Anybody experience this?