Rasuvo (Methotrexate) Injection: Makes use of, Facet Results, Dosages
What Is Rasuvo? Rasuvo (methotrexate) is an injection given beneath the pores and skin (subcutaneous)
What Is Rasuvo?
Rasuvo (methotrexate) is an injection given beneath the pores and skin (subcutaneous) that treats a number of sorts of autoimmune ailments. Autoimmune ailments happen when the physique’s immune system, meant to guard you from overseas our bodies like viruses and micro organism, assaults your cells as an alternative and causes situations like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis.
The generic identify for Rasuvo is methotrexate. Methotrexate is a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, which signifies that it interferes with DNA processes and the replication of cells. It isn’t nicely understood how this mechanism works to deal with autoimmune ailments, however it appears to battle irritation that contributes to many autoimmune situations.
Rasuvo is one in every of a number of methotrexate merchandise obtainable. Different methotrexate administration kinds embrace capsules, liquid, vials, and syringes.
This remedy is just obtainable by prescription, so you possibly can’t buy the drug over-the-counter (OTC). You’ll obtain a prescription out of your healthcare supplier and get it out of your pharmacy. Rasuvo is presently solely obtainable as a brand-name product with no generic equal.
Drug Information
Generic Identify: Methotrexate
Model Identify: Rasuvo, Otrexup, RediTrex
Drug Availability: Prescription
Therapeutic Classification: Dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, DMARD (disease-modifying antirheumatic drug)
Out there Generically: No
Managed Substance: N/A
Administration Route: Subcutaneous
Energetic Ingredient: Methotrexate
Dosage Type: Injection
What Is Rasuvo Used For?
The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised Rasuvo to deal with a number of totally different autoimmune ailments:
It’s usually used when individuals haven’t responded to different remedy first. Not like methotrexate’s oral model, Rasuvo isn’t indicated to be used in neoplastic ailments (e.g., most cancers).
Take Rasuvo
Rasuvo is injected as soon as per week. It is available in an autoinjector, which implies you’ll not want to attract up any liquid utilizing a syringe or needle. The particular dose is already prefilled within the injector.
Whereas it may be intimidating or scary to consider having to inject your drugs your self, the autoinjector makes the method straightforward. Rasuvo is given subcutaneously, which implies the drugs is injected proper beneath your pores and skin, versus right into a muscle or a vein.
Observe the steps beneath to inject Rasuvo. You might also discover it useful to look at the administration video on the producer’s web site:
- Collect your provides. You have to an alcohol pad and your autoinjector.
- Wash your palms.
- Choose your injection website (use your thigh or stomach, however keep away from the world round your stomach button or any bruised, tender, or scarred pores and skin) and clear it utilizing the alcohol pad.
- Take away the yellow cap from the injector.
- Take a big pinch of pores and skin out of your thigh or stomach to tug the fatty tissue away from the muscle beneath it.
- Maintain the injector in your fist at a 90-degree angle to your pores and skin over the spot the place you need to inject.
- Press straight down firmly to insert the small needle into your pores and skin.
- Push the yellow button along with your thumb to start the injection. You’ll hear a click on. Maintain the injector nonetheless for 5 seconds, then take away the injector out of your pores and skin.
- If wanted, you possibly can apply a bandage or gauze, however that is often not mandatory with Rasuvo injections.
Don’t throw your empty auto-injectors away in your family trash. You’ll most certainly be given a sharps container for the very best disposal. Your pharmacist can let you know the place to deliver your container as soon as it is full.
In case you are a feminine with any potential to get pregnant, use efficient contraception whereas taking Rasuvo and for at the very least one menstrual cycle after your final dose. Males who’re sexually lively with females who’ve any potential to get pregnant ought to use efficient contraception whereas on Rasuvo and for 3 months after their final dose. Methotrexate is related to a number of beginning defects when used throughout being pregnant.
Storing Rasuvo
Retailer Rasuvo at room temperature (between 68 F and 77 F) within the authentic container, out of attain of youngsters and pets. Don’t preserve it in an space with plenty of warmth and moisture like the toilet.
If you happen to’re touring by aircraft, you’ll need to preserve Rasuvo in your carry-on baggage so that you just aren’t separated from it in case your checked baggage will get misplaced. If you happen to’re touring by automotive, don’t depart Rasuvo in particularly scorching or chilly temperatures for lengthy durations, like in a single day within the automotive.
Off-Label Makes use of
Healthcare suppliers might prescribe methotrexate for off-label makes use of, that means for situations not particularly indicated by the FDA.
Whereas Rasuvo is a more moderen model identify methotrexate product, the generic drug methotrexate has been round for fairly a while. It was first authorised within the Fifties.
Methotrexate could also be used off-label for different medical situations, equivalent to:
How Lengthy Does Rasuvo Take to Work?
You’ll be able to anticipate to see enchancment from Rasuvo inside about three to 6 weeks. Nevertheless, noticeable enchancment might take as much as 12 weeks after your first dose. Speak to your healthcare supplier should you don’t discover any enchancment after a number of months.
What Are the Facet Results of Rasuvo?
This isn’t an entire checklist of unintended effects and others might happen. A healthcare supplier can advise you on unintended effects. If you happen to expertise different results, contact your pharmacist or a healthcare supplier. You could report unintended effects to the FDA at fda.gov/medwatch or 1-800-FDA-1088.
Widespread Facet Results
Widespread unintended effects related to Rasuvo embrace:
Extreme Facet Results
Potential unintended effects of Rasuvo that could be extra critical embrace:
- Extreme diarrhea or vomiting: If you happen to expertise critical gastrointestinal unintended effects, let your healthcare supplier know. These might require you to cease utilizing Rasuvo or take a break from it, as they will result in extra extreme situations like intestinal perforation.
- Severe infections: You could be at the next threat of growing infections since methotrexate suppresses the immune system. These could also be bacterial or fungal infections or viruses. In case you have beforehand had hepatitis B or tuberculosis, the chance of those viruses reactivating could also be increased as a consequence of taking Rasuvo.
- Secondary cancers: Individuals taking Rasuvo for psoriasis are at an elevated threat of latest pores and skin most cancers. There may be additionally a threat of growing sure new blood cancers throughout remedy with Rasuvo.
- Tumor lysis syndrome: This happens when most cancers cells are shortly destroyed. It may trigger kidney failure, irregular coronary heart rhythm, or seizures. Your healthcare supplier might have to observe your blood because of this in case you are taking Rasuvo to deal with most cancers.
- Leukopenia, or low white blood cells.
- Myelosuppression, which makes the bone marrow much less capable of produce all different sorts of blood cells (crimson blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets)
Name your healthcare supplier instantly should you expertise any probably extreme unintended effects. Name 911 in case your signs really feel life-threatening or should you assume you’re having a medical emergency.
Report Facet Results
Rasuvo might trigger different unintended effects. Name your healthcare supplier in case you have any uncommon issues whereas taking this remedy.
If you happen to expertise a critical facet impact, you or your healthcare supplier might ship a report back to the FDA’s MedWatch Opposed Occasion Reporting Program or by telephone (800-332-1088).
Dosage: How A lot Rasuvo Ought to I Take?
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The dose of this drugs will probably be totally different for various sufferers. Observe your physician’s orders or the instructions on the label. The next info consists of solely the common doses of this drugs. In case your dose is totally different, don’t change it except your physician tells you to take action.
The quantity of medication that you just take depends upon the power of the drugs. Additionally, the variety of doses you’re taking every day, the time allowed between doses, and the size of time you’re taking the drugs rely on the medical downside for which you might be utilizing the drugs.
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For injection dosage type (answer):
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For psoriasis:
- Adults—At first, 10 to 25 milligrams (mg) as soon as per week. Your physician might regulate your dose as wanted. Nevertheless, the dose is often no more than 30 mg as soon as per week.
- Kids—Use and dose should be decided by your physician.
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For rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile arthritis:
- Adults—At first, 7.5 milligrams (mg) as soon as per week. Your physician might regulate your dose as wanted.
- Kids—Dose relies on physique dimension and should be decided by your physician. The beginning dose is 10 milligrams (mg) per sq. meter (m(2)) of physique dimension as soon as per week. Your physician might regulate your dose as wanted.
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For psoriasis:
Modifications
In being pregnant:
Rasuvo ought to by no means be utilized in pregnant individuals. Publicity to methotrexate through the first trimester of being pregnant is linked to an elevated threat of spontaneous abortions, plus beginning defects like cranium anomalies, facial dysmorphism, central nervous system and limb abnormalities, and typically cardiac anomalies and mental impairment.
Publicity through the second and third trimesters of being pregnant could cause development restrictions and practical abnormalities. Speak to your healthcare supplier should you change into pregnant or plan to change into pregnant.
In breastfeeding:
Keep away from breastfeeding throughout remedy with methotrexate and for per week after your last dose. It’s unknown precisely how a lot of the drug will get into breast milk and the way it might have an effect on an toddler.
In kids:
The one use that Rasuvo injection is authorised for in kids is pJIA.
Different formulations of methotrexate have been authorised to deal with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Rasuvo and different formulations might also be utilized in kids off-label for situations equivalent to Crohn’s illness.
Though Rasuvo doesn’t comprise this preservative, some injectable methotrexate merchandise might comprise a preservative known as benzyl alcohol. Merchandise that comprise this should not advisable to be used in neonates (youthful than 1 month) as a consequence of deadly instances of gasping syndrome. Signs embrace gasping, low blood strain, gradual coronary heart price, and lack of blood circulation.
In kidney impairment:
Make sure that to let your healthcare supplier know in case you have any kidney illness. This may increasingly trigger methotrexate to remain in your system longer. Your dose might must be adjusted, particularly in case your creatinine clearance is lower than 90 milliliters per minute.
Missed Dose
Rasuvo is injected as soon as weekly. It might assist to set a weekly reminder in your telephone or calendar to remind your self on the day of injection. Ask your healthcare supplier what it is best to do should you miss a dose.
Overdose: What Occurs If I Take Too A lot Rasuvo?
Methotrexate overdose can be known as methotrexate toxicity. It may happen if there’s an excessive amount of in your physique. Overdoses of methotrexate have typically been reported extra with oral and intrathecal (injection into the spinal canal) administration.
Indicators of early toxicity embrace:
- Abdomen issues like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Mouth sores
- Muscle ache
- Headache
- Dizziness
Extra critical instances of overdose could cause lung injury, liver injury, and nerve cell injury. Signs of lung injury might embrace a persistent dry cough and bother respiratory. Nerve cell injury might trigger confusion, weak point, and seizures.
A drug known as leucovorin is usually given with methotrexate to cut back its poisonous results. It may additionally deal with instances of methotrexate overdoses.
Contact your healthcare supplier instantly or go to the closest emergency division should you expertise any indicators of toxicity or overdose.
What Occurs If I Overdose on Rasuvo?
If you happen to assume you or another person might have overdosed on Rasuvo, name a healthcare supplier or the Poison Management Middle (800-222-1222).
If somebody collapses or is not respiratory after taking Rasuvo, name 911 instantly.
Precautions
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It is rather vital that your physician test your progress at common visits to ensure this drugs is working correctly and to test for negative effects. Blood assessments and chest x-rays could also be wanted to test for negative effects.
Utilizing this drugs while you’re pregnant can hurt your unborn child. The medication might also trigger beginning defects whether it is utilized by the daddy when his sexual associate turns into pregnant. Males ought to use contraception throughout and for at the very least 3 months after the final dose. Ladies ought to use contraception throughout and for at the very least one menstrual cycle after the final dose. Inform your physician immediately if being pregnant happens while you’re utilizing this drugs.
Speak along with your physician earlier than utilizing this drugs should you plan to have kids. Some women and men who use this drugs have change into infertile (unable to have kids).
Restrict alcohol use with this drugs. Alcohol might enhance the chance for liver issues.
This drugs might trigger organ system toxicity. Name your physician immediately in case you have the next signs: a fever, confusion, diarrhea, dry cough, irritability, neck stiffness, seizures, extreme pores and skin rash, sleepiness, bother respiratory, weak point, vomiting, or issues with coordination.
Test along with your physician immediately in case you have ache or tenderness within the higher abdomen, pale stools, darkish urine, lack of urge for food, nausea, vomiting, or yellow eyes or pores and skin. These might be signs of a critical liver downside.
Methotrexate can decrease the variety of white blood cells in your blood, which will increase the prospect of getting an an infection. It may additionally decrease the variety of platelets, that are mandatory for correct blood clotting. If this happens, there are specific precautions you possibly can take, particularly when your blood depend is low, to cut back the chance of an infection or bleeding:
- If you happen to can, keep away from individuals with infections. Test along with your physician instantly should you assume you might be getting an an infection or should you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, decrease again or facet ache, or painful or tough urination.
- Test along with your physician instantly should you discover any uncommon bleeding or bruising, black, tarry stools, blood within the urine or stools, or pinpoint crimson spots in your pores and skin.
- Watch out when utilizing an everyday toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical physician, dentist, or nurse might suggest different methods to scrub your enamel and gums. Test along with your medical physician earlier than having any dental work performed.
- Don’t contact your eyes or the within of your nostril except you might have simply washed your palms and haven’t touched anything within the meantime.
- Watch out to not lower your self when you find yourself utilizing sharp objects equivalent to a security razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.
- Keep away from contact sports activities or different conditions the place bruising or harm might happen.
When you are being handled with methotrexate, and after you cease remedy with it, wouldn’t have any immunizations (vaccines) with out your physician’s approval. Methotrexate might decrease your physique’s resistance and the vaccine might not work as nicely otherwise you would possibly get the an infection the vaccine is supposed to stop. As well as, you shouldn’t be round different individuals dwelling in your family who obtain dwell virus vaccines as a result of there’s a probability they may cross the virus on to you. Some examples of dwell vaccines embrace measles, mumps, influenza (nasal flu vaccine), poliovirus (oral type), rotavirus, and rubella. Don’t get near them and don’t remain in the identical room with them for very lengthy. In case you have questions on this, discuss to your physician.
Severe pores and skin reactions can happen with this drugs. Test along with your physician immediately in case you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the pores and skin, crimson pores and skin lesions, extreme zits or a pores and skin rash, sores or ulcers on the pores and skin, or fever or chills while you’re utilizing this drugs.
This drugs might make your pores and skin extra delicate to daylight. Use a sunscreen when you find yourself open air. Keep away from sunlamps and tanning beds.
This drugs might make you dizzy or drained. Don’t drive or do anything that might be harmful till you understand how this drugs impacts you.
This drugs might enhance your threat of getting a lymphoma (most cancers of the lymph system). Focus on these attainable results along with your physician.
This drugs might trigger a critical response known as tumor lysis syndrome. Inform your physician immediately in case you have a change in urine quantity, joint ache, stiffness, or swelling, decrease again, facet, or abdomen ache, speedy weight achieve, swelling of the ft or decrease legs, or uncommon tiredness or weak point.
Utilizing this drugs with radiation remedy might enhance threat of tissue or bone issues, equivalent to tissue or bone not receiving sufficient blood. Inform your physician in case you are receiving different therapies, equivalent to radiation remedy, whereas utilizing this drugs.
Don’t take different medicines except they’ve been mentioned along with your physician. This consists of prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and natural or vitamin dietary supplements.
What Are Causes I Should not Take Rasuvo?
Rasuvo isn’t or is probably not the only option for you if:
- You’re pregnant or breastfeeding: Utilizing Rasuvo whereas pregnant will increase the probability of a number of totally different beginning defects and spontaneous abortion. The precise quantity of the drug that passes into your breast milk is unknown, however when this occurs it could hurt your child.
- You’ve an allergy to Rasuvo: In case you have skilled any hypersensitivity reactions after taking Rasuvo, together with anaphylaxis, you shouldn’t take it once more.
- You devour alcohol closely: The danger of liver injury is elevated in individuals who drink a heavy quantity of alcohol. This threat is enhanced with increased methotrexate doses. In individuals with psoriasis, liver injury might happen with out signs or irregular liver assessments.
- You’ve a blood dysfunction equivalent to low ranges of white blood cells, crimson blood cells, or platelets.
- Kidney illness: Make sure that to let your healthcare supplier know in case you have any kidney illness. This may increasingly trigger methotrexate to remain in your system longer, so your dose might must be adjusted in case your creatinine clearance is lower than 90 milliliters per minute. You could not have the ability to take Rasuvo in case your kidney perform may be very low.
What Different Drugs Work together With Rasuvo?
Some medicine can work together with Rasuvo and must be monitored by your healthcare supplier.
When taken with Rasuvo, the next medicine might enhance the quantity of methotrexate in your system, resulting in extra unintended effects:
If you must take any of those medicine with methotrexate, be further vigilant about unintended effects. Let your healthcare supplier know instantly should you begin to expertise any opposed reactions.
What Drugs are Much like Rasuvo?
Methotrexate is out there generically in a number of formulations beneath totally different model names:
- Methotrexate: Out there generically as 2.5-milligram (mg) tablets and 25 milligrams per milliliter (mL) vials for injection
- Trexall: Model identify pill that is available in blister packs (or dose packs) of assorted portions
- Reditrex: Model identify injectable methotrexate that is available in prefilled syringes at 25 milligrams per milliliter focus
- Otrexup: One other model identify for injectable methotrexate that is available in an autoinjector with a wide range of dosages obtainable
- Xatmep: Model identify 2.5 milligrams per milliliter methotrexate liquid taken by mouth
Methotrexate is named a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Different DMARDs which are typically used to deal with autoimmune ailments embrace:
- Arava (leflunomide) has related unintended effects to methotrexate. It’s typically utilized in mixture with methotrexate and might deal with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
- Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is an antimalarial drug that considerably tempers the immune system to battle rheumatoid arthritis.
- Azulfidine (sulfasalazine) is usually used for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and typically for Crohn’s illness and psoriasis.
That is NOT an inventory of medication advisable to take with Rasuvo, although some could also be utilized in mixture. Ask your pharmacist or a healthcare supplier in case you have questions.
How Can I Keep Wholesome Whereas Taking Rasuvo?
Rasuvo, or methotrexate, is used for all kinds of situations. It may be a really efficient drug for treating autoimmune ailments like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Methotrexate’s checklist of unintended effects might make you cautious of taking this remedy. Whereas it is vital to concentrate on these potential opposed results, there are issues you are able to do to reduce them. Work along with your healthcare supplier to make sure you take the right dose and use your remedy precisely as prescribed. Make sure that to ask your healthcare supplier or pharmacist in case you are uncertain take it.
Methotrexate additionally tends to decrease the quantity of folic acid in your physique, contributing to some unintended effects. Ask your healthcare supplier about taking a folic acid complement alongside along with your Rasuvo injections. This may increasingly assist stop some unintended effects.
It might take a few weeks to get used to giving your self injections, particularly should you’ve by no means had to take action earlier than. Be affected person with your self, and watch movies on-line of different individuals utilizing their Rasuvo autoinjectors till you get the cling of it. Will probably be second nature earlier than it.
Medical Disclaimer
Verywell Well being’s drug info is supposed for academic functions solely and isn’t supposed to switch medical recommendation, prognosis, or remedy from a healthcare supplier. Seek the advice of your healthcare supplier earlier than taking any new remedy(s). IBM Watson Micromedex gives a few of the drug content material, as indicated on the web page.