Methotrexate, caffeine, tinnitus

[Guest guest]

I was looking to see if tinnitus (ringing in the ears) was a side

effect of methtrexate and I found this article suggesting that too

much caffeine may interfere with the usefullness of MTX.

Does anyone else find that they have a ringing in the ears?

Annette

Caffeine interferes with rheumatoid arthritis drug

An Israeli study of 39 adults with rheumatoid arthritis who were

being treated with methotrexate has found that while intake of

caffeine of up to 120mg per day seems to be irrelevant, intakes over

180mg per day reduce the effectiveness of this drug on rheumatoid

arthritis. Since strong brewed coffee can contain as much as 120mg

per cup, that level can easily be exceeded. Soft drinks today also

often contain caffeine. The study did not look for mechanisms, but

simply reported that high coffee intake was associated with a reduced

improvement in parameters such as morning joint stiffness and joint

pain, compared to that reported by those with lower coffee intake.

This is an interesting interaction that deserves further study.

Source: Nesher G, et al. Arthritis & Rheumatism 2003;48:571-2