What Doctors Don't Tell YouOur previous E-news broadcast mentioned the dangers of using methotrexate, an anticancer agent, for treating rheumatoid arthritis. One of the problems was the peculiar dosage: up to 30 mg once a week. Some elderly patients were taking the dosage once a day.
One reader, a retired pharmacist, adds to the confusion by pointing out that methotrexate is available only as a 2.5 mg and 10 mg tablet. And it gets curiouser and curiouser. The dosage recommended in the British Formulary is from 7.5 mg to 20 mg a week for arthritis treatment.
Is this one more example of a miscommunication between drug manufacturers and doctors, with the patient, yet again, at the sharp end? We feel we should be told.
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
