Worrying rise in accidental overdose of prescription drug methotrexate

By Kate Aubusson
Updated June 20 2016 - 12:10pm, first published June 7 2016 - 9:34am
Patients are often given a year's worth of methorexate in one batch.  Photo: TGA
Patients are often given a year's worth of methorexate in one batch. Photo: TGA
Dr Rose Cairns at the NSW Poisons Information Centre said patients can easily mistake their weekly methotrexate dose with one of their daily medications.  Photo: Supplied.
Dr Rose Cairns at the NSW Poisons Information Centre said patients can easily mistake their weekly methotrexate dose with one of their daily medications. Photo: Supplied.
A year's worth of methorexate is often dispensed at once.  Photo: Supplied.
A year's worth of methorexate is often dispensed at once. Photo: Supplied.

Dangerous overdosing of a common prescription drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to avoidable deaths as researchers warn of a worrying rise in dosing errors.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Tamworth news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.