Methotrexate: Can This Psoriasis Medication Improve Your Symptoms?

Dermatologists have been using methotrexate to treat psoriasis since the 1970s. And many people with the condition have questions about this popular psoriasis medication. How does it work? What are the side effects? How do I know if it’s right for me?

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about treating psoriasis with methotrexate.

What Is Methotrexate?

Methotrexate is a medication that can be prescribed to treat moderate to severe cases of psoriasis. “It came into medicine to be used as a chemotherapeutic drug, but now it’s also used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases like psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis,” explains Anthony Fernandez, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.