Effects of High-Dose Daily Folate Versus Low-Dose Weekly Folate in Preventing Methotrexate Toxicity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

The study aimed to compare the effects of low-dose weekly folate versus high-dose daily folate in preventing methotrexate (MTX) toxicity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Thirty-eight RA patients were randomly assigned to receive either 5 mg/week folate or 2.5 mg six days/week folate alongside their MTX and prednisolone treatment. After six months, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of stomatitis, alopecia, gastrointestinal symptoms, anemia, leukopenia, erythropenia, thrombocytopenia, or elevated liver function tests. The study concluded that 5 mg folate supplementation once a week was adequate for RA patients.