If you’re looking at treatment options for psoriasis, arthritis, or certain kinds of cancer, you may want to learn more about methotrexate.

Methotrexate is a generic prescription drug that’s that used to treat:

For more details on methotrexate’s uses and more, see this in-depth article.

Methotrexate comes as a tablet that you swallow and as a liquid solution that’s given by injection. This drug is available as the brand-name drugs Trexall, Reditrex, Rasuvo, Otrexup, and Xatmep.

Keep reading for details on methotrexate and cost, and how to save money on prescriptions.

The price you pay for methotrexate can vary. Your cost may depend on your treatment plan, your insurance coverage (if you have it), and the pharmacy you use. If you receive methotrexate by injection, your cost may also depend on how much you have to pay for an office visit with your doctor to receive methotrexate.

If you use injectable methotrexate, you may also need to buy needles and syringes.

To find out how much you’ll pay for methotrexate, including what your cost per month may be, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Note: If you have insurance, you may need to get prior authorization before your insurance provider will cover methotrexate. This means your insurer and your doctor will discuss methotrexate in regard to your treatment. Then the insurance company will determine whether the drug is covered. If methotrexate requires prior authorization and you don’t receive it before you start treatment, you could pay the full cost of the drug.

Be sure to ask your insurance company whether methotrexate requires prior authorization.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about methotrexate and cost.

How much do methotrexate injections cost?

Your cost of methotrexate injections will depend on several factors. Examples of these factors include your treatment plan, the pharmacy you use, and your insurance coverage (if you have it).

How you receive methotrexate injections may also affect your costs associated with the drug. Some people may give themselves injections at home, while others may receive injections at their doctor’s office or another healthcare facility.

If you have insurance, the kind of insurance coverage you have can affect the price you’ll pay for methotrexate injections. And the cost of methotrexate injections without insurance may be higher than the cost with insurance.

To find out the exact cost of your methotrexate injections with or without insurance, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Is there a methotrexate injection pen? If so, how much does this form of the drug cost?

No, methotrexate doesn’t come as an injection pen. But two brand-name versions, Rasuvo and Otrexup, do come as injection pens. These drugs have methotrexate as their active ingredient. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.)

Rasuvo and Otrexup come as prefilled auto-injection devices. If you’re interested in using an auto-injector pen and your doctor prescribed methotrexate for you, ask them about using a brand-name version.

What’s the price of methotrexate 10-mg doses?

The price of methotrexate 10-milligram (mg) doses depends on several factors. These include your insurance coverage (if you have it), the form of methotrexate you’re prescribed, the pharmacy you use, and your treatment plan.

To learn how much you’ll pay for 10-mg doses of methotrexate depending on these factors, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Methotrexate is a generic drug. This means it’s an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name drug. A generic is considered to be just as safe and effective as the original drug. And generics generally cost less than brand-name drugs.

Methotrexate is available as the brand-name drugs Xatmep, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex, and Trexall. To find out how the costs of brand-name versions and methotrexate compare, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

If you’ve been prescribed methotrexate and you’re interested in using a brand-name version of methotrexate instead, talk with your doctor. They may prefer that you use one version instead of the other. In addition, you’ll need to check with your insurance provider. This is because it may only cover one drug or the other.

Why is there such a cost difference between brand-name drugs and generics?

Years of research and testing are needed to ensure that brand-name drugs are safe and effective. This testing can make the drugs expensive. The drugmaker of a brand-name drug can sell the drug for up to 20 years. After that, other drugmakers can create generic versions. This competition in the market can lead to lower costs for generics. And because generics have the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, they don’t need to be studied again. This can also lead to lower generic costs.

If you use methotrexate for a longer period of time, you may be able to lower your costs in the following ways:

Look into getting a 90-day supply of your medication. You may be able to get a 90-day supply of methotrexate if approved by your insurance company. This could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost of methotrexate. If you’re interested in getting a 90-day supply of this drug, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Use a mail-order pharmacy to get your medication. Using a mail-order pharmacy might help lower your cost for methotrexate. Plus, you could get your medication without leaving home. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order drugs.

You may also be able to get a 90-day supply of the drug through mail order. If you don’t have health insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest online pharmacy options that could work for you.

If you need help covering the cost of methotrexate or understanding your insurance, check out these resources:

On these sites, you can find insurance information, details on drug assistance programs, and links to savings cards and other services.

If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

If you still have questions about the cost of methotrexate, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to give you a better idea of what you’ll pay for this drug. But if you have health insurance, you’ll need to talk with your insurance provider to learn the actual cost you’d pay for methotrexate.

Examples of questions you may want to ask your doctor or insurance provider include:

  • Does the cost of methotrexate depend on the condition it’s used to treat (such as psoriasis)?
  • How do the prices of the different forms of methotrexate compare?
  • Are there other lower cost drugs that could treat my condition?
  • If I can’t afford my medication, what other options do I have?

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Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.