Trimethoprim and Methotrexate Interaction

Drug interaction information between Trimethoprim and Methotrexate.

Trimethoprim and Methotrexate have a documented minor interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a minor-severity interaction between Trimethoprim and Methotrexate. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.

Drug A

Trimethoprim

Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitor

Drug B

Methotrexate

Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD)

How They Interact

Trimethoprim can push methotrexate off the proteins it normally sticks to in the blood and slow down how fast the kidneys remove it. This leads to higher levels of methotrexate in the body.

FDA Label Information

Sulfonamides can also displace methotrexate from plasma protein binding sites and can compete with the renal transport of methotrexate, thus increasing free methotrexate concentrations.

Methotrexate Also Interacts With

View all Methotrexate interactions →

Frequently Asked Questions

What SPL severity band is on file for Trimethoprim + Methotrexate?

Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair minor. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.

Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?

Methotrexate has 38 labeled pairs on file vs Trimethoprim's 22. In the minor band specifically: Trimethoprim has 18 (also Metformin, Glipizide, Warfarin, Pioglitazone); Methotrexate has 26 (also Aspirin, Folic Acid, Probenecid, Phenytoin).

What mechanism field is on file for Trimethoprim and Methotrexate?

Trimethoprim can push methotrexate off the proteins it normally sticks to in the blood and slow down how fast the kidneys remove it. This leads to higher levels of methotrexate in the body.

Trimethoprim carries more major-labeled pairs than Methotrexate

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is minor · classes on file: Trimethoprim (Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitor); Methotrexate (Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD)).

Trimethoprim has 1 major-labeled pair vs Methotrexate's 0. This page itself is in the minor band, not the major band.

Trimethoprim

1 major · 3 moderate · 18 minor · 22 total

Methotrexate

0 major · 12 moderate · 26 minor · 38 total

Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.