Has anyone ever taken Cytoxan for arthritis?

Question

My boyfriend, when he was younger and in the developmental phase, was put on Cytoxan (a chemo drug) for arthritis. I was reading a little about the drug and found that it could cause sterility. Is this common? He's very nervous about it, even though he's getting checked out by his doctor and possibly by a specialist, just in case. We're very serious about each other and we've been talking about marriage and we both want children. Of course I will marry him no matter what. I just wanted to hear about any firsthand experiences with that medication. Thanks!

Answer 1

I haven't taken it, but I have given it to many patients with cancer and arthritis too. In general it is toxic over the long term to gamete-producing cells. However, the real risk is related to dose (which is generally much lower in arthritis than in cancer, so "better"), length of exposure (also usually lower in arthritis, "better" again), and age of patient (younger is much better). Sounds like you are young so odds are good he is not/will not be sterile. A urologist or perhaps primary doctor could do sperm count and function assessment  so easy to evaluate.

God bless, best wishes