| Medication for Arthritis |
| Written by John Sinatra | |
Rheumatoid arthritis medicationRheumatoid arthritis is a very painful and debilitating disease for which there is no known cure. For the many people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis medication is a way of life. Lots of research and discussions with an experienced and trusted doctor must be done to determine which rheumatoid arthritis drugs are the most appropriate for any given individual.There are several categories which rheumatoid arthritis medication falls under. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs, include medicines such as Aleve and Advil. These drugs are adept at relieving pain, stiffness, and swelling and are very effective anti-inflammatory drugs. These medicines are also quite hard on the stomach though and may cause problems in that area. People who suffer from rhumatoid arthritis may also take regular pain killer such as Tylenol, which do not have an anti-inflammatory agent, but simply relieve pain. Steroids, which are short for corticosteroids, are anti-inflammatory drugs that are used to treat temporary flare-ups. These drugs have potentially serious side effects that may result from long term use. Steriods can be injected directly into the painful joint to minimize side effects. Another effective drug class used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment are disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, as know as DMARDs. These are disease modifying drugs that may prevent joint damage in patients. DMARDS interefere with the immune processes that attacks the healthy joints causing pain and inflammation. Because these drugs have proven to be so effective and due to evidence that they may actually halt the progress of the disease, doctors use DMARDs very aggressively and as early as possible after diagnosing someone with rheumatoid arthirits. There are many different drugs available in the DMARDs class of rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Imuran is taken orally with food to reduce stomach irritation. Sadim and Neoral also needs to be taken with food orally and has many food and drug interactions. It also increase the risk of muscle and kidney toxicity. Patients who take these drugs must be monitored continually to safe guard against problems with their liver and blood pressure.. Arava is another DMARD that must be taken orally. Side effects include birth defects and high blood pressure, stomach pain and diarrhea. Rheumatrex is given oral or by injection once a week. This drug is the most common of the DMARDs and all other drugs are tested for effectiveness against it. Rheumatrex may have toxic effects on the blood, kidneys, liver, lungs, and gastrointestinal and nervous systems. Cuprimine is an older drug that is rarely used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis today. Azulfidine is an oral drug that should be taken with food and may casue naseua , vomiting, constipation and abdominal pain. There are also a few alternative DMARDs available to patients that do not respond to the more conventional drugs. These include gold pills and plaquenil, both of which have considerable side effects. When DMARDs do not work for a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis doctors may resort to biologic drugs. This new option of rheumatoid arthritis medication has been shown to be very promising. It is believed that these drugs can halt the disease and prevent or delay additional damage by attacking the malfunctioning immune system that leads to inflammation and pain. A few examples of these drugs are Enbrel, Remicade, Orencia, Humira and Kineret. These drugs interfere with the cytokines which are the immune system chemicals that are responsible for attacking the healthy joints causing inflammation to the joints and tissue damage. The ultimate goal of any treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is to help the patient to have minimal pain and discomfort and a normal and productive life that is not diminished by rheumatoid arthritis. |
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