Because there is no cure for rheumatoid
arthritis, the treatment is directed at controlling your symptoms and helping
you feel better.
There are some medications that will slow
the degree of joint damage you will experience.
There are several types of drugs used in
the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Some are relatively easy to tolerate, while
others have serious side effects that you should be aware of.
Doctors usually start with the medications
that are easiest to tolerate first.
Here are some good treatments for
rheumatoid arthritis.
Steroid medications, such as prednisone
or prednisolone, are helpful in that they reduce the pain and inflammation of
the joints and can reduce the rate of joint damage.
Unfortunately, they have
side effects, such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and weight gain.
Steroids are
especially good when you have flares of the disease and are not meant to take
chronically.
NSAID medication. These include
medications like ibuprofen and naproxen (unless you get one prescribed by the
doctor).
They are not without side effects, however, and these include liver
damage, kidney damage, and irritation of the stomach, heart problems, and
tinnitus.
Anti-Rheumatic drugs. These medications can
actually lessen the damage done by the autoantibodies so that the joints aren’t
permanently damaged.
Medications in this class include Plaquenil, Azulfidine,
methotrexate, and leflunomide.
Because they can affect your immune system, they
can cause side effect including suppression of your bone marrow, lung
infections, and liver problems.
Biologic medications. These represent
a new class of medications that act on the immune system so that there are less
inflammation and less joint damage.
They can cause an increase in infections
because they affect the immune system. Choices of biologic medications include
adalimumab, abatacept, certolizumab, rituximab, and infliximab.
Physical therapy. You may wish to
see a physical therapist who can help you learn various exercises that will
keep your joints more flexible.
They may also help you learn how to do things
around the house that don’t involve using your hands.
Devices may be prescribed
for you that will help you do things without stressing the joints too much.
Surgery can be done that
can repair the damage to your joints. This includes things like joint
replacement in which the damaged joints are removed and a prosthetic joint is
put in its place.
Tendons can also be repaired. In the worst case scenario, the
surgeon can fuse the joints together so they don’t rub against one another.
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