Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment and Drug Options

Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune system-related inflammatory disease. It is not known what the exact cause may be. But it is known that the immune system begins attacking the synovium, which is the tissue that lines your joints, causing pain and destruction. Being more common in women than in men, the age that the disease usually strikes is between 20 and 50.

Medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

NSAIDS, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help in relieving both inflammation and pain if it is taken regularly. These are usually available over the counter such as aspirin, ketoprofen, Advil, Aleve, Motrin.

COX-2 inhibitors

NSAIDS may actually cause less damage to your stomach during rheumatoid arthritis treatment. COX-2 inhibitors are also other rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Celebrex and Bextra are two COX-2 inhibitors that suppress cyclooxygenase which is active in the inflammation of joints.Unlike some of the other NSAIDs, the COX-2 inhibitors only suppress COX -2, the enzyme that is involved in inflammation.

Corticosteroids.

These medications, which include prednisone and Medrol, not only reduce pain and inflammation but they also slow joint damage. In the short term, corticosteroids can help you feel amazingly better. However, when they are used for many months or year, the effectiveness wears off and may cause serious side effects.

DMARDs

This rheumatoid arthritis treatment is prescribed by your doctor in an effort to limit the amount of joint damage that is likely to occur with rheumatoid arthritis. You should take these drugs as soon as you have been diagnosed with the disease. It will slow this disease and save your joints and other tissues from being damaged permanently. It may take weeks or moths to notice any effect with these drugs as they work slowly.

Immunosuppressants

These rheumatoid arthritis drugs actually work to tame your body’s immune system. Additionally, some of these medications attack and eliminate cells that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Some of these rheumatoid arthritis treatment medications include Rheumatrex, Arava, Imuran, Neoral, Sandimmune and Cytoxan.

TNF Blockers

This is a class of DMARDs which are known as response modifiers. TNF is a cell protein and acts like an inflammatory agent. These rheumatoid arthritis drugs help to reduce pain, relieve morning stiffness and ease tender or swollen joints. There is now evidence that TNF blocker may actually halt the disease’s progression. Some of these medications include Enbrel, Remicade and Humira.

Antidepressant drugs

Oftentimes people with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from signs of depression. Some of the most common antidepressant drugs that are used as rheumatoid arthritis drugs are Elavil, Aventyl, Pamelor and trazodone.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment can be complicated. You should research for yourself online to get the best out of your rheumatoid arthritis treatment, but leave the major decisions up to your doctor.