What your joints need

Most of the medicines used to deal with rheumatic conditions are anti – inflammation and pain relievers, but there are cases in which they may also prevent the damage from getting worse. There is a very large number of available medicines. The appropriate one depends on the nature of the disease and the particularities of the patient. They don’t eradicate the disease but are able to control its symptoms. The exceptions are gout, infectious arthritis and Lyme disease, that may be cured completely by the eradication of the infection.

Medication may be delayed by the necessity to confirm the diagnosis, because it is possible for it to prevent some symptoms to appear during tests. It is necessary for the patients to follow the advice of their health care professionals and to be in close contact with him or her. The doctor must be informed of the possible side effects so that changes will be made to obtain the desired result.

To relief the pain generated by the swelling that is characteristic to arthritis, analgesics (like acetaminophen) and NSAIDs (ibuprofen) are required. The last category also determines the inflammation to back off, but it also develops side effects like stomach problems. The new forms of NSAIDs that use celecoxib are less irritating for the stomach, but they also present short term side effects. Regarding long term effects, the studies are still on progress. The doses will be different from one patient to another by taking into consideration the nature of his disease and his particular symptoms. The doctor must work closely to his patient in order to give him the appropriate analgesic or to change it if necessary.

In some cases DMARDs are necessary. These medications are used to prevent the damage from becoming critical or to slow it down. Some of these medicines are: sulfalazine, leflunomide and methotrexate.

Corticosteroids, especially prednisone, solumedrol, cortisone or hydrocortisone are very effective against the symptoms of certain rheumatic diseases. Their effect consists in the reducing of inflammation and the suppression of the immune system. The dosage depends on every patient’s particularities. They can be found as creams, pills or injections. They may have strong side effects on the stomach including on short term swelling, increased appetite, weight gain and emotional distress. They stop when treatment is stopped. It is dangerous to interrupt immediately so the doses should be gradually decreased. On long term, the side effects are: excessive hair growth, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, stretch marks, high blood sugar, arteries damage, infections and even cataract.

Biological response modifiers such as etanercept, infliximals and anakira are among the latest discoveries referable to arthritis medication. They decrease the inflammation and the damage of the articulations and block the activity of the tumor necrosis factor, a protein used by the immune system to respond to external factors.

Hyaluronic acid takes after a natural substance and lubricates the articulation of the knee. It is administered by injection. Such medications are Hyalgam and Synvisc.