In treating arthritis, a lot of options are involved and these vary on the type or the form of arthritis that a patient has. There are common group of drugs available that could guide you in choosing with the help of a doctor and these medications can either be purchased through over-the-counter or through doctor’s prescription or direction.
First is the administering of Topical Pain Relievers. Topical pain relievers or topical creams could be used as an alternative to oral medications for everyone who is trying to alleviate an arthritis pain. These are over-the-counter drugs and can provide faster relief especially on joints like the hand or the knee as long as the pain isn’t that severe.
Second group would be the Anti-Inflammatory Painkillers. Mostly every person who has arthritis has taken or is taking one of these drugs. They are called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and are used primarily to treat inflammation or swelling of the joints, mild to moderate pain, stiffness, and fever. These drugs are available either over-the-counter or through prescription.
Third are the Narcotic Pain Relievers. They are another strong pain reliever variety which contains narcotic drugs which are combined most of the time with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or an NSAID to improve effects. When taking narcotics drugs, the patient might have a risk of developing addiction or dependence on the drugs. And also, these drugs can cause drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation and difficulty urinating.
Next are the Corticosteroids which are also known as “Steroids”. Steroids can treat many forms of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammation like vasculitis and if given within proper guidelines, these drugs can be very effective.
Albeit the capability to treat, side effects become apparent and discovered especially if high doses are administered over prolonged periods of time.
Fifth group of drugs are the Hyaluronan Injections. This drug is used to treat osteoarthritis of the knee and is also called viscosupplementation. They are injected directly into the knee joint which may complement the joint’s natural synovial fluid, alleviating the ability to use the knee, and relief of pain is achieved. Thus, it allows a person to do daily activities and making him move freely without pain.
Sixth would be the Disease-Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs. They are group of drugs used as a line of defense against some forms of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and related conditions. By modifying or suppressing the immune system in some way, DMARDs makes the disease process slow. However, like most drugs, DMARDs also has side effects.
It would take weeks or even months for these drugs to take effect and they are not designed to give immediate relief that is why they are often combined with NSAID or steroids to alleviate pain.
Seventh type of medication is the Biologic Therapy. Administered through intravenous infusion, these drugs have been one of the advances in treating inflammatory arthritis and these include psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They are called biologic response modifiers or biologics and they act by modifying or inhibiting specific components of the immune system that attacks the joints.
Eighth are the Chemotherapy Medications. Customarily, chemotherapy is used to kill or slow the quick reproduction of cells and decreases certain products made by these cells that cause an inflammatory response to occur. Thus, this is used to treat cancer and also people with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, rheumatic and autoimmune conditions have lower doses of medication than that used for cancer treatment.
Last would be Gout Medicines. Elevated levels of uric acid in the bloodstream is a sign of gout, that is why these drugs are used for the relief of pain, swelling, inflammation and the lowering of uric acid levels caused by this disease.