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Article Series: Arthritis
Help Me Understand Arthritis & Arthritis Pain
What
Are The Medications For Arthritis?
Although
there is no definitive cure offered by the medical profession
for arthritis, there is nonetheless
a wide selection of treatments offered. How a person proceeds
in his treatment will be a combination of what is suggested
by their doctor and what they personally discover to be successful
through research and results. As each individual is
unique - so is the course of their disease and the treatments
involved. What may work for one may not work for another. It has been
said that it can require an open mind to explore different
avenues of treatment, however, it is vital that one does so
in the most responsible way possible.
The medical profession has a number of sophisticated medications
that work to help mitigate the symptoms of arthritis in it's
many forms. They work to prevent further joint damage and help
to keep the patient as mobile and pain free as possible. Some
of these are as follows:
Nonsteroidal
Anti-inflammatory drugs that are most commonly
prescribed for arthritis. There is a wide and varied selection
that can include common aides such as aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen
amongst others that work to relieve pain - analgesics - and
fever - antipyretic. Because nearly every drug carries with
it the possibility of side affects, sometimes severely so,
it is important to discuss your options with your doctor before
choosing one.
Cortocosteroids are drugs that are closely connected to cortisol
which is a hormone produced in the body's adrenal cortex. They
work to block the production of substances that trigger allergic
or inflammatory responses in the body thus helping to reduce
the inflammation caused by arthritis. But one of the unfortunate
side effects is that they also reduce the function of white
blood cells which are a vital part of our immune system. This
opens the patient up to the increased susceptibility of infection.
Used in proper balance they have brought great relief to many
people.
Disease
modifying anti rheumatic drugs that slow down the
disease process by modifying the immune system in some manner.
They are slower acting and although effective in many ways
are not used on the front line of treatment. As with the other
treatments there is concern over side effects. Constant monitoring
and blood tests keep a watch on their effectiveness and the
side effects. Gold, Penicillamine and Plaquenil are amongst
this group.
Biologic
drugs which are referred to as biologic response
modifiers help stimulate the body's immune system to put up
a better fight against infections and diseases. These medicines
are compounds that are made by living cells. These include
such well known names as interferon and interleukin-2.
These
examples give a simple overview of the types of drugs and
the approach medicine takes in treating arthritis. The
goal is to mitigate the painful symptoms while trying to stimulate
the body's natural healing ability to fight off further infection
or inflammation that would worsen the disease. Of course, it
is always recommended that when committing to any course of
treatment that the patient take the necessary time to investigate
the pros and cons of their choice.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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