Arthritis medications include drugs and topical creams. Drug classes used to treat this condition include Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs, COX-2 Inhibitors and pain medications or analgesics. Others are Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs and Biologic Response Modifiers or biologics. Some of these medications are available over the counter and you should resist the temptation to buy them without directions from your doctor.
Your doctor will prescribe the kind of drugs to use based on the type of condition that you have.
These medications normally help to relieve pain as well as inflammation. Some of these drugs can be taken orally or by injections and an example is the corticosteroids which normally help to provide long term relief.
It is important to discuss with your doctor the benefits as well as the risks associated with some of these arthritis medications. You should ask your doctor about the potential side effects and how you will be monitored. You will need to find out from your doctor if routine blood tests will have to be carried out as a part of the monitoring process.
There are also several types of injections that can be injected directly into the joint. Visco supplementation refers to a procedure where hyaluronates are injected into a joint. This has been approved for the knee and it helps to supplement the viscous properties of synovial fluid. There are five types of these injections and they include supartz, synvisc, orthovisc, euflexxa and hyalgan. Cortisone injections normally help to reduce inflammation as well as pain within the joint. Other arthritis medications include acetaminophen and an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen which provide short term relief.
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