Drug Treatment
Topical Pain Relievers
Such as Ibuprofen gel can help provide pain relief for people with arthritis that is in just a few joints, and occasional pain.
Anti-inflammatory Painkillers (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs (example: Ibuprofen, Naproxen etc.) are over-the-counter drugs.
Other Pain-Relieving Arthritis Drugs
Doctor and GP may be able to recommend you some other medications.
Arthritis and Steroids
Steroids are strong anti-inflammatory drugs effective in the management of arthritis. Although iti comes with many side effects mostly when taking it for a long time.
Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) – Conventional DMARDs and Biologic DMARDs
These are the first line of drug in the management of arthritis. The drugs can alter the course of some forms of inflammatory arthritis.
DMARDs action of work is interfering with or suppressing the immune system that attacks the joints in people with certain forms of inflammatory arthritis. One or two DMARDs are use in aggressive treatment of arthritis.
Just like every other drug, DMARDs have risk of side effects. It also often takes weeks for you to notice the benefits effect of the drug. Therefore, given in combination with a faster-working drug such as an NSAID, to help bridge the gap while management.
Biologic Therapy for Arthritis
These are expensive drugs and takes a process to commence you on this treatment. They are often use following the failure to conventional DMARD to treat certain forms of inflammatory arthritis such as psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, Biologics response modifiers works by altering the function of the immune system that attacks the joints. Biologics are mainly self-injected drugs and by Intravenous Infusions (IV) although there now tablets form small molecules such as Baricitinib.