Are you spending a fortune on prescription arthritis medicines? Are they helping? Are you concerned about side effects? You may think a particular drug is a miraculous godsend. Yet, someone you know may take the same dose only to experience little relief and life-threatening side effects. All of the choices can be confusing.
By the way, medicines used to treat arthritis are also used for other bone and joint problems. Perhaps you take ibuprofen for your tennis elbow, or had a cortisone shot to get rid of shoulder bursitis. The principles apply to arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, plantar fasciitis, or whatever "-itis" ails you.
The best treatment for your joint pain is based on your needs. Osteoarthritis (OA) is common, but deciding what to do about it is a complex and very individualized matter. There’s a wide range of options available to help you deal with OA; medicines are only part of the picture:
- The Basics: Weight Management / Exercise / Education / Modify Activities
- Medications: Pain Relievers, NSAIDs (like ibuprofen), Supplements
- Injections/ Bracing
- Surgery
The highest dose of the latest, “greatest” medicine will NOT help unless you follow common-sense, low-tech/low-cost habits that pay off throughout your body and quality of life. Modify the combination of remedies over your lifetime as symptoms wax and wane. Start simple, and then move to the next step if the first isn’t helping. You can cut back during the times you have less pain.
At this point, available medicines relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, not cure it. There are some treatments for rheumatoid arthritis that can slow down joint destruction. Scientific research suggests that nutritional supplements, like glucosamine, strengthen cartilage tissue. Stay tuned!
Medications are categorized by drug class. The drug classes differ in the way your body handles the chemical that makes up the drug, known as the mechanism of action. Different mechanisms of action target different arthritis symptoms: pain vs. stiffness vs. inflammation. If you understand the classes, you will understand:
- how each drug works,
- which drugs are related because they work in a similar way,
- what side effects can occur, and
- why a drug may or may not be right for you.
Fortunately, there are eight drug classes to choose from to relieve your joint pain. If you must avoid a whole class because you have another health condition, there are plenty of others that could keep you comfortable. Combining smaller doses from different classes may be the right answer. Only with prudent, thoughtful trials will you and your doctor discover what’s best for you. Keep a diary of the remedies you try, and their effects, good and bad. You spend a lot of money trying to feel better - don’t waste it!
Beware of your drugs’ true cost! “Cost” applies not only to the money you pay for the pills, but also to the toll they could take on your system in terms of side effects like stomach ulcers, kidney failure, addiction, and other problems worth avoiding!
OA is a chronic, degenerative condition that progresses at different rates in different patients (and even in different joints in the same body!) You’ve got better things to do than let joint pain rule your day. The right treatment strategy will get you back to the Pursuit of Happiness!
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