Arthritis Drugs
By Arthritis Queensland's Health Promotion Team (September, 2020).
There are over 120 different types of arthritis, all of which are treated in different ways.
This means that there are also a lot of different drugs available to help people living with arthritis manage their condition.
Depending on what type of arthritis someone has, and the way it is affecting their body, doctors work to find the safest and most effective
treatments for their patients.
The drugs used to treat arthritis are used in a number of different ways. Some work to control the symptoms of the conditions
like pain, inflammation and swelling, for example pain medications (analgesics) and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
While other medications are specially designed to treat the diseases themselves. For example, for inflammatory types of arthritis
(rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.) there is a special category of drugs called
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
DMARDs actively treat the disease processes of these types of arthritis.
Getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step in finding the best medication for you. General Practitioners and Rheumatologists are
experts in diagnosing arthritis.
For more information on the arthritis diagnosis and the different health professionals who can treat and diagnose arthritis click the links
below:
There are many places you can find information on the different types of drugs and natural therapies used to treat arthritis. Below are
links to a number of trustworthy resources for you to explore.
However, it is very important that you always speak with your Doctor or Rheumatologist before starting any new treatment.
This is to make sure that you are not putting yourself at risk of any side effects or adverse interactions and also to check if the
treatment is likely to work for you.
