Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications List

Although there is no specific treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to date, there are a number of available medications being offered that are designed to manage its symptoms and in due course improve the patient’s condition.

Overall, drugs for rheumatoid arthritis may be grouped into different classes, as enumerated in the following paragraphs. Your doctor will be able to create a proper medical treatment to manage joint inflammation and pain, plus prevent further joint damage. Depending on each case, the most effective treatment can be accomplished through a combination of these options:

NSAIDs or Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, commonly known as NSAIDs, work in relieving pain and reducing inflammation, but don’t function to protect the joints from further damage. NSAIDs impede the body from producing prostaglandins, which is chiefly responsible for generating inflammation & pain.

Common NSAID examples are naproxen (Naprosyn and Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin). Other NSAIDs include ketoprofen (Orudis), etodolac (Lodine), meloxicam (Mobic), indomethacin, Celecoxib (Celebrex), oxaprozin (Daypro) diclofenac (Voltaren and Cataflam), piroxicam (Feldene), and nabumetone (Relafen).

These drugs are regularly advised when a final diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is made. However, But when taken in excessive dosages for extended periods, these medications can cause negative side effects, such as stomach ulcers, stomach bleeding, and even potential damage to the kidney and liver.

Corticosteroids

A different class of RA medication is corticosteroids. These drugs restrain the immune system, thus alleviating inflammation.

Cortisone (Cortone), methylprednisolone (SoluMedrol, DepoMedrol), betamethasone (Celestone Soluspan), triamcinolone (Aristocort), dexamethasone (Decadron), prednisolone (Delta-Cortef), as well as prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), are corticosteroids.

Even though corticosteroids are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, they are said to trigger negative side effects when used in extended periods of time. Examples of these side effects include cataracts, easy bruising, glaucoma, diabetes, thinning bones, and excessive weight gain.

Because of these risks of severe side effects, corticosteroids are usually only used as a momentary remedy to curtail sudden attacks of the disease. On the positive side, one single corticosteroid injection is able to inhabit inflammation of the joint for prolonged periods.

Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs

DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) are a type of drugs that work to block the immune system from causing damage to the joints, ultimately obstructing further joint damage progression. In treating RA, these medications are commonly used on top of other meds for greater efficiency.

Rheumatoid arthritis often causes permanent damage to the joints, which starts to manifest at the onset. Accordingly, most physicians would prescribe DMARDs soon after an RA diagnosis. Patients are most responsive to DMARDs during the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis. The sooner the medication is taken, the more advantageous it is for the RA patient.

Examples of DMARDs are hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral), methotrexate (Rheumatrex), gold salts (Myochrysine, Solganal, Aurolate, Ridaura), azathioprine (Imuran), cyclophosphamide, penicillamine (Cuprimine), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), leflunomide (Arava), and minocycline.

Though some DMARD products have been effective in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, the risks for negative side effects is high. Long-term consumption of DMARDs can set off liver and bone marrow toxicity, infections, allergies (particularly of the skin), and autoimmunity.

Of the DMARD examples previously listed, hydroxychloroquine has the least risk of producing bone marrow and liver toxicity, and is thus considered to be 1 of the safest DMARD types. Unfortunately, hydroxychloroquine isn’t an especially powerful drug and is not potent enough on its own to control the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Conversely, methotrexate is believed to be one of the most powerful DMARDs in treating rheumatoid arthritis due to a number of reasons. Methotrexate has been proven to fight RA without affecting the toxicity of the bone marrow and liver as in the majority of DMARDs. Additionally, it is effective and safe when used in combination with biological agents, which are another classification of RA drugs to be discussed later. Consequently, methotrexate is often recommended together with certain biological agents in cases where the drug fails to cure rheumatoid arthritis on its own. Then again, keep in mind that although methotrexate is not as potentially dangerous as others, it still can block the bone marrow or trigger hepatitis. If this happens, regular blood tests are always advised to check the patient’s condition, and to cease treatment at the first hint of problems.

Biological Agents

Biological drugs, also known as biological agents, work to alleviate inflammation through a variety of ways.

One means through which biological drugs work is by inhibiting TNFs (tumor necrosis factors). Etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira) are some examples of TNF blockers.

Another method of how biological agents manage inflammation is through destroying B cells. The Rituximab (Rituxan) drug, in particular, fuses itself to B cells, ultimately killing them.

Other drugs that lessen inflammation in different ways are:

- tocilizumab (Actemra, RoActemra), serves to block IL-6 or interleukin
- anakinra (e.g. Kineret), blocks interleukin 1 or IL-1
- abatacept (Orencia), which serves to block T-cells

You should consider that each of these biological agents has its own risks for specific adverse side effects. Careful consideration should be given to the drug’s side effects when giving it to any patient.

Salicylates

Salicylates function by reducing the body’s production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins trigger the inflammatory and painful symptoms of arthritis. In recent years, salicylates have been generally replaced with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), mainly since the former cause adverse side effects, like potentially damaging kidney function.

Pain Relief Medications

Finally, various pain relief medications can likewise be taken in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Some pain relief medications are tramadol (Ultram) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Even though anti-pain drugs neither lessen inflammation nor suppress the progression of further joint damage, such medications allow the individual become more comfortable and eventually improve his/her overall condition. It is because of this that pain relief drugs are definitely worth trying.

Surgery as a Last Resort

If the drugs previously listed fail to produce results, a doctor can recommend surgery. Some surgeries used in RA treatment are tendon repair, joint lining removal (synovectomy), and arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery), in which the damaged joint is replaced with prosthetic ones.

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Although there is no specific treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to date, there are a number of available medications being offered that are designed to manage its symptoms and in due course improve the patient’s condition. Overall, drugs for rheumatoid arthritis may be grouped into different

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