Ankylosing Spondylitis Medications

Medications that may be used to treat ankylosing spondylitis include analgesics, corticosteroids, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. These medications may provide pain relief, improve stiffness, reduce inflammation, or even perhaps slow the progression of the disorder. The newest medications for ankylosing spondylitis are biologic response modifiers.

An Overview of Ankylosing Spondylitis Medications

Many medicines are available to treat ankylosing spondylitis. Some are used only for pain relief or to improve stiffness; others are used to reduce inflammation. Still other medications are used to try to slow down the course of the disease.
 
There are a number of important considerations that a healthcare provider should take into account when prescribing ankylosing spondylitis medications. Some of these considerations include:
 
  • The person's general condition
  • The current and predicted severity of the illness
  • The length of time the person will take the medicine
  • The medicine's effectiveness and potential side effects.
     
Based on these factors, your healthcare provider will consider an assortment of medicines from several different classes of drugs. A few of these drug classes include:
 
  • Analgesics (pain relievers), including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Corticosteroids
  • Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
  • Biologic response modifiers (specifically TNF inhibitors).
     
Because people can respond to medicine differently, your healthcare provider may have to try several different ones before finding a medicine that works for you. It is also possible that you may need to take more than one type of drug for ankylosing spondylitis.
 
(Ankylosing Spondylitis Medications Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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