Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Medications

For most people who have rheumatoid arthritis, treatment also involves taking medications. Some rheumatoid arthritis medicines are used only for pain relief, while others are used to reduce inflammation. There is also another class of medications, often called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), that is used to try to slow the course of the disease.

 

Some important factors for deciding which medication is most appropriate as part of rheumatoid arthritis treatment include:

 

 

Biologic response modifiers are new drugs used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. They can help reduce inflammation and structural damage to the joints by blocking the action of cytokines, proteins in the body's immune system that trigger inflammation during normal immune responses. Three of these drugs -- etanercept (Enbrel^®), infliximab (Remicade^®), and adalimumab (Humira^®) -- reduce inflammation by blocking the reaction of TNF-alpha molecules. Another drug, called anakinra (Kineret^®), works by blocking a protein called interleukin 1 (IL-1) that is seen in excess in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Abatacept (Orencia^®) is a new biologic response modifier that seems to prevent T cells from becoming active. T cells are a type of white blood cell (leukocytes) that play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis.

 

For many years, doctors initially prescribed aspirin or other pain-relieving drugs for rheumatoid arthritis treatment, as well as rest and physical therapy. Other more powerful drugs were prescribed only if the disease worsened.

 

Today, however, many doctors have changed their approach, especially for patients with severe, rapidly progressing rheumatoid arthritis. Studies show that early rheumatoid arthritis treatment with more powerful drugs, and the use of drug combinations instead of one medication alone, may be more effective at reducing or preventing joint damage. Once the disease improves or is in remission, the doctor may gradually reduce the dosage or prescribe a milder medication.