How Do I Choose The Best Arthritis Medicine?


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.

The best treatment for your arthritis is based on your needs. Making the diagnosis of "osteoarthritis" is fairly straightforward, 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" arthritis medicine on the market will NOT help unless you follow common-sense health practices. Focus on 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 can 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, might strengthen cartilage tissue. Stay tuned!

The dozens of arthritis medications available 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 osteoarthritis symptoms. 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. Usually 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 OA rule your day. The right treatment strategy will get you back to the Pursuit of Happiness!

Want to learn more about all EIGHT classes of OA drugs? Visit www.knowyourbones.com to order "Making Sense of Arthritis Medicine: Manage Your Symptoms Safely" and discover relief that's right for you!

About The Author

Stephanie E. Siegrist, MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in her 10th year of practice, and author of "Making Sense of Arthritis Medicine." She's one of only 3% of U.S. orthopedic surgeons who are women! Dr. Siegrist strives to bridge the gaps that exist in today's doctor-patient relationship with "Information Therapy!" Complete information about Dr. Siegrist, and the book, are available from her website.


MORE RESOURCES:

Boston Globe (registration)

Auto bailout: The best medicine?
Florida Times-Union, FL - 4 hours ago
By The Times-Union They already received $25 billion in low interest government loans intended to help them transition to a new generation of fuel efficient ...
Detroit bailout? No way! The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
American taxpayers should not be forced to bailout Big Three Statesville Record & Landmark
Don't bail out on accountability for auto industry Pocono Record
CounterPunch
all 468 news articles


University of South Alabama College of Medicine Chooses MDaudit(TM)
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
... WIRE) -- Hayes Management Consulting announced today that it will provide its MDaudit(TM) software to University of South Alabama College of Medicine. ...


MinuteClinic co-founder launches e-medicine startup
Bizjournals.com, NC - 8 hours ago
Nearly a decade after he came up with the idea that became MinuteClinic, Rick Krieger thinks he’s come across a new way to change health care. ...


Exploring: medicine the world of
Asbury Park Press, NJ - 1 hour ago
The club, which offers education and activities for teenagers considering a career in medicine, is a program of Learning for Life, a Boy Scouts of America ...


Fresh News

Three Employees Fired After Patient Chokes on Medicine, Dies
FOXNews - Nov 20, 2008
GOLDSBORO, NC — North Carolina officials have fired three employees and disciplined others in the death of a patient who was neglected for more than 22 ...
Firings a good first step in neglect case CharlotteObserver.com
all 39 news articles


Auto Racing Daily

Detroit prepares to swallow some bitter medicine
Financial Times, UK - 8 hours ago
By Bernard Simon in Los Angeles Among the many conditions imposed on Chrysler by Washington in the bail-out of 1979, none is said to have angered the ...
Auto bailout must come with strings Visalia Times-Delta
United States needs to help automakers Vineland Daily Journal
all 698 news articles


Entry Level Finding Ways to Help Children With Cancer
New York Times, United States - 17 hours ago
She comes to the job with a master’s degree in Oriental medicine from Touro College and a lifelong love of cooking. On doing acupuncture on small children: ...


National Academy of Sports Medicine Launches New Course ...
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
CALABASAS, CA, Nov 21, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM; www.nasm.org), a leader in fitness training ...


PR Web (press release)

BodyLogicMD Sponsors American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
MarketWatch - Nov 20, 2008
"It is a natural step for BodyLogicMD in terms of demonstrating our growth and support in the field of anti-aging medicine and bioidentical hormone therapy. ...
BodyLogicMD Opens Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Location in Chicago PR Web (press release)
all 12 news articles


The wrong medicine
TheDay, CT - 23 hours ago
If we had any reasonable expectation that a $25 billion federal loan would fix what ails the Detroit auto industry, we would support it. ...

Medicine - Google News

home | site map
© 2006