Home : Health : Treatment Options And Medications For Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Treatment options and medications for managing rheumatoid arthritis

Treatment options and medications for managing rheumatoid arthritis

Treatment options and medications for managing rheumatoid arthritis

A long-term, progressive and, disabling autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation, swelling, and pain in and around the joints and other body organs. It occurs when a person’s immune system mistakenly assumes the body’s healthy tissues as foreign invaders and, as a response, inflammation occurs in the target tissue or the organ. While this condition can occur in any joints, it usually affects the hands and feet in the initial stage.

Treatment approaches for rheumatoid arthritis patients
Unfortunately, currently there is no cure to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but there are treatment options that can help reduce inflammation in the joints, relieve the pain, and slow down the damage caused to the joints.

  • Physical therapy
    The goal is to keep you moving, this therapy uses exercise and other methods that stimulate muscles, bones, and joints. Instead of planning your own personal exercise chart, it’s advisable to consult a professional therapist who is aware of the challenges occurring with rheumatoid arthritis patients and how to work around it to keep the patients fit.
  • Occupational therapy
    Since rheumatoid arthritis can make daily tasks difficult to accomplish due to pain and swelling, this therapy comes as a rescue. The professional will determine the problems and provide solutions such as assistive devices or products that make activities like dressing, cooking, bathing easy.
  • Surgery
    This is the last resort. If none of the alternative treatment approaches help you, a doctor will advise surgery to repair damaged joints, correct deformities and reduce pain.

Medications
The following medications have proven to be quite effective against rheumatoid arthritis.

  • H.P. Acthar®
    A trade name for corticotropin, this medication is a hormone that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Although corticotropin can only reduce the symptoms and is not a cure for this condition.
  • CUPRIMINE®
    It is used to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis when other alternate medicines do not treat it. Since this medication is quite strong, it is not approved to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
  • REMICADE®
    This medication is used to reduce the effect of the substance that causes inflammation in the body. It is often used when other medications have not been effective to treat the condition. Its generic name is infliximab.
  • HUMIRA®
    Known to be a tumor necrosis factor blocker, this medication reduces the effects of the substance responsible for causing inflammation. It is important to note though that this medication affects the immune system, so you may be at risk of infections. You can also recognize it by its generic name adalimumab.
  • Enbrel®
    Like Humira, it works to decrease tumor necrosis factor protein which attacks the healthy cells in the body. This medication is also used to treat plaque psoriasis in adults and children who are at least the age of 4 years. The generic name for this medicine is etanercept.
  • SIMPONI®
    It’s a tradename for golimumab and is also sometimes used with another medicine called methotrexate. This medication reduces the effects of the substance that causes inflammation in the body. It is important to know that this medication weakens the immune system, and hence makes the patient prone to serious or fatal infections.

There are some home remedies too that you can try to manage your condition, but it is important to know personal triggers before trying any home cures. As for treatment, always consult your doctor to prescribe the right treatment for you, do not rely on personal diagnosis. While curing this condition is not possible, managing it is something every individual can do. Take care!

Popular Reads

You Will Not Believe This Common Condition Is One of the Brain Tumor Symptoms

You Will Not Believe This Common Condition Is One of the Brain Tumor Symptoms

You know about headaches and seizures, but did you know that this common condition is one of the brain tumor symptoms you ought to watch out for? Brain tumors manifest in symptoms for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the brain is a very compact organ, and there is little to no space to accommodate the growth of other tissue inside the brain. Secondly, depending on exactly where they are growing inside the brain, these tumors push against and impose pressure on certain parts, and cause varying symptoms. Perhaps, the most common early warning symptom of brain tumors is a headache . Headaches may be severe to start off with, or may have a tendency to worsen early in the morning or after any activity. The second most commonly reported symptom of brain tumors is seizures or fits. Also known as convulsion, motor seizures are characterized by sudden involuntary movements of the muscles in a person’s body. Depending on the area that the tumor is pushing against, you may experience different types of seizures. The most common ones are myoclonic and tonic-clonic or Grand Mal seizures. Less common brain tumor symptoms include changes in sensory perceptions without being unconscious, personality/memory changes, nausea and vomiting and fatigue .
Everything You Need to Know About Haemophilia in Children

Everything You Need to Know About Haemophilia in Children

Get all your questions pertaining to haemophilia in children answered here. A first aid kit is your best friend as a parent. Children seem to know just how to walk in an unbalanced gait and topple over without any external help. The result is an extraordinary number of bumps and bruises that need more than a mother’s kiss to make better. While bruises and scrapes are a normal part of childhood, haemophilia children need extra care. A bruise or cut would heal and scab over for others, but for haemophilia children, even the smallest cuts are a cause of concern. If you are a parent with haemophilia children or would just like to know more about the condition to help your loved ones handle it better, here are the answer to the most common questions when it comes to haemophilia in children. What is Haemophilia? When you get a cut, there are clotting agents in your blood that act quickly to curb the bleeding. However, for haemophilia children, the disease actively stops blood from clotting properly. The result is an excessive loss of blood, which can be very dangerous to the health of haemophilia children. This genetic disorder tends to affect more boys than girls.
Do You Suffer from These Bladder Control Problems in Women?

Do You Suffer from These Bladder Control Problems in Women?

Do not just live with urinary incontinence – learn what causes it so you can improve bladder control problems in women. If you think that urinary incontinence is a problem that only older women and men deal with, think again. Bladder control problems in women are common, and they affect women of all age groups. Sometimes, there is a clear starting point for bladder control problems in women. You may have just delivered a baby, and are getting back to your active lifestyle, when you suffer through an “accident”. Owing to how embarrassing bladder control problems in women can be, a lot of women never seek help for this treatable condition. Regardless of age, many across the globe are living with bladder control problems in women, and shrouding the condition in secrecy. However, the truth is that more than 13 million people in the United States have incontinence issues. Bladder control problems in women are twice as likely as men. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, 30 percent of young women suffer incontinence. The rates of bladder control problems in women increase with age, with 40 percent of middle-aged women, and 50 percent of older women suffering from urinary incontinence.