Pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis is a matter of serious concern. So, what are the effective forms of rheumatoid arthritis drug therapy? What are their side effects and special precautions? Find out the expert answers to these important questions in this article.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes a lot of pain and discomfort in the life of the person who is suffering from it. Pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis is really a serious issue as more than 2.5 million people suffer from this dreaded disease in the United States alone.
Although prescription based rheumatoid arthritis drug therapy is effective for pain relief in the short term, it also suffers from the risk of various side effects -- which can be fatal at times.
As more and more research is being undertaken and the side effects of prescription based drug therapy are coming into light, people are now looking for safer, healthier and natural remedies to control inflammation and to achieve pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis.
These are some of the common treatments used --
1) Cox-2 inhibitors -- they are a popular form of drug therapy that work by blocking an enzyme called Cox-2 in our body, which is responsible for inflammation. They are approved by the FDA, but have received a lot of bad press and media attention due to their adverse side effects.
For example, Vioxx is a brand of Cox-2 inhibitor manufactured by Merck. It was removed from the market due to many reported cases of stroke and heart attack in patients. In fact, thousands of lawsuits are still pending against it.
So, although they are effective in pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis, they also carry the risk of serious side effects on health.
2) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- they are quite popular among people as short-term treatment in pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis. Aspirin and ibuprofen come in this category. They reduce inflammation and provide pain relief. But, they can cause serious side effects such as stomach problems, gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers and heart problems, if they are taken for long periods of time in high doses.
3) Corticosteroids -- it is a form of drug therapy which helps to reduce inflammation. They suffer from side effects such as high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, thinning of the bones which leads to osteoporosis and much more. This is the reason why health experts recommend using them for short periods only.
4) Natural remedies -- the use of omega-3 fatty acids is one of the most effective means of pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis. They have excellent anti-inflammatory properties and are also very beneficial for a good health including the health of heart, brain, digestive system, skin, joints and hair.
Research has shown that the use of omega-3 supplements helps to reduce tenderness in joints, reduce inflammation, decrease morning stiffness and reduces the need of using other drug therapy for pain relief.
Purified Fish oil supplements are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA. They can provide an effective and long term pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis naturally. Omega-3 supplementation becomes increasingly important in the Western world, as their diet is highly deficient in the essential Omega 3s.
However, in case you are using prescription based blood thinner medicines like aspirin, you should consult your doctor before you use omega-3 fish oil supplements in pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis. This is because Omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil are natural blood thinners and have anti-coagulant properties. So, you should avoid the intake of too many types of blood thinners as it could lead to serious side effects.
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