Good Diet for Arthritis

Helpful Aspirin in Arthritis

Preparing and Eating Food

Cytotoxic Drugs

Control Arthritis with Diet Variety

Diet is Important in Arthritis

Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs

Four Basic Food Groups

Pain Control and Electrical Stimulation

Painkillers for Treatment

Steroids Treats Arthritis

 

Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs

Aspirin is still the most commonly utilized NSAID. It is the least expensive, most readily obtained, and most effective therapy for many forms of arthritis. Aspirin should always be taken with meals or a snack to minimize side effects on the stomach.

However, many patients still cannot tolerate aspirin in doses high enough to treat arthritis. In this situation the other NSAIDs have been very useful. NSAIDs such as naproxen, tolemetin sodium, indomethacin, ibuprofen and others are as effective as aspirin but have fewer side effects. In addition the newer longer acting NSAIDs need only be taken once or twice daily for maximum effectiveness.

Immunosuppressants

An important group of drugs known as immunosuppressants is expected to play a bigger role in arthritis therapy if the associated side effects can be controlled.

Immunosuppressant drugs can help check the activity of the immune system. These drugs are both strong and dangerous, and researchers are constantly striving to develop immunosuppressants with fewer serious side effects. Immunosuppressants such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, and methotrexate are commonly used to modify the chain of events that leads to inflammation of joints.

Immunostimulants

Another experimental drug is an immunostimulant known as levamisole. This drug has the reverse action of the immunosuppressants and it is unclear why and how it works. Although it opens the possibility of a new approach to arthritis treatment, researchers emphasize that it is still in highly experimental stages.