Guest guest Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 WebMD " Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis With Disease-Modifying Drugs (DMARDs) " Reviewed by W. , MD, February 2006 Excerpt: There are medications available to slow the progression of joint damage from rheumatoid arthritis. They are called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, or DMARDs, and they are an important part of an overall treatment plan. What are these drugs, and how do they work? Disease-modifying drugs that act on the immune system to slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. This is why they are called " disease-modifying. " Many different medicines can be used as DMARDs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but some are used more often than others: Rheumatrex (methotrexate) is the most commonly used DMARD. This is because it has been shown to work as well or better than any other single medicine. It is also relatively inexpensive and generally safe. Like most DMARDs, methotrexate has side effects; it can cause stomach upset or be toxic to the liver or bone marrow. Taking folic acid helps reduce some of the side effects. Methotrexate's biggest advantage might be that it has been shown to be safe to take for long periods of time. Biologic drugs: Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), Kineret (Anakinra), Orencia (abatacept), and Remicade (infliximab). These are the newest drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, and are injected under the skin. They work by neutralizing the immune system's signals that lead to joint damage. When used with methotrexate, these medicines help most people with rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs are thought to have fewer side effects than other DMARDs. One rare side effect is the risk for potentially severe infections. However, potential long-term effects won't be known until the drugs have been used by patients for many years. Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) and Azulfidine (sulfasalazine) are used for mild rheumatoid arthritis. They are not as powerful as other DMARDs, but they usually cause fewer side effects. Minocin (minocycline) is an antibiotic. But it may help RA by stopping inflammation. It can take several months to start working and up to a year before the full effects are known. Arava (leflunomide) works about as well as methotrexate and can work even better in combination with it. The side effects are similar to methotrexate. Sometimes Arava causes diarrhea and can't be used. Since Arava is known to cause harm to a fetus, women must take special precautions to not get pregnant while on it. Neoral (cyclosporine) is a powerful drug that often works well in slowing down joint damage. But because it can hurt the kidneys and has other potential side effects, it is usually used for severe rheumatoid arthritis after other drugs fail. Imuran (azathioprine) is used for many different inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting - sometimes with stomach pain and diarrhea. DMARDs slow down rheumatoid arthritis and improve quality of life for most people. Some will even achieve a remission while taking them. More commonly, the disease activity continues, but at a slower, less intense pace. Read the entire article here: http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/25/113252.htm?z=1834_00000_2244_HZ_02 Not an MD I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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