3 Reasons to Begin Using Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicines to Fight the Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines called “big guns”
Often, people ask how they’ll know when are ready for the big guns. My answer: When RA fires its weapons on you! It’s time for powerful Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines as soon as you know that you have Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis has first strike weapons that can be like a nuclear blast to your body. Recent research shows that Rheumatoid Arthritis spreads through the body into unaffected joints via synovial fibroblasts, making early disease treatment even more significant. You should consider this an ambush. Untreated RA can damage joints and other body systems unhindered and unseen.
Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment is our best hope for now
Early treatment with Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines that battle the disease is crucial. While there is no Rheumatoid Arthritis cure, fighting RA is the best option we have today. Medicines which treat Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms do not necessarily work by fighting the disease. One of my early posts described the difference between symptom medicines and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Big gun DMARDs for Rheumatoid Arthritis include Biologics like Enbrel, Humira, and Rituxan, and Orencia and methotrexate and other chemical therapies. These medicines interfere with the autoimmune activity of RA in various ways. Some of them inhibit specific immune cells such as TNF or T-cells or B-cells. Others reduce the overactive immune activity in a more general way.
3 Reasons to fight with Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines early
1) Damage:
Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines may help prevent or delay damage to joints or other systems. Damage often occurs before symptoms are severe enough to recognize. Damage is permanent and will likely require further treatment such as steroid injections or surgeries.
2) Remissions:
Both early and long term use of DMARDs are liable to increase likelihood of Rheumatoid Arthritis remission. Remissions vary in length and quality. However, any remission would be better than none.
3) Prognosis:
Early Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment is believed to be the greatest opportunity for disease modification. Many doctors believe that very early treatment of what they call “very early Rheumatoid Arthritis” can cause the disease to be less severe long term. This may mean more remissions, fewer flares, fewer surgeries, less steroids… a better prognosis overall.
Recommended reading:
- Pyramid Approach to Rheumatoid Arthritis Trashed
- The Difference Between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
- I Failed the Rheumatoid Arthritis Control Quiz
- Kelly’s article on HCP live: Early Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Is an Elusive Goal
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