Help needed FROM Arthritis sufferers!

[bigOz]

Have you come accross any latest developments in the treatment or cure of this painful disease?

 

If so please share your knowledge with us...

[silkworm]

Glucosamine helps me the most.

[YT2095]

it depends on the type of arthritis, but often NSAIDs are given and they help somewhat, Omega 3 fatty acids are also helpfull as found in some fish, however Gout precludes eating amounts of these as they contain high levels of Purines that breakdown to form Uric Acid, Alopurinol is helpfull for the Gout type arthritis though along with NSAIDs.

[scicop]

you may want to try some from of immuno-supressive therapy, if your RA is moderate to severe and you have failed to respond to other therapies, such as NSAIDS. These therapies are usually anti-cytokines (antibodies or recominbant proteins that attenuate pro-inflammatory cytokine action). This include Enbrel (indicated for RA), and imfliximab or the trade name..Remicade (an anti-TNFalpha mAb). Remember that RA can be an autoimmune disease.

 

Although effective, the consequence of these therapies is that they are immuno-suppressive, so the frequency of opportunistic infections may increase. Talk to your physician.

 

These therapies are also expensive, they are not generic as of yet (least to my knowledge) so you may want to investigate how your MCO tier these drugs in their formularies, and what percentage you would be responsible for. Also depending on where the tier the drug, you may also need to demonstrate to them that you have failed to respond to conventional therapy options, this your physcian and prior prescribing history can help demonstrate this if this is true. These therapies are not curative just like NSAIDs and glucocorticoids, but help maintain a semi-non pathological state, and relapse may and do occur.

 

But since you're on this board, I imagine you have some form of science-accumen, so go to pub-med, and look up some of the trials for the drugs I mentioned.....and most importantly....TALK to your physician!!!! a professional in the field!