Painkillers (analgesics) reduce pain and are often used alongside other medications.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help relieve swelling (inflammation) in your joints as well as pain. Again, they are often used alongside other medications.
Like all medications, NSAIDs can have side effects. Your doctor will take measures to reduce the risk of these, such as prescribing the lowest dose necessary to control your symptoms.
Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are medications that work by tackling the underlying causes of the excess inflammation in your joints. Examples of DMARDs are methotrexate or a group of drugs known as a JAK inhibitors. DMARDs can reduce pain, stiffness and swelling in people who have inflammatory arthritis.
It can take several weeks or months for the effects of a DMARD to become apparent, some DMARDs work more quickly than others, so it's important to keep taking the medication, even if you don't see any changes at first.
Corticosteroids (steroids) control inflammation but can cause side effects if used for a long time. They can be injected into the muscle or taken in tablet form. While they can be useful for pain and inflammation in joints, due to their possible side effects they are often not the first choice for long term treatment.
IE-N-DA-RH-2200079 - Date of Preparation: June 2022