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IV Arthritis Medication

Arthritis is a group of conditions which cause pain in the joints. Over 100 forms of arthritis have been identified. One of the most commonly known is rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis can be treated with certain intravenous drugs which help to modify the disease process, reducing pain, inflammation and long term damage to the joints. They belong to a group of drugs called biologic response modifiers or biologics.

  1. Rheumatoid Arthritis

    • Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease which most commonly attacks the synovial joints (joints such as the knees and joints in the fingers). An autoimmune disease is one where the body mistakes its own tissues for foreign material and mounts an attack to rid itself of the "foreign material" leading to inflammation and pain.

    Other Treatments

    • Treatment will involve anti-inflammatory painkillers called NSAIDs, disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and sometimes steroids if your disease is quite severe.

    IV Biologic Response Modifiers

    • Biologic response modifiers or biologics are only used if no progress is being made with other drugs because of their potential side effects. Biologics slow down progression of disease by acting on certain molecules in cells within the joints which cause inflammation and damage to the tissues. Some biologics are given intravenously in the doctor's office or hospital.

    IV Medication

    • Frequency of IV medication depends on which one you are given. For example, after the initial IV infusion, you may be asked to return after two weeks then every eight weeks after that. Effects of some of these medications can be seen for up to two years.

    Effects

    • IV medications for arthritis can slow down progression of your disease by 40 to 70 percent depending on which drug is used. Typically, you are likely to see results after three months with continued improvement up to two years later; however, you are likely to start to feel better within a few weeks. Although they can lead to remission, these drugs are not a cure for arthritis. The reduction in inflammation, pain and tissue damage can lead to a significant improvement in the quality of your life as your mobility improves and your pain decreases. IV arthritis medications are not the first choice for the treatment of arthritis due to side effects. Scientists are still examining the long term effects.

    Side Effects

    • Side effects include serious infections, respiratory infections and tuberculosis.

      During clinical trials of one of these medications, a low frequency of a syndrome (collection of symptoms) of fever chills, headache and general aching body was reported during infusion. If this happens to you, it can be reduced by your doctor or nurse slowing the speed of infusion and giving you other drugs to counteract the effects. If side effects are continuous, then treatment may be stopped..

    Considerations

    • IV medications for arthritis are not to be taken if you have or have had cancer in the recent past or have had tuberculosis or any type of infection. It is often used with one or more other drugs to improve the effect. They are not to be taken if you have heart failure or a demyelinating disease like multiple sclerosis and you must be routinely monitored for infections so it is important to keep all doctors appointments.

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