Rheumatoid Arthritis Information

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Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most debilitating forms of the arthritis family. Unlike most forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis does not come from wear and tear on the joints but is known as an inflammatory condition that stems from the immune system. It can strike at any age and can lead to degeneration of the joints as well as joint deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 50, and is three times more likely to affect women than men. While there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, proper treatment can help alleviate symptoms and decrease or even stop the progression of the disease.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include swelling of the joints, in particular the small joints of the hands and feet, loss of range of motion in affected joints, loss of muscular strength in the muscles attached to the affected joints, low grade fever, fatigue which can become severe during times of flare ups, a feeling of stiffness or aching most noticeably after a period of rest or sedentary activities, malaise, a general sense of feeling ill and slow, and with enough time, deformity of the joints.


Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is known for involving several joints at one time. It is likely to affect the hands, knees, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, jaw, neck, and feet, and can progress from just a few joints to several or all joints in a relatively quick time frame. Rheumatoid arthritis generally affects tear glands, the lining of the heart and lung, the salivary glands, and even the lungs.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by confusion of the immune system. Instead of just attacking potential illnesses, the white blood cells also attack something known as the synovium, which is a membrane the body uses to protect and line the joints. By attacking the synovium, the immune system causes damage and can eventually destroy this lining of the joints as well as the joints themselves. As the synovium is attacked, a protein is released in an effort to fight back and this builds up around the joints, causing irreversible damage.

Risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis include being female, age, although the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis after the age of 80 declines sharply, inheriting specific genes that create a higher degree of potential, and being exposed to an infection, most likely a bacterial or viral that may trigger the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.


Rheumatoid arthritis

X-rays and MRIs can often help in determining if the patient complaints are symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. X-rays taken over a period of time will often show the progression of the arthritis at a much faster rate than osteoarthritis. Blood tests to determine the presence of an antibody known as the rheumatoid factor can also help in the diagnostic process. This antibody is only developed in patients with a rheumatoid disease, like lupus, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis. Blood tests which determine a patient’s SED rate can also detect abnormal amounts of swelling present in the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to complications related to severe pain and stiffness, including difficulty dealing with nominal, everyday tasks as well as depression over the loss of life quality. Rheumatoid arthritis also increases a patient’s likelihood of developing osteoarthritis, as the wear and tear is now intensified as well as an effect of taking corticosteroids. Rheumatoid arthritis once meant a destiny confined to a wheelchair, but better treatments now make that only a possibility, not a certainty.

Medications for rheumatoid arthritis are either aimed at relieving the painful symptoms or are aimed at ceasing the damage. Thus many patients take numerous medications and may have to go through a phase of experimentation overseen by a physician in order to determine the right medication combination for that patient. NSAIDs, corticosteroids, immunosuppressant medication, and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs can all be part of a patient’s daily medication cocktail.

There are also surgical procedures for the right candidate that can alleviate a lot of the pain and immobility caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Joint replacement as well as tightening tendons, loosening others, fusing bones, and removing diseases bone can all be part of a surgical therapy plan. Surgical procedures are painful and should be performed only when the benefits are sure to outweigh the recovery pain and the therapy pain associated with these types of surgical procedures.

Daily exercise, a healthy diet, and controlling weight gain are all essential parts of keeping the pain of rheumatoid arthritis under control. Applying heat and cold as appropriate and maintaining a healthy spiritual or emotional outlook are also good management tools. Rheumatoid arthritis is not easy to live with, but there is great hope as treatment options continue to improve.

Rheumatoid Arthritis medications for sale

$0.72

Anaprox

500mg
Anaprox is a brand name for naproxen sodium, a medication used to relieve pain and inflammation in various conditions. These can include head aches, muscle aches, back aches, tendonitis, tooth ache, menstrual cramps, arthritis, bursitis, gout, fever, and others. It is usually given in tablets. You should take Anaprox with a full glass of water, and not lie down for a half an hour after taking it, in order to prevent stomach ache. Anaprox is in a class of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.
$1.62

Arava

10mg, 20mg
Arava is commonly prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to help decrease the inflammation, pain, and damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Arava, which is generically prescribed as leflunomide, targets the immune system to achieve the reduction in inflammation.
$0.70

Arcoxia

60mg, 90mg, 120mg
Arcoxia is used to treat acute and chronic osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, acute gouty arthritis, to relieve pains.
$0.81

Aristocort

4mg
Aristocort is corticosteroid. It's used to diminish skin irritation, allergic disorders, ulcerative colitis, arthritis.
$1.38

Asacol

400mg
Asacol is a brand name for mesalamine, a medication given for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the inner lining of the rectum and colon characterized by periods of remission. Symptoms alternate between flare-ups and remission, sometimes throughout a person’s whole life. When a person has a flare-up, the rectum or colon become inflamed, and people experience diarrhea, bleeding, abdominal cramps, and a feeling of urgently needing to go to the bathroom. Flare-ups can vary in how long they last and how severe they are. Asacol can also be used to treat symptoms of Crohn’s disease, which is a digestive disorder similar to ulcerative colitis.
$0.89

Azulfidine

500mg
Azufline is a salicylate used to treat ulcerative colitis
$0.60

Celebrex

100mg, 200mg
Celebrex is a brand name for the generic drug celecoxib. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, used in the treatment of several different serious conditions, including the relief of symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children over two years of age. It is also used for the relief of ankylosing spondylitis, which is a type of arthritis characterized by pain in and around the spine. Celebrex is given to adults for the management of general pain and for the treatment of severe menstrual cramps, as well as to reduce the number of colorectal polyps for those suffering from familial adenomatous polyposis. It is prescribed in capsules.
$0.55

Feldene

10mg, 20mg
Feldene is a brand name for the medication piroxicam. It belongs to a class of drugs called NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Feldene works by reducing the hormones, called prostaglandins, that cause pain and inflammation in the body. These hormones are responsible for the pain of arthritis and osteoarthritis, which are among the disorders treated with Feldene, and is suitable for both chronic pain and flare-ups.
$0.89

Imuran

25mg, 50mg
Imuran suppresses immune system to treat autoimmune disease and is used in organ transplantation.
$0.35

Mobic

7,5mg, 15mg
Mobic is a brand name for the generic drug meloxicam, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to reduce pain and swelling or other inflammation. It is available by prescription only and comes in tablets or in an oral suspension liquid. Mobic is prescribed for the relief of the pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is prescribed in tablets to be taken once a day.
$5.26

Neoral

25mg, 100mg
Cyclosporine is used to prevent organ rejection after a kidney, liver, or heart transplant.
$0.51

Prevacid

15mg, 30mg
Prevacid, which is generically prescribed as lansoprazole, is commonly used to treat and prevent stomach ulcers, intestinal ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and stomach conditions which create too much stomach acids such as Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome.
$0.40

Vasotec

2,5mg, 5mg, 10mg
Vasotec is often generically prescribed as enalapril. It is most often used in the treatment of high blood pressure, but is also used when treating congestive heart failure and when trying to increase survival chances during or after a heart attack. Vasotec can be used for treating diabetes related kidney problems. This particular medication is known as an ACE inhibitor, which is an acronym for angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.
$0.38

Voltaren

50mg, 100mg
Voltaren is a brand name for a pain reliever that combines two major ingredients: paracetamol and codeine phosphate. Paracetamol is used in the treatment of mild to moderate pain caused by injuries, illnesses, or surgery, and for reducing fever. The codeine mimics the effect of endorphins--naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals-- and helps program them to relieve your pain. Voltaren belongs to a class of medications known as NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It comes in tablets, but you should not take more than two tablets at one time.