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HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury

Medications for inflammatory arthritis

Rongoā mō te pona ngoikore whakawaikura

Medicines for inflammatory arthritis are used to relieve pain, reduce swelling and slow or stop joint damage.

Each person responds differently to arthritis medicines. You need to work with your rheumatologist to identify the treatment that works best for you. A rheumatologist is a doctor who specialises in arthritis and related conditions.

Your general practice team will monitor your treatment. They will refer you back to a rheumatologist if necessary.

Common medicines for rheumatoid arthritis include:

Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)

These medicines change the underlying condition rather than just treating the symptoms. They slow down the disease and its effects on your joints.

DMARDs should be started as early as possible after inflammatory arthritis has been diagnosed. They can only be started by a rheumatologist. If you take DMARDs, you need to have regular blood and urine tests. These check for possible side effects and assess how well the medicine is working.

There are 2 main groups of DMARDs: conventional DMARDs and biological therapies.

Pain relief medicines

Pain relief medicines such as paracetamol and codeine are often used with other medication.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAIDs reduce inflammation and swelling of your joints. They start working quickly and relieve pain and swelling but do not reduce damage to your joints. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen.

Taking NSAIDs is safe. But extra care is needed if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, stomach ulcers or kidney problems. Or if you smoke.

Corticosteroids (also called steroids)

Corticosteroids are used at the start of treatment. They are used to reduce the pain and swelling of your joints, while waiting for other medication to take effect. They may also be used to treat sudden flare-ups.

You may take these as tablets, such as prednisone, or as injections directly into the joint or a muscle or vein.

Important

If you take an ACE inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) (for example, cilazapril, enalapril, quinapril, losartan or candesartan) and a diuretic (for example, furosemide or bendroflumethiazide), taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (for example ibuprofen or aspirin) in high doses could harm your kidneys.

The term for this is "triple whammy". Read NSAIDs and blood pressure medicines for more details.

Check with your general practice team or pharmacist if you are not sure whether you are taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB and a diuretic.

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Content shared between HealthInfo Canterbury, KidsHealth and Health Navigator NZ as part of a National Health Content Hub collaborative. Last reviewed July 2024.

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