why take the RA Biologics
RA drugs may be toxic, but they are the choices we currently have to slow the progression of RA.
All posts filed under: Drugs
The core treatment for RA is an arsenal of drugs
methotrexate complication
The thirteenth black box warning for methotrexate is soft tissue necrosis.
Prednisone and Medrol are Glucocorticoids.
Glucocorticoids are naturally produced by the body. For those with RA the body does not produce enough during inflammation. Synthetics, such as, Medrol and prednisone are prescribed.
RA treatment is still lacking
Not long ago those with RA suffered in agony as their bodies became mutilated . We now have a variety of drugs to reduce those symptoms. Let’s take a closer look at what these drugs are doing.
Anakinra for RA
Anakinra is a biologic medication developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike the other RA biologics , it is injected daily.
Biologics Actemra and Kevzara
RA biologics affecting your interleukin 6: Actemra and Kevzara.
Targeted biologics for RA Part One Rituxan and Orencia
The following are targeted biologics approved for rheumatoid arthritis. Targeted means these drugs dampen a particular part of the body’s overactive inflammatory process. Rituxan Orencia Actemra Kevzara Kineret Some of the biologics will not work for you although they work for some other people. Some biologics work for a short time then stop working. Some biologics work for years then seem to stop working suddenly. Sometimes an insurance company will stop covering certain biologics and insist a patient use a limited selection from their formulary. Some people are affected by the possible, serious side effects of these drugs. These complications happen to somebody so pay attention when your doctor briefly mentions them. Doctors do not know which drugs will work for you. Docs give it their best shot. It is trial and error. There is no system to finding the biologic that will work for you. This is the current medical scenario. In this article we will discuss Rituxan and Orencia. Rituxan (Rituximab) In 1982, Rituxan was created by Ronald Levy for the express purpose …
TNF inhibitors
Next line in the treatment of RA TNF inhibitors/TNF blockers are a group of biologic medicines that suppress the body’s response to TNF. TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) is a complex protein produced by the white blood cells in response to inflammatory events in the body. Those who have rheumatoid arthritis may be given a TNF inhibitor as part of their therapy. This is the third article in a series about the treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis. You can download the articles or you can read them on Marysarthritis.com. Many insurance plans may require that you start your therapy with a nonbiologic such as methotrexate (MTX). As troublesome as the side effects are in the beginning, methotrexate has a good success rate. When MTX isn’t enough the doctor may order a combination of methotrexate with sulfasalazine and/or leflunomide. A TNF inhibitor may be the added to the methotrexate. Although the TNF inhibitors are basically similar, they do have differentproperties. If one doesn’t work for you, another might. Your doctor will order a TB test and will …
The Four Non-biologic DMARDs
This article is second in the series on rheumatoid arthritis drugs. The four common DMARDs: methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, leflunomide.
RA treatment
This article is the first in a series of articles about RA treatments.
marysarthritis.com 