Understanding arthritis painkillers

When you have arthritispain you need relief. With so many warnings in the news about painkillers, it is hard to make the right choice. Many of the medications that ease arthritis pain have the potential for health risks, including increased risk of heart attack, stomach problems and infections.

You have difficult decisions to make, whether you are fighting pain from the osteoarthritis that comes with age, or pain from rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating immune disorder. Do you somehow learn to live with the pain? Or do you accept the risk and take the medication because your pain requires it? Which medicine is right for your body? And which medicine works best for your type of arthritis?

It is important to keep in mind that the risks of arthritis medicines are really quite low, says Dr Patience White, of the Arthritis Foundation in the US. “There are risks,” she says, “but depending on the drug you may have a greater chance of getting hit by a car crossing the street than having side effects of the drugs we're talking about.”

Many people with arthritis need pain relief in order to go about their daily lives and get the exercise that can improve their condition.

Easing arthritis pain can help someone with osteoarthritis get up and going, and get walking . If you have osteoarthritis, losing weight will help stop the progression of your disease and reduce your pain, she explains. Then you can stop taking the pain medication.

Although the pain from rheumatoid arthritis cannot be reduced through weight loss, the risk of not treating this immune disease is even more dramatic. Without treatment, rheumatoid arthritis tends to progress and worsen. New medicines called biologics can stop the damaging effects of the disease. These drugs carry a slight risk of cancer, because they suppress the immune system, says White. “Yet if you don't take them, you are going to be disabled. You have to put that risk-benefit ratio on the table.”

She offers an analogy: Would someone decide against a cancer treatment that offers a possible cure because they are afraid of chemotherapy medicines?

Deciding on arthritis pain medicine

White advises people to make their decisions only after talking with their health care provider. She recommends that you ask key questions so you fully understand the benefits and risks of your medication: “What are my risks? What is the chance this could happen?”

Get the emotional and practical support you need to cope with arthritis pain during treatment.

Research into the mind-body connection in arthritis pain has found that people who are lonely or depressed may feel pain more acutely.

To help you understand your options here are common medicines for arthritis pain. Keep in mind that different medicines are often used to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other less common forms of arthritis. This information covers the most commonly prescribed painkillers. Talk to your GP to learn about more options.