These are some of the medical alternatives with adverse affects:
Steroids. Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and methylprednisolone (Medrol), reduce
inflammation and pain and slow joint damage. Side effects may include easy bruising, thinning of bones, cataracts,
weight gain, a round face and diabetes. Doctors often prescribe a corticosteroid to relieve acute symptoms, with the goal
of gradually tapering off the medication.
Disease-modifying antirheumatic
drugs (DMARDs). These drugs can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and save the joints and other tissues
from permanent damage. Common DMARDs include methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall), leflunomide (Arava), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil),
sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin). Side effects vary but may include liver damage, bone
marrow suppression and severe lung infections.
Immunosuppressants.
These medications act to tame your immune system, which is out of control in rheumatoid arthritis. Examples include azathioprine
(Imuran, Azasan), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). These medications can increase
your susceptibility to infection.
TNF-alpha inhibitors. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha
(TNF-alpha) is an inflammatory substance produced by your body. TNF-alpha inhibitors can help reduce pain, morning stiffness,
and tender or swollen joints — usually within one or two weeks after treatment begins. Examples include etanercept (Enbrel),
infliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab (Humira). Potential side effects include injection site irritation, congestive
heart failure, blood disorders, lymphoma, demyelinating diseases and increased risk of infection.
Other drugs. Several other rheumatoid arthritis drugs target a variety of inflammatory substances
produced by your body. These drugs include anakinra (Kineret), abatacept (Orencia) and rituximab (Rituxan). Potential side
effects include injection site reactions, decreased white blood cell counts, headache and an increase in upper respiratory
infections
