Psoriatic Arthritis Medications

Some examples of psoriatic arthritis medications include corticosteroids; biological response modifiers; disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs); and analgesics (pain relievers), including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Medications for psoriatic arthritis serve various purposes. For example, acetaminophen and some other analgesics may only relieve pain or improve stiffness, while other drugs (such as corticosteroids) are used to reduce inflammation. Still other drugs (including DMARDs) can actually help slow the course of the disease.
 

An Overview of Psoriatic Arthritis Medications

There are many medicines available to treat psoriatic arthritis. Some medicines are used only for pain relief or to improve stiffness; others are used to reduce inflammation. Still others are used to try to slow the course of the disease.

 
There are a number of important considerations that a healthcare provider should take into account when prescribing psoriatic arthritis medications. Some of these considerations include:
 
  • The person's general condition
  • The current and predicted severity of the illness
  • The length of time the patient will take the medicine
  • The medicine's effectiveness and potential side effects.
     
Based on these factors, your healthcare provider will consider an assortment of medicines from several different classes of drugs. A few of these drug classes include:
 
  • Analgesics (pain relievers), including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Corticosteroids
  • Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
  • Biological response modifiers.
     
Because people can respond to medicine differently, your healthcare provider may have to try several medicines before finding one that works for you. It is also possible that you may need to take more than one type of medicine for psoriatic arthritis.
 
(Psoriatic Arthritis Medications Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD