There are 2 goals in treating arthritis. The first is to decrease your pain. The
second is to stop or slow the damage to your joints and keep them moving freely.
Treating your arthritis properly will help you lead a full life and help you stay
active.
Self-management
Along with taking medicine, there are several important things you can do that will
help you feel your best.
Exercise: Regular exercise is one of the most important
things you can do to help ease the pain of your arthritis. Staying fit has been
shown to reduce the risk of joint damage and loss of movement.
Eat healthy: Weight control has been shown to reduce
the pain and loss of movement caused by arthritis. A good diet will help you maintain
your ideal weight as well as keep your body healthy and your bones strong.
Manage stress: Reducing stress in your life can help
you better cope with the pain and burden of living with arthritis.
Learn about your condition: Knowledge is power! So
stay on top of new discoveries, treatments, and tools (such as assistive devices)
by reading books and newspapers and doing research on the Internet.
Join a self-help program: The Arthritis Foundation
offers a program that teaches people how to live well in spite of arthritis. It
helps them get fit, eat right, reduce stress, and learn how to better communicate
about their arthritis.
Arthritis medications
There are 2 types of medication to ease your OA and RA pain:
Oral medications: Tylenol (Acetaminophen)* or aspirin are available
at your pharmacy without a prescription. There are stronger medicines that your
doctor can prescribe including prescription strength NSAIDs. In addition, people
with RA may be prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or DMARDs.
Injections: Some people with arthritis may get medicine
injected directly into their affected joint, often the knee. Injections help relieve
your pain and swelling in the joint, but are effective for only a period of time.
*Tylenol is a registered trademark of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of
McNeil-PPC, Inc.
Next: About NSAIDs
ARTHROTEC is a medicine that relieves the pain of arthritis while protecting your stomach.
Important Safety Information
ARTHROTEC should not be taken by women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant. ARTHROTEC can cause miscarriage, often associated with bleeding, which may result in other serious complications.
Like all prescription NSAIDs, ARTHROTEC may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke that can lead to death. It should not be used right before or after certain heart surgeries.
Also, like all prescription NSAIDs, ARTHROTEC can cause serious stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. Elderly patients are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers.
Prescription NSAIDs can cause serious skin reactions which may cause death.
Tell your doctor if you:
- Are pregnant or may become pregnant
- Have a history of ulcers or bleeding in the stomach or intestines
- Have high blood pressure or heart failure
- Have kidney or liver problems
Prescription ARTHROTEC should be used exactly as prescribed at the lowest dose possible and for the shortest time needed.
For more information about ARTHROTEC and other NSAIDs, please see the
Medication Guide. For further information on ARTHROTEC,
please see full Prescribing Information.
The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only
and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider. All decisions
regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare provider, considering the
unique characteristics of the patient.
The product information provided in this site is intended only for residents of
the United States. The products discussed herein may have different product labeling
in different countries.