Patients who have had success using the arthritis drug Vioxx are now forced to look for other alternate options.
The primary goal of all arthritis treatment is to relieve the patient's pain and Vioxx was very successful at doing this.
However, with subsequent medical research that was done, side effects of the arthritis drug Vioxx were discovered.
When this happened, the drug was immediately pulled off from the market.
All drug choices you may opt for to alleviate pain should first be discussed with your doctor.
Even over the counter medications can sometimes interact with medicines you are already taking.
If this happens it can cause severely damaging consequences.
Analgesics One type of drug that is used to relieve arthritis pain is the analgesic.
An analgesic blocks out the signals sent to the brain from the affected site.
These drugs also are able to interfere with this transfer of information.
Analgesics come in two forms: narcotic and non-narcotic.
Non-narcotic analgesics are usually the first treatment choice of doctors when arthritis is diagnosed.
They work very well when the pain is located in the hips or the knees.
Narcotic analgesics are usually used for treating severe arthritis pain.
However, doctors do not want patients on these drugs for a great length of time.
Usually, they will work with their patient to find other effective pain relieving methods.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, also called NSAIDs are used successfully by many arthritis patients.
There are many NSAIDs available and they all seem to work equally well in medical studies.
A doctor will consider the health of the stomach as well as the kidney before prescribing NSAIDs to a patient.
Heart problems sometimes arise from the very use of these drugs itself.
The reason for the recall of the arthritis drug Vioxx was the increased risk of heart problems for those on the drug.
Ibuprofen, Mobic, Lodine, Feldine, and Daypro are among the many NSAIDS on the market today.
COX - 2 Selective Inhibitors This class of drug is sometimes prescribed when NSAIDs do not work for a patient.
They are also a viable option when other drugs produce unpleasant side effects in a patient.
Injections Another choice for pain relief is a steroid injection.
The thought of a needle being inserted where pain already exists is very scary for some patients.
Fortunately, after speaking with a doctor many patients come away feeling reassured.
These injections do not hurt and are very successful for some people.
This type of treatment usually involves taking one injection about every 3 to 4 months.
Topical Analgesics For mild pain a doctor may prescribe a topical analgesic.
These ointments can be easily rubbed on the skin for immediate pain relief.
Many of these ointments work using either heat or cold to relieve the pain.
Natural Methods After the recall of the arthritis drug Vioxx many patients turned to natural healing methods to relieve their pain.
Many of these methods do work very well but should still be discussed with a doctor before beginning a natural treatment method.
The recall of the arthritis drug Vioxx brought to light the necessity of further research into arthritis pain relief.
Current studies are focusing on finding new and improved non-narcotic treatment options for patients who have severe pain.