Are Doctors Playing Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Roulette? 

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a debilitating condition that affects millions of Americans. Triggered by the immune system going awry, and attacking the cartilage and bones that form up the neuromuscular system, this disease has a number of conventional treatments, all built around the idea of reducing inflammation with dangerous medication.

Anti-inflammatory medications or drugs come in multiple varieties, with the most common being NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen sodium (Aleve). More powerful NSAIDs, like Celebrex and Vioxx medications available only by prescription, and Vioxx was recently pulled from the market because additional studies linked it to increased risks for heart attacks.

When used for their intended purpose – alleviating joint aches from over use, muscle pain and soreness, these NSAIDs are wonder drugs. The problem is that when they're prescribed in large doses for chronic conditions, their accumulated side effects get more and more pronounced. NSAIDs work by inhibiting two enzymes in the body, COX-1 and COX-2. These enzymes produce prostoglandins, which cause inflammation and swelling. The problem is that prostoglandins are also necessary for regeneration of the mesenteric lining of the stomach, small intestine and large intestine; this is why extended doses of them can trigger ulcers and internal bleeding, and cause problems with intestinal tract diseases in general; in short, by shutting down prostaglandin production they hit with too broad a brush. Other side effects of NSAIDs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, dizziness, headache, and drowsiness; most NSAIDs will vary somewhat in whether they inhibit COX-1 or COX-2 functions in the body.

Furthermore, the longer you're on a regimen of NSAIDs, the likelier it is that your body will build up a tolerance to them, or, worse yet, build up a toxic reservoir effect on them. This causes doctors to rotate which NSAID a patient is on, just to swap out which side effects are causing the most problems.

The end result of this is more doctors visits, and more prescriptions being written for ineffective treatments. What needs to be done is find ways to reduce inflammation with fewer side effects; this can be most efficiently done with enzymatic therapies over a long period of time. It's worth it to think of NSAIDs as the scaffolding you use to hold up the protective covering while you repair the actual damage to the building that happens to be your body. Just like you'd never rely on the scaffolding for a permanent solution, NSAIDs are not the permanent solution to rheumatoid arthritis. Enzymatic therapies provide a long term solution to rheumatoid arthritisl (see studies - The End of Heart Disease and Arthritis), but for some may need to be staged in with NSAIDs which provide immediate relief as a quick fix.

If you suffer from arthritis, be sure to check out the full spectrum of treatments available, from pH balancing to dietary adjustments, to enzymatic therapies like Neprinol, before the roulette of drug side effects takes that choice away from you.

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