Are there new treatments to manage my rheumatoid arthritis?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 45-year-old woman living with rheumatoid arthritis for six years. The swelling and stiffness in my hands and knees make it hard to cook, clean, or even open jars. Some mornings, I can not get out of bed without help. I am also worried about the side effects of steroids and injections, but the pain is unbearable without them. I have also read that diet and exercise might help, but I am not sure what actually works. Please tell me;

Will I always have to take strong medicines?
Are there safer new treatments that can control the disease better?
How can I protect my joints and manage fatigue while still handling my work and family responsibilities?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Right now, you are in high disease activity, hence you feel severe pain and stiffness. We aim to lower it using stronger medications, which is temporary. Once the symptoms improve, we can taper the doses and even get to a minimal drug or drug holiday, depending on your improvement.

For a safer treatment option, we now have a multitude of newer options, like biologics or JAK (Janus Kinase) inhibitors. They are proven effective in swift disease control. But no drug is perfect; these drugs have their own set of drawbacks, so we use a setup approach to medication and start after a thorough investigation and risk profiling.

Diet does have an add-on effect. Diet alone is mostly inadequate in controlling the symptoms, but when combined with the right medications, it helps to have a longer low disease activity state. Fish, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fruits are helpful for you. You avoid

Processed sugar.
Deep-fried food.
Processed foods.

Regular exercise is very effective for you and very helpful in keeping your joints in motion. You should be involved in regular activities like walking, joint mobilisation exercises, warm therapy, and stretching exercises.

I hope this information helps you.

Feel free to ask further queries.

Thank you.