If you’re making decisions about arthritis pain relief, here are questions you may want to ask your doctor:
1. What pain medication is best for me right now?
2. Does my family and medical history make me a good candidate for this drug?
3. Is it safe to take this drug every day?
4. How long will I need to take this medication? Is it a short-term or long-term treatment?
5. When can I expect to see improvement in my arthritis pain?
6. Will this pain medicine interact with other medications I’m taking?
7. What potential side effects should I know about with this drug?
8. What can I do to decrease the risk of side effects?
9. What should I do if I have flare-ups of pain while taking this medication?
10. Is there anything else I can do to relieve my pain, besides taking painkillers?
Sources
- Patience White, MD, chief public health officer, Arthritis Foundation.
- Medicinenet.com: “How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?"
- Medicinenet.com: “Osteoarthritis Treatments: Know Your Options."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Anti-Inflammatory Painkiller Drugs and Arthritis."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Steroids to Treat Arthritis."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Narcotic Pain Medication."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Disease-Modifying Drugs (DMARDs)."
- WebMD Medical Reference: “Pain Relief Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis."