Arthritis, in its various forms including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, a condition of the spine, is treated with a variety of medications. These include analgesics that focus on pain, NSAIDs which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, counterirritants, DMARDs which are disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, corticosteroids and others. Each type of drug may have side effects that can be serious or non-serious.
Digestive
The various medications used to treat arthritis may cause some problems in your digestive system. These may be serious or non-serious, depending upon the type of medication. Digestive system side effects may include rectal bleeding, diarrhea, swallowing difficulties, blood in the urine or stools, decreased or increased appetite, nausea, gas, vomiting, indigestion and others. Some types of medications, such as corticosteroids may cause rapid weight gain or weight loss.
Skin
Several types of arthritis medications can cause a rash or other problems on the skin. Sometimes these may be near the site of injection for intravenous drugs. Other times, they may be anywhere on the body. NSAIDs such as Celebrex may cause a skin rash that is considered serious, according to the Mayo Clinic, and you should tell your doctor if you get such a rash. Corticosteroids may cause lines on the skin that are purple and red. They may appear on the groin, legs, face, arms or the torso.
Central Nervous System
Some serious side effects may occur in your central nervous system from taking anti-arthritis medications. These may include such things as seizures, confusion and depression. They also may include speech slurring, anxiety, excitement, restlessness, mood swings and sensations of spinning. These types of effects are possible with NSAIDs, DMARDs and corticosteroids.
Other Side Effects
The use of analgesics such as Tylenol may cause effects such as skin or eye yellowing, abnormal bleeding, abnormal bruising, bodily weakness and decreases in urination output. NSAIDs may cause sneezing, a cough, pain in the chest, irregular or rapid heartbeats, pain in the ears, vomiting blood, hair loss, hearing loss and drowsiness among others. DMARDs may cause shortness of breath, chills, fever, acne, boils, skin paleness and mouth or lip sores. Corticosteroids may produce decreases in vision, a frequent need to urinate, pain in the eyes, wounds that don’t heal, nosebleeds and skin discoloration, among others.
Member Comments