Why do Rheumatologists use steroids to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis ?

Do Rheumatologists (allopathy arthritis and rheumatic disease specialists) use steroids to treat Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ?

Yes we do.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a life changing diagnosis for many people. There is very less awareness about rheumatology diseases in India. Patients who are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis often get misguided by wrong advice. Allopathy treatment of RA is often given bad name as rheumatologists use steroid tablets/injections to treat Rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment – Why allopathy treatment uses steroids ?

Read more

First understand why only ‘naturopathy’ or ‘ayurveda’ or ‘homeopathy’ treatment can harm a Rheumatoid arthritis patient. Please first read the article below.

What is the best natural way to treat Rheumatoid arthritis without side effects of allopathy drugs ?

What is the best natural way to treat Rheumatoid arthritis without side effects of allopathy drugs ?

Should I take ayurveda or homeopathy for my Rheumatoid arthritis ?

Why do rheumatologists use steroids to treat Rheumatoid arthritis ? Aren’t steroids harmful to body ?

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be a very serious arthritis. If not treated properly, it can lead to lot of joint damage and can lead complications in the future. (To understand everything about rheumatoid arthritis, read this article).
• It is an autoimmune disease, where a part of body’s immune system is in over-active mode. Steroids are very fast and effective controllers of this overactive immune system. (Read here to understand what is autoimmune disease).
• We use steroids in low doses (either tablets or injections) at the start of RA treatment. Steroids are very effective at controlling rheumatoid arthritis at the start. They are also very cheap drugs. We also give other drugs along with steroids which are slow to act. Steroids act as a bridge to control the disease fast. Later other drugs are continued to maintain disease control. Steroids are reduced once patient gets better.

Do Rheumatologists use very high doses of steroids for Rheumatoid arthritis ? Do they use steroids lifelong in RA patients ?

• Once the patient’s disease is controlled, we try to decrease and stop steroids completely. We can stop steroids in 80-95% percent of RA patients and even in remaining patients we can bring down steroids to very low doses.
• A good rheumatologist will always have a plan of using steroids. They are aware of long-term side effects of steroids tablet or injections. Rheumatologists use steroids in lowest possible doses and for shortest duration possible. At each patient visit, the rheumatologist will always try to see if they can decrease or stop steroids completely.
• Low dose steroids in RA can help to control disease very fast. They can also meet target of disease remission (complete disease control) very early. Low dose steroids in RA do not cause any major side effects over short duration. They also help to prevent or decrease joint damage chances in RA patient.
• Even a well controlled RA patient can have unpredictable flares (or increase) of their disease activity. We might use a short course of steroid tablets or injections to help patients control things during these flares.
• There are very good treatment options available now for RA. That is why we don’t need to continue steroids life-long in most RA patients. However, there are always few patients with very aggressive disease. In these patient we have to use long-term steroids. Even in  such cases, we try to use lowest doses possible.

Do Rheumatologists take any precautions to prevent side effects while Rheumatoid arthritis patients are put on steroids ?

• A Rheumatologist always monitors patients for any side effects of drugs including steroids. They will take measures to avoid or minimise or detect side effects early. If they find so, proper actions can be taken.
• It is better to show a Rheumatologist rather than any general doctor (or orthopedic doctor) for rheumatoid arthritis. They are experts in dealing with drugs used to treat RA. Rheumatologists are very careful and experts in using steroids with minimum side effects.

If you have any doubts about having arthritis or getting treatment for Rheumatoid arthritis, please do not hesitate to contact us.

For more updates follow us on Twitter  or like our Facebook page

Please also read our disclaimer before taking any further steps.