Arthritis is a painful and debilitating disease with more than 100 prescription drugs available for treatment. So which arthritis medications are right for you? Know your options.

Prescription medications are a treatment option that is often used to treat arthritis. There are always potential side effects that can occur and you need to be aware of what these side effects are so always check with your doctor.

1. NSAIDS - COX2

Are non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs that are commonly used in the treatment of arthritis. Since they have become such a standard treatment in arthritis some of the older NSAIDS have been replaced with more modern drugs that are more effective.

Some of the older NSAIDS affected both COX1 and COX2 but the newer ones affect only COX2 activity. The three COX2 treatments include Celebrex, Vioxx, and Bextra. Of these three only Celebrex remains on the market. The other two have been removed due to serious side effects.

Arcoxia has just had a new drug application from Merck and Prexige has been approved in the UK but has not been approved in North America.

2. NSAIDS - Traditional

More traditional NSAIDS included Ansaid, Arthrotec, Cataflam, Clinoril, Daypro, Feldene, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen, Lodine, Mobic, Nalfon, Ponstel, Tolectin, and Voltaren. All of these are approved for treatment of arthritis although and have been used for quite some time.

3. DMARDS

Are disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs that are used as an early treatment to slow down disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis.

Approved drugs include Arava, Auranofin, Azulfidine, Mycophenolate, Cytoxan, Imuran, Leukeran, Methotrexate, Mnocin, Penicllamine, or Plaquenil.

These medications are not pain relievers nor are the anti inflammatory. In actuality how these medications work is not truly understood. They take some time to begin to work but over a few months of taking many find themselves with some relief.

4. Biological Response Modifiers

This class of drugs hit the US market in the late 1990s and they act by stimulating the ability of the immune system to fight disease. Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira are all BRMs which is a new class of drugs.

5. Steroids

Corticosteroids are very potent and they can be used to reduce inflammation and swelling very quickly. However there long term use is not recommended unless absolutely necessary.

6. Analgesics

Are a form of pain medication that plays an important role in the treatment of arthritis. Acetaminophen is one of the safest drugs on the market but it doesn't have anti-inflammatory qualities so it is usually used in conjunction with drugs that do.

Acetaminophen can be purchased under the following names - Tylenol, Anacin, Datril, Panadol, Liquiprin, Phenaphen, Valadol, Darvocet and Tylox. There is little difference in effectiveness or safety between brands.

7. Acupuncture

Although not a conventional medication as there is no pill popping here, it is certainly a treatment that has seen some good results for pain relief. It has been used in China for years and in recent years has made its way to North America.

8. Glucosamine

A natural herbal supplement that has shown some excellent results in arthritis sufferers. It can be used in conjunction with your prescription medications.

More and more new drugs are being developed. There are many waiting in the wings for approval while other older tried and true drugs remain in use.

Arthritis is a disease that's numbers continue to grow each year and research continues to not only find the cause but also to find more effective treatments. Only time will tell what arthritis medications we will see in the future.