Drug-Induced Lupus Treatment
At one time, lupus management was bleak. Drug-induced Lupus was frequently misdiagnosed so treatment was not fitting the need. Now, with greater knowledge, drug induced lupus treatment allows people to lead full active lives.
Lupus, an autoimmune disease, occurs in people for various reasons and no two people have the exact same cause, symptoms, or even necessarily treatment. Lupus happens when your own immune system starts attacking vital organs and tissues in your body causing inflammation and pain to set in. Drug induced lupus is brought on by negative reactions to prescription medications and is similar to systemic lupus. Some prescription medications that have been identified to bring on drug-induced lupus are:
o Hydralazine (muscle relaxant to treat hypertension)
o Isoniazid (used in the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis)
o Methyldopa (used for hypertension)
o Penicillamine (a heavy metal antagonists used in the treatment of arthritis and arthritic conditions)
o Procainamide (used to treat abnormal heart rhythms)
o Quinidine (used to treat or prevent many types of irregular heartbeats)
o Sulfasalazine (used to treat mild to moderate ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis)
o Thorazine (anti-psychotic medication)
Drug reactions to cell matter within your body causes your body to develop antibodies. These antibodies fight the healthy cells in your body.
Drug-induced lupus treatment is symptomatic based. Symptoms occur generally after taking said medication for approximately 3 to 6 months and often times the signs and symptoms of lupus will disappear within several days to a couple weeks after ceased usage of said medication. That is one treatment for drug-induced lupus.
However, it is important to have a doctor do a full evaluation on the signs or symptoms you may be experiencing, enabling them to determine which course of action is best for you. Dependant upon specific signs and symptoms, drug-induced lupus treatment may be as simple as changing specific medications or dosages taken that are causing the lupus.
Drug induced lupus treatment is using many common medications now days such as:
o Aspirins, naproxen-sodium, and ibuprofen. (Sometimes prescription strength is required, but more often then not, over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs have been doing the trick.)
o Corticosteroids (Aid in decreasing the inflammation in joint swelling, and swelling around the heart and lungs. Corticosteroids can cause serious side effects if not closely monitored.)
o Anti-malarial drugs (The connection between lupus and malaria are not yet known, but have found that these drugs help with the skin rashes, fatigue, and swelling around the heart and lungs caused by lupus.
o Immune-suppressive drugs, such as Cytoxan, Imuran, and CellCept (used in the treatment of serious cases of lupus, carry hefty possible side effects and require close monitoring.
With any medication, there are risks of possible side effects. Make sure you discuss with your doctor about your drug-induced lupus treatment any possible side effects you may experience. Research continues for new treatments of lupus and new clinical trail studies are being performed. Discuss with your doctor all the options that are available for you.
Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about Drug-Induced Lupus Treatment [http://www.lupustreatment.info/drug-induced-lupus-treatment/], please visit Lupus Treatment [http://www.lupustreatment.info/] for current articles and discussions.
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