Slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs, or SAARDs, are medications for rheumatoid arthritis that take anywhere from 8 weeks to 24 weeks to take full effect. SAARDs are also used interchangeably with DMARDs, or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. These types of drugs are often administered to rheumatoid arthritis patients when milder drugs no longer produce the desired benefits.
A short overview of rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis involves the chronic inflammation of the joints and is defined as an autoimmune disease. Inflammation of the tissue around the joints is also caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Since this condition is classified as an autoimmune disease, this means that the tissues are attacked by the body’s own immune system. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition, which can last for many years. It is also a progressive disease that may result in total joint destruction and permanent functional disability.
Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
Drugs are necessary in controlling and managing the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Three general classes of medications are used in the treatment of this condition. These include NSAIDS, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, corticosteroids, and DMARDs,or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. SAARDs are a form of DMARDs, which are administered to patients with persistent inflammation due to inflammatory arthritis. Common examples of DMARDs or SAARDs include cyclosporine, methotrexate, azathioprine, etanercept, and sulfasalazine.
What SAARDS can do for your rheumatoid arthritis?
One of the most common benefits of SAARDs or DMARDs is that they are able to provide relief from joint pain and swelling to rheumatoid arthritis patients. Both types of rheumatoid arthritis drugs have the following attributes in common:
- Both types of medications take a long time to show effect. Normally, patients will have to wait anywhere from 8 weeks to 24 weeks before the drugs begin to show concrete benefits.
- These drugs pose lower risk for serious side effects, which may damage major organs of the body such as eyes, kidney, liver, and even the blood cells. Possible side effects of these drugs may also be easily detected through close monitoring. Once the drug is discontinued, the side effects are often reversible.
- Although there are side effects present, the risk remains at a moderate level and are often not life-threatening. These side effects may range from nausea to mouth sores to skin rash, to diarrhea and to hair thinning.
- In order to achieve the desired benefits, SAARDs or DMARDs are often used along with NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. NSAIDs are taken to decrease pain and to improve joint function. However, these drugs are not known to alter the course of the disease or to put off permanent joint destruction.
- These drugs may be used as effective treatment for children suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. However, some juvenile rheumatoid arthritis cases do not respond well to SAARDs treatment and it is for this reason that some children are not administered slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs.
SAARDs focus on ability, not on speed
Since SAARDs are known literally as slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs, their primary focus is not speed or how fast they can deliver their anti-inflammatory benefits. It is on the ability of the drugs to effectively manage the symptoms, as well as in developing the patient’s ability to handle the medication over the long term. It is deemed important to take the least amount of drugs possible while maximizing the ability of the drugs to manage inflammation and joint pain.
Methotrexate is the fastest acting type of SAARDs. This drug takes anywhere from four to six weeks before the patient experiences any improvement in his or her condition. The rest of the medications considered as DMARDs, however, take as long as 3 months to 6 months for their full benefits. Oral gold capsules, moreover, may take up a year before the desired effect is felt by the patient.
SAARDS side effects
Rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory arthritis that persists for six weeks or longer is in need of more aggressive treatment. This is when DMARDs or SAARDs are administered along with NSAIDs. NSAIDs are known to take care of inflammation on a daily basis, while the SAARDs are responsible in stalling the biological processes, which lead to inflammation.
Although DMARDs or SAARDs are known to treat rheumatoid arthritis more effectively, specifically when used alongside NSAIDs, there have been a few side effects associated with the treatment. Typical side effects include diarrhea, mouth sores, nausea, and other flu-like symptoms.
As much as these side effects are evidently present in some cases, they are often rare and may be prevented by modifying the daily dose of medications or replacing one type of SAARDs with another. Compared to the serious risk of permanent functional disability or corrective surgery, these side-effects are considered too minimal.
It is also important to remember that some health complaints may in fact be the result of the primary disease, in this case rheumatoid arthritis, and not necessarily side effects of slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs. Common complaints or those identified as possible side effects include fatigue, weight loss, dry eyes, dry mouth, dry vagina, jaw pain and chest pain, as well as numbness in the hands or feet.