Are There Medications To Treat Lupus?
The following medicines are commonly used to treat infections and signs of lupus. Since the manifestations of lupus differ from person to person, the treatment regimen also varies from patient to patient.
Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus, may not be curable, but it can be treated. Lupus drugs can help reduce long-term risk and control lupus symptoms. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, 80% to 90% of people with lupus can anticipate a regular life span with proper care.
Lupus Definition
Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your immune system attacks your body's tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus has different effects on many body systems - such as joints, blood cells, skin, brain, kidneys, heart, and lungs.
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. The most characteristic sign of lupus - a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly running down both cheeks - occurs in many lupus cases, but not all.
Lupus Causes
Some scientists believe that lupus disease develops in response to a combination of various aspects both inside and outside the human body, including hormones, genetics, and the environment. (
lupus.org)
Lupus Symptoms in Women
No lupus case is the same. Signs and symptoms may appear suddenly or increase slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be transient or permanent. Most people with lupus have a mild disease characterized by episodes known as flares, when signs and symptoms worsen for a time, then increase or even disappear temporarily.
Symptoms of lupus that sufferers experience depend on which body system is attacked by the disease. The most common lupus signs and symptoms are:
- Fever, Shortness of breath, Fatigue, Skin lesions that appear or worsen with exposure to sunlight (photosensitivity)
Painful, swollen and stiff joints, chest pain, and dry eyes.
- Toes and fingers that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during periods of stress (Raynaud's phenomenon)
- Butterfly-shaped rash on the face covering the cheeks and bridge of the nose or lupus rash elsewhere on the body.
Lupus Types of Medication
Types of medications that can be used by humans to treat lupus include:
- antimalarial, to manage symptoms in the long term.
- anti-inflammatory medication, to minimize swelling and relieve pain.
- hormonal therapy, such as DHEA, a mild male hormone that can treat some of the symptoms of corticosteroids such as creams for rashes and injections for kidney problems.
- immunosuppressants, to minimize the body's immune activity
Some researchers have recommended that, because estrogen levels appear to fluctuate with lupus flares, estrogen therapy may someday be an option. However, more research is needed before this can safely and effectively occur.
In a stool transplant, a healthcare practitioner applies a stool solution—or feces—from a donor into the intestines of another person, to try and change that person's gut flora, or species in the intestines that might be causing health problems.
Medication in Lupus
Complete information about the types uses, and potential side effects of the main medications used by women with lupus.
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain relief
- Anti-inflammatory medications help relieve many of the signs and symptoms of lupus by reducing inflammation and pain. Immunosuppressants are the most frequent drugs to treat lupus symptoms such as arthritis, fever, or pleurisy. These signs often get better within a few days of starting treatment.
For many people with lupus, anti-inflammatory drugs may be the only medication they need to keep lupus under control.
Aspirin
Pain reliever with anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant (blood thinner) properties.
Does not help with inflammation and does not manage lupus disease activity.
Less stomach irritation than aspirin
Acetaminophen (Tylenol®)
Pain treatment.
Can manage some symptoms of lupus.
Can irritate the stomach.
Most humans do not have side effects when taking Tylenol. However, liver problems do occur, though rarely.
Corticotropin Repository Injection. (H.P. Acthar Gel)
It contains an extremely pure natural hormone known as ACTH.
ACTH is an acronym for adrenocorticotropic (a-DRE-no-cor-ti-co-TRO-PIC) hormone. Acthar is thought to work by helping your body produce its own naturally occurring steroid hormones, such as cortisol. These hormones can assist the immune system by helping the body defend itself against inflammation.
Anticoagulants
Blood clots can be a life-threatening sign of lupus. Anticoagulants thin the blood so that it doesn't clot easily. Anticoagulant medications consist of low-dose aspirin and prescription heparin. If you are being treated with warfarin, you should be checked regularly by your doctor to make sure your blood does not become too thin. Anticoagulant therapy in some people with lupus is possibly lifelong.
A person's genetic makeup can influence how they respond to warfarin. In particular, people with variations in the two genes may need to reduce their warfarin doses because of differences in how the body breaks down (metabolizes) warfarin and regulates warfarin's ability to prevent blood clots. For this reason, the dose and administration of warfarin must be adjusted for each individual.
Immunosuppressive Drugs
Women with lupus have overactive immune systems. These capsules help keep your immune system response in check. However, because these medicines take care of your immune system, your body can be more susceptible to infections and serious side effects such as shingles. Your medical doctor may prescribe these tablets only after trying other lupus treatments and will monitor your health closely while you take them.
Immunosuppressants used to treat lupus disease include Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxane), and Methotrexate (Rheumatrex).
Corticosteroids
Also known as glucocorticoids, cortisone, or steroids) are over-the-counter medications designed to work like cortisol, a natural hormone produced by the adrenal glands? Hormones are chemical messengers of the body that change most of the body's functions. This helps regulate blood pressure and the immune system. These are the most effective anti-inflammatory hormones for the body. The corticosteroids that have been prescribed for autoimmunity are different from the anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are often used by weight lifters or other athletes, as they can increase strength.
Steroid work immediately to minimize the swelling, warmth, and pain associated with inflammation. They do this by decreasing the immune system response. Prednisone is the steroid that is most widely used for lupus. Prednisolone and methylprednisolone are similar to prednisone. Some medical doctors prefer to prescribe this if you have liver problems.
Humans take steroids in the form of pills. However, a cream or gel that is applied to the skin is often used for cutaneous lupus. The liquid steroid is sometimes injected into a muscle or directly into a joint, and in some cases into skin lesions. Pulse steroids are large doses of liquid that are given intravenously (injected into a vein) over a few hours. Side effects can last for weeks, so pulse steroids are sometimes prescribed to treat lupus or for people who are unable to take steroids in pill form.
Experts will try to keep steroid dosages at the lowest possible level. As soon as signs of lupus respond to treatment, the dose is reduced. As an alternative to reducing your steroid dose, your lupus doctor may ask you to take a steroid every day — one day, one day off.
Steroids cause a wide range of side effects, including:
- Fragile skin that bruises easily
- Lower growth than normal children.
- Acne
- A round moon-shaped face, weight gain, or hair growth.
- Fluid retention and fat redistribution, causing the face and abdomen to swell but the arms and legs to be thin.
- Irritability, agitation, agitation, insomnia, or depression. Changes in appearance and temperament are more pronounced with high-dose steroids
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)
This is a type of protein made in a laboratory that was developed to find and attach to only one type of substance in the body.
Benlysta® (belimumab, previously known as LymphoStat-B™) is a human monoclonal antibody. It is made to interfere with B lymphocyte activation by interfering with BLyS, a protein required for B cell activity. Benlysta is the first and only drug specifically developed and approved to treat lupus. Studies have shown that Benlysta can lower levels of autoantibodies and help manage disease activity.
There are still methods to do this.
Certain drugs may include:
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)
This is an antimalarial medication. This can help keep mild lupus-related signs — such as fatigue, and skin and joint problems — under control.
Azathioprine (Imuran)
This drug reduces the work of the immune system, for example in people who have undergone an organ transplant, where there is a threat that the body may reject the transplanted organ. A medical doctor may prescribe it to treat severe symptoms of lupus.
Methotrexate (Rheumatrex)
This is another chemotherapy drug that can suppress the body's immune system. Doctors are increasingly prescribing it for skin diseases, arthritis, and other conditions that don't respond to other drugs.
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxane)
It is a chemotherapy drug with strong effects that can minimize the activity of the immune system. Can treat certain types of lupus.
Rituximab (Rituxan)
It is another monoclonal antibody that minimizes the activity of the white blood cells (lymphocytes) that make autoantibodies.
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept)
This is an effective chemotherapy pill that can minimize the activity of the immune system. They treat more severe forms of lupus, particularly lupus that affects the kidneys.
Belimumab (Benlysta)
These are monoclonal antibodies that reduce the activity of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that make autoantibodies.
Summary
Lupus can affect nearly any part of your body, but medications can help prevent and relieve the problem. There are also other steps you can take on your own to avoid the effects lupus can have on your heart, skin, kidneys, eyes, and other areas.
