Treatments Available for Lupus

After you have been diagnosed with lupus, your doctor is going to recommend a rheumatologist in order to help you manage your autoimmune disease. By working with a rheumatologist, you will be able to develop a treatment plan that is tailored specifically to your lupus symptoms. These treatments can help reduce the inflammation, joint pain, and chronic fatigue associated with this disease, as well as preventing potential damage to your vital organs. Another important aspect of your lupus treatment plan is having routine check-ups with your rheumatologist in order to ensure that disease is being held in check.

(For anyone who has been diagnosed with lupus, there are actually a wide variety of lupus clinical trials being conducted around the country.)

Below is a list of the different types of medications which are used to treat the symptoms of lupus:

  • Anti-inflammatories
    • Most common type of drug prescribed for lupus
    • Reduce joint pain
    • Reduce inflammation
    • Treats pleurisy
    • Treats arthritis
    • Treats fever
    • Varieties: acetaminophen, aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Corticosteroids
    • Known as fast-acting drugs
    • Reduce joint pain
    • Reduce joint inflammation
    • Reduce joint tenderness
    • Reduce self-destructive activity of the immune system
    • Varieties: glucocorticoids, steroids, cortisone
  • Immunosuppressives
    • Reduce self-destructive activity of the immune system
    • Reduce inflammation
    • Immune system may not be able to fight off infections
    • Varieties: Immune modulators, immunosuppressants
  • Antimalarials
    • Low toxicity
    • Treats skin rashes
    • Treats mouth ulcers
    • Can decrease severity of lupus flare-ups
    • Reduces joint pain
    • Treats skin lesions
    • Decreases production of autoantibodies
  • Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)
    • Used to reduce inflammation
  • Anticoagulants
    • Thins the blood
    • Reduces blood clots

Alternative Treatments for Lupus

If you are interested in looking into alternative treatments for your lupus symptoms, then you will first need to discuss this with your doctor. They will need to okay any alternative treatment practices, as some of these could be quite dangerous if applied while taking other medications for this autoimmune disease. Your doctor should be able to answer any questions that you have concerning the use of these homeopathic therapies for lupus.

If you have some level of organ involvement due to your lupus, then you will need to discuss this with a medical specialist in the organ department of medicine. These specialists may recommend some other medications that your rheumatologist does not.

Pregnancy Concerns

Expectant mothers with lupus should also consult a high-risk obstetrician, so that they can have both their health and the fetus monitored during the pregnancy. In fact, female patients should visit an obstetrician before they get pregnant if possible. There may be a need to discontinue to change medications during their pregnancy in order to avoid any potential flare-ups of symptoms. Obstetricians and rheumatologists can work closely together throughout the pregnancy and after the birth.

Talk to your primary health care provider today about forming a lupus treatment plan that is tailored to your individual needs. Each year, we continue to improve on the therapies that we have available for diseases like lupus, which means that you can still live a full life in spite of this illness. Talk to your doctor about taking back control of your life today!