Living with Arthritis

This section of RheumInfo features articles to help people with arthritis or other rheumatic diseases feel healthy and experience as few symptoms as possible.

Taking Medication

A number of biologic medications are taken by subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. This is an easy type of injection for patients and caregivers to learn how to do on their own. A tiny needle is pricked just under the skin to deliver medicine.

Learn how to do Subcutaneous (SC) injections with:

• A vial of medicine and a syringe
• A pre-filled syringe
• An autoinjector

Other articles about taking medication:

• Adherence: sticking to a treatment plan with a chronic (long-term) disease

Therapy at Home

Cold and heat therapy can benefit patients suffering from many types of arthritis. Learn which one is right for your symptoms, and how to get the most benefit from this type of therapy.

• Cold Therapy for Arthritis
• Heat Therapy for Arthritis

Exercise

Exercise is important for maintaining overall health. It can help people with arthritis maintain their strength and mobility so they can enjoy a good quality of life. For people with certain diseases like Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), exercise and stretching is a key part of a successful treatment.

• Exercise and Arthritis
• Exercising in a Flare

Sleep

Sleep is very important for people with immune-related disorders because it plays an important role in the health of the body’s immune system.

• Sleep Hygiene

Vaccinations

Our article Vaccinations for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients features information and tips that are relevant to those with RA, as well as other forms of inflammatory arthritis where medications that suppress the immune system may be prescribed.

Some vaccines are safe to get any time, and some can only be safely administered under certain conditions that must be coordinated with a doctor. We recommend that arthritis patients always talk to their doctor before getting a vaccine. We also recommend that they stay on top of their vaccinations to avoid getting sick with a serious infection that a vaccine could have prevented.

• Vaccinations for RA patients

Travel Checklist

We’ve put together some travel tips and a checklist to help people with arthritis enjoy a safe and comfortable trip:

• Travel Checklist

Medication Safety

For people with arthritis, the benefits of their medications — when taken as part of a treatment plan prescribed and monitored by a rheumatologist or similar medical expert — generally far outweigh the risks of taking them. However, no medication is 100% risk free. The following articles compare the relative risk of taking common types of medications vs. those of common lifestyle risk factors like smoking.

• Safety and biologics
• Safety and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Pregnancy & Lactation

Pregnancy, whether planned or a pleasant surprise, brings with it important concerns about prescription and over-the-counter medications. Not every medication poses a risk to an unborn baby, however some do. It is important for women who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant to talk to their doctor.

RheumInfo’s guides on Pregnancy & Lactation:

• Pregnancy and Medications (PDF)
• Pregnancy and Lupus (PDF)
• Pregnancy and RA (PDF)