If you suffer from chronic pain, you may have to try a variety of treatments before you find the right ones for your symptoms. Some treatments may include pain and anti-inflammatory medications, diet and lifestyle changes, physical, occupational and support therapies. If these don't provide the relief you need, there's one more option that might relieve your chronic pain--biologics.
Biologics are relatively new advancements of some old-fashioned medical treatments that include products like vaccines, blood and blood components, gene therapy, and more. They've been used for targeted medical treatments for over 100 years. Currently they're being used to treat many chronic pain and autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, colitis, certain cancers, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Biologics are protein-based drugs derived from living cells cultured in a laboratory. Unlike more traditional drugs that might work on the entire immune system, biologics work on specific parts of the immune system. They're customized to work on or block specific cells that affect specific diseases. For example, The National Psoriasis Foundation says the biologics used to treat psoriatic diseases (including psoriatic arthritis) act by blocking the action of a specific type of immune cell called a T cell, or by blocking proteins in the immune system, which play a major role in developing psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Biologics are also used to treat Rheumatoid arthritis by slowing disease progression and preventing disability when more traditional medications haven't worked on their own.
While biologic treatment has advanced rapidly over the last decade, it's not a cure-all for everyone with chronic pain. They have to be injected (often self-injected by the patient) or given by IV and they have potentially significant side effects. Since they work as immune-system suppressants, biologics can make some patients more vulnerable to illnesses like viruses and bacterial infections. They can also cause suppressed chronic diseases like Tuberculosis to flare up. About 30 percent of patients develop pain and/or a rash at the injection site.
How do you know if it's time for you to take biologics for your chronic pain symptoms? Biologics aren't often used as a first line of defense and doctors may encourage patients to try a variety of other treatment options first. If those don't do the job of controlling chronic pain symptoms and disease progression well enough, then it might be time to bring on the biologics.
Here's some biologics you may see advertised or hear about from your doctor:
Amevive (alefacept). Given as an injection at the doctor's office weekly for 12 weeks for psoriasis.Enbrel (etanercept). Patient-injected once or twice a week for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Patients have to continue injections indefinitely to maintain results.Humira (adalimumab). Patient-injected every other week for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.Remicade (infliximab). Three intravenous infusions are given in a doctor's office over the first six weeks of treatment and may be repeated every eight weeks. It is used to treat psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, and Crohn's disease.Simponi (golimumab). Patient-injected once a month for psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.Stelara (ustekinumab). Two initial injections are given at a doctor's office four weeks apart then repeated every 12 weeks for plaque psoriasis.Sources:
National Psoriasis Foundation
Moderate to severe psoriasis - biologics
http://www.psoriasis.org/netcommunity/learn/treating-psoriasis/biologics
Food and Drug Administration
Biologics
For Healthcare Providers: http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/ResourcesforYou/HealthcareProviders/default.htm
For Consumers: http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/ResourcesforYou/Consumers/default.htm
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