ABSTRACT
Although drug therapy is only one part of the management of musculoskeletal problems it is nevertheless an extremely important part. Most patients with musculo-skeletal problems will at some time be treated with drugs. This may be for:
■ symptom control; ■ prevention of long term damage; ■ reducing or modulating inflammation. In this section we will examine all the categories of drugs used in the management of musculo-skeletal problems and consider their indications, pharmacology, side effects and interactions as well as dosing regimes. The groups of drugs we will consider include:
■ analgesics; ■ topical agents; ■ non steroidals (NSAIDs); ■ coxibs; ■ disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs); ■ biological agents; ■ drugs used in the management of gout; ■ corticosteroids; ■ muscle relaxants. Sometimes one drug alone will be used but more commonly patients with significant problems will be taking several different drugs, e.g. a 73 year old female patient with severe rheumatoid arthritis may be taking DMARDs together with NSAIDs and analgesics for symptom control, a drug to treat her osteoporosis, and a gastro-protective agent to avoid complications from her NSAID therapy.
