Medication is often used to treat symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Medication may relieve swelling, inflammation, and pain in the wrist or hand. Reducing swelling in the wrist will relieve pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel and relieve carpal tunnel symptoms.

Medication Choices

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used medications for carpal tunnel syndrome. NSAIDs relieve pain and inflammation and are available with or without a prescription. However, a review of research suggests that NSAID treatment for 2 and 4 weeks doesn't improve carpal tunnel symptoms.³

Corticosteroids may be an effective treatment option when NSAIDs do not effectively relieve pain and inflammation.³ However, corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications and have side effects that should be considered. Corticosteroids can be taken in pill form or injected into the wrist by a health professional.

What To Think About

Medication should be used with other measures (such as ice, rest, and exercises) to reduce pain and inflammation.

Corticosteroids:

• Usually are not used until nonsurgical treatments (such as rest, ice, splints, anti-inflammatory medications, and exercises) have been tried for several weeks with no improvement.
• Often provide temporary relief (for several weeks or more). Injected corticosteroids usually provide longer-lasting results than those taken by mouth (oral), but oral or injected medications rarely provide permanent relief from carpal tunnel symptoms.
• Must be used with caution because both oral and injected forms have potentially serious side effects.