10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Arthritis Pain Medicine

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD, May 15, 2007.

If you're making decisions about arthritis pain relief, here are questions you may want to ask your doctor:

1. What pain medication is best for me right now?

2. Does my family and medical history make me a good candidate for this drug?

3. Is it safe to take this medication every day?

4. For how long will I need to take this medication? Is it a short-term or long-term treatment?

5. When can I expect to see improvement in my arthritis pain?

6. Will this pain medicine interact with other medications I'm taking?

7. What potential side effects should I know about?

8. What can I do to decrease the risk of side effects?

9. What should I do if I have flare-ups of pain while taking this medication?

10. Is there anything else I can do to relieve my pain, besides taking painkillers?

SOURCES: Patience White, MD, chief public health officer, Arthritis Foundation. Medicinenet.com: "How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?" Medicinenet.com: "Osteoarthritis Treatments: "Know Your Options." WebMD Medical Reference in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic: "Anti-Inflammatory Painkiller Drugs and Arthritis," "Steroids to Treat Arthritis," "Narcotic Pain Medication," "Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment." WebMD Medical Reference: "Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Disease-Modifying Drugs (DMARDs)" and "Pain Relief Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis."