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Symptomatic slow-acting drugs
What are they used for?
Symptomatic slow-acting drugs (SYSADOA) for osteoarthritis are drugs that are specifically used in treating osteoarthritis. They have the capacity for reducing the intensity of the pain.
How do they work?
Several drugs are currently available in Europe. Their characteristic is twofold: on the one hand they all have a delayed action which means that it takes a few weeks to several months of taking them on a continuous basis before seeing their effectiveness. On the other hand, even after stopping the treatment their efficacy persists for a certain amount of time.
What precautions need to be taken?
Aside from their effectiveness, these treatments are generally very well-tolerated and present very few disadvantages. Do not stop taking these drugs after a few days for their lack of effectiveness but wait for few weeks of treatment before judging whether they are worthwhile. In the event of painful osteoarthritis, while the treatment is getting underway, continue taking analgesics and/or NSAIDs.
