Top medications to treat symptoms of Lupus?

Question

Being new to the Lupus world, I am hearing conflicting views from all sorts of physicians (living both in Canada and the USA). What are the top medications to treat the symptoms of Lupus? I heard Lyrica and Cymbalta are great, but another doctor told me that the other doctor was misinformed, but neglected to tell me an alternative (just bad mouthed the other doctor). What are the typical, common, top medications used to treat the symptoms of Lupus?

Answer 1

To treat lupus symptoms, treating the underlying lupus condition is prudent. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an chronic autoimmune disease that can affect every organ. Typical treatments for SLE include hydroxychloroquine, prednisone, azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, and monoclonal antibodies such as belimumab (Benlysta) and rituximab (Rituxan).

That being said, there are adjunctive therapies that help manage symptoms caused by SLE. From the medications mentioned above, it is quite possible that SLE presented with neuropathy related symptoms, which adjunct treatment such as gabapentin, pregabalin (Lyrica), and duloxetine (Cymbalta) can help mitigate those symptoms.

This is information is not medical advice. This is for educational/informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor regarding disease treatments and how to manage them.