Medicines for arthritis are divided in following categories :

Anti Inflammatory Medicines

They are of two varieties :

• Steroids : to be avoided in infective arthritis
• Non steroid (NSAIDS = Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) : useful for relief of pain and inflammation irrespective of the cause of arthritis. Most commonly used medicines

Disease Modifying Medicines

They are anti malarial agents, anti cancer agents etc. Mainly used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Specific Medicines

• For conditions like gout.
• Anti tuberculous medicines for tuberculous arthritis.
• Antibiotics for Infective arthritis.