If you care about your parents, you will get them into a RDs office to find
out their real problems and do something about them,,, not hide them with
over the counter products.
Harv

Ps   If your parents are like my parents were,,, your job is not going to be
easy.

Harv is right that your parents may need to see a rheumatologist to be
sure they are accurately diagnosed. There are many, many types of
athritis. If it's osteoarthritis, they may only be able to control the
pain and inflammation, and their doctor needs to weigh many factors to
decide if a drug like Celebrex or another antiinflammatory is right
for them. Their blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, and other
health issues need to be taken into account to make that judgment. How
they're doing on the drug needs to be monitored as well. For example,
while Celebrex controlled my pain, my doctor discovered it was raising
my blood pressure too much and I had to come off it.

It may also be that one or both of your parents have a different type
of arthritis that can be helped by a DMARD (disease modifying drug).
If that's the case, it's important to start the drug sooner rather
than later to avoid pernanent damage.

Good luck,

Diane.

This is a support group.

You are basically asking a bunch of strangers for medical advice when the
one you should be talking to is their doctor.  He or she is the one that
should refer them to a specialist if they need one.  They need to know what
type of arthritis they have.  It matters - a lot.  Then the doctor would be
the one to suggest what medicine should help them.

Jo

They need to get a referral to see a specialist - a rheumatologist.
There are almost 200 forms of arthritis, and different medicines are
appropriate for the different forms. Also, there's the little matter of
individual patient medical histories...

Regards,

Ari

On 8/10/07 8:49 AM, in article
1186760948.249576.225480@x35g2000prf.googlegroups.com,

I have read some of the other responses to your post. I agree. They really
should see a physician competent to diagnose and treat. arthritis.

That said, many NSAID prescription drugs can be very expensive. You might as
well start out with cheap ones, but you do need a physician to make sure
they do not kill you. I have used cheap house brand generics with good
effect. Ibuprofen worked for me but did give gastric problems. Naproxen
(your Aleve) did the same with less gastric trouble. I am now using
meloxicam with good effect. These are all relatively cheap NSAIDs. I have
used Celebrex and Vioxx briefly. They were expensive, did not work, and they
gave plenty of gastric problems. These NSAIDs can be very specific for the
person taking them.

Bill

Who told them they have arthritis?
And what type of arthritis, of the more than 100 types?
What parts of their bodies are affected by it?

There are dozens of prescription drugs, all intended for different types of
arthritis.  NSAIDs, DMARDs, pain medications, etc. etc. etc.   Exercise is
also a partner in treatment of arthritis.

Because this is a "support" group of arthritis patients and not a "medical"
group staffed with doctors, it would be inappropriate for anyone to offer a
suggestion.  Your parents need to be examined by a rheumatologist -- not a
GP or PCP -- who will determine what type of arthritis each has, how far it
has advanced, and make suggestions for drugs and exercise that will help
both of them.