Be sure to ask one of these professionals if you have further questions. A drug's action is what the drug does in your body. Disease Modifying Drugs Medications which interfere with the underlying disease process and result in slowing down or control of the disease. Many arthritis drugs are used to decrease inflammation. Inflammation is a body process that results in pain, swelling, warmth, redness and sometimes stiffness.
Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that closely resemble cortisone, a natural body hormone.
This is a group of drugs that work about as effectively as aspirin. Like aspirin, they cut down inflammation and reduce swelling, pain and stiffness. Aspirin and the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may lead to stomach upset, nausea, indigestion and heartburn. But if you take the drug during meals or with antacid, you are less likely to experience such side effects. The corticosteroids are a group of drugs related to cortisone, a natural hormone produced in the body.