"Good things come to those who wait" provides little consolation if you are waiting for your arthritis medication to take effect—a process that can take from 30 minutes to three months, or more. Fortunately, actions can be taken to make the wait a little easier and provide some relief.

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These drugs, including hydroxycholoroquine (Plaquenil), methotrexate, azathioprine (Imuran), can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to get your disease under control. To control inflammation in the meantime, your doctor may prescribe a limited course of oral corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone or methylprednisolone (Medrol).

Biologic response modifiers. Some people report relief after the first injection or infusion of a biologic agent; for others, relief takes several weeks. If relief isn't quick in coming, a short-term course of oral corticosteroids may help. If one or a few joints remain acutely inflamed, the injection of a corticosteroid into the affected joint(s) can provide relief while waiting for the full effects of the biologic.

NSAIDs. Although these drugs can start to take the edge off pain in as little as 30 minutes, getting full effects takes about two weeks of continual use. In some cases, doctors may prescribe oral corticosteroid medications to relieve inflammation while you wait for NSAIDs to work. You can help the wait by using cold compresses on hot joints, soothing sore joints in a warm tub or exercising or massaging painful joints gently. Taking NSAIDs consistently—even when your pain is under control—can help eliminate waits for relief. NSAIDs should be taken for long periods only under a doctor's supervision.

Analgesics. Pain-relieving drugs can take from 30 minutes to two hours to provide full benefits. Take your first dose prior to a painful procedure or take it at regular intervals for as long as your doctor advises, because it is easier to keep pain at bay than to stop it once it starts. Ask your doctor about taking an NSAID in addition to an analgesic or practice techniques, such as relaxation exercise, hot and cold applications or massage.

Gout medications. Drugs, such as allopurinol (Lopurin, Zyloprim) and probenecid (Benemid), that lower blood levels of uric acid (the culprit behind gout) can take from several months to a year to get gout under control. To control the pain and inflammation of acute attacks your doctor may prescribe quicker acting anti-inflammatories, including corticosteroids, colchicine or injections of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), a hormone that helps your body produce its own inflammation-fighting steroids.

Corticosteroids. Because corticosteroids work so quickly and efficiently to control inflammation, doctors often prescribe them while waiting for other drugs to work. But when inflammation-related organ damage is imminent, even oral corticosteroids may not work quickly enough. In those cases, doctors may infuse high doses of the intravenous corticosteroid methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol), which begin to work almost immediately.

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