Many physicians probably don’t know how their older colleagues used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Aspirin-like drugs (salicylates) were considered the drugs of choice back in the 1970s and 1980s. If aspirin didn’t do the job, specialists would often administer gold for arthritis of the rheumatoid type.
The Official Word on Gold for Arthritis:
As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, my bible was GOODMAN and GILMAN’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics.
The seventh edition states:
“Gold compounds find their chief therapeutic application in rheumatoid arthritis. Although the currently marketed compounds require intramuscular injections and can cause serious toxicity, they are among the most effective agents available for the treatment of rapidly progressive forms of the disease.”
A Reader Asks About Gold for Arthritis:
Q. My sister in England has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The doctors are suggesting a drug containing gold. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Does it work?
A. Gold therapy (chrysotherapy) was popular during the 1970s and 1980s for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Injections of gold salts were used to slow joint destruction when aspirin alone was inadequate.
The FDA approved an oral gold formulation, auranofin (Ridaura), in 1985 for patients with RA. The drug never became very popular, though. That was in part because of adverse reactions such as blood disorders, rash, digestive upset, kidney and liver damage.
Modern Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis:
DMARDs:
It’s hardly any wonder that doctors have moved away from gold for arthritis. These days the name of the game is DMARDs and Biologic Agents.
DMARDs stands for “disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.” Does the name hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) ring a bell? It was center stage in the COVID-19 debate. The drug does have anti-inflammatory properties. Other DMARDs include methotrexate, sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and leflunomide (Arava).
Biologicals:
You see the biologic response modifiers advertised on television with great frequency. These are drugs like adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel) and tofacitinib (Xeljanz).
A commercial for Humira to treat RA warns that:
“Living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis means living with pain. It can also mean living with joint damage. Help relieve the pain and stop the damage with Humira.”
The woman in the video goes from grimacing in pain to smiling and functional in a beauty salon as the announcer described the side effects of Humira:
“Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events such as infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer have happened. Blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred.”
The commercial also warns about living or traveling to places where “certain fungal infections are common.” (How would someone know that? And which fungal infections does it mean?) People who are “prone to infections” are supposed to tell their doctor. Does that include urinary tract infections, colds, or fungus infections of the nails? Patients are also supposed to tell the prescriber if they experience symptoms such as fever, itching, cough or sores. You are not supposed to start Humira if you have any kind of infection.
The question that I would love to have answered is: do the biological response modifiers make COVID more or less dangerous? It would be nice if the commercials answered that question. With that long list of side effects, including “lymphoma or other types of cancer,” gold for arthritis doesn’t seem quite so scary.
Oral Gold for Arthritis and More!
Auranofin is gaining renewed attention these days because it appears to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity against COVID-19 (Virology, Aug. 2020). There is also preliminary evidence that gold treatment may have potential for treating other infections, neurodegenerative disorders and a number of cancers (Yakugaku Zasshi, Vol. 141, No. 3, 2021).
Japanese researchers recently published an article titled “Potential Anticancer Activity of Auranofin.”
Here is their introduction:
“Gold compounds have been employed throughout history to treat various types of disease, from ancient times to the present day. In the year 1985, auranofin, a gold-containing compound, was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a therapeutic agent to target rheumatoid arthritis that would facilitate easy oral drug administration as opposed to conventional intramuscular injection used in treatments. Furthermore, auranofin demonstrates promising results for the treatment of various diseases beyond rheumatoid arthritis, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and bacterial and parasitic infections.”
Good As Gold?
Good as gold may take on new meaning as researchers continue researching gold for arthritis and many other chronic conditions. Please share your own experience with gold therapy in the comment section below.
If you would like to learn more about osteoarthritis and various treatment options, you may wish to read our eGuide Alternatives for Arthritis. This electronic resource is available in our Health eGuides section. If you prefer to hold a book in your hands rather than read on a screen, here is a link to our 100+ page booklet, Graedons’ Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.
