Drug Therapies, Conventional & Experimental

IMPORTANT: The following list of drugs has not been shown to help in all cases of Myositis, each person's disease and it's response to drug therapy is different.  In some cases drug therapy has shown to be of no help at all, especially with IBM.  Please consult your doctor and do your research before trying any new drug therapy. There are positives as well as drawbacks, and side effects to most of these drugs, as many are immunosuppressant's and are quite potent. Some of the drug therapies listed are not yet approved by the FDA for treatment for Myositis Diseases yet are used for other medical conditions. There are four main types of drugs used.

Corticosteroids

Prednisone

Immunosuppressant's

Methotrexate

Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan or Neosar)

Azathioprine (Imuran)

Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)

Hydroxchloroquine (Plaquenil)

Immunomodulating Drugs

IVIg (Intravenous Immunoglobulin)

TNF Suppressants (Tumor Necrosis Factor)

Infliximab (Remicade) Approved for use in Rheumatoid Arthritis & Crone's disease, as well as for some vasculitis diseases (DM), administered by IV every 8 weeks after a six week loading dosage, expensive. May be covered by insurance and Medicare.

Etanercept (Embrel) Similar to Remicade but given in weekly shots

Monoclonal Antibody Drugs

Rituxamab - Currently being studied

Commonly- Used Supplements

Coenzyme Q10

L-carnitine with Coenzyme Q10

Creatine

Calcium, Vitamin D and Potassium - help reduce osteoporosis, a common side effect of prednisone use.