Hormone injections into the joint for arthrosis: to agree or not?

What drugs are injected into the joint?

Depending on the desired effect, on the stage of gonarthrosis or coxarthrosis, on the diagnosis, drugs with the following effect are prescribed:

• local anesthetics – pain relief for a short time (combined with other drugs);
• glucocorticoids – anti-inflammatory effect lasts from a week to a month;
• chondroprotectors – stimulation of cartilage tissue restoration;
• synovial fluid prostheses – restoration of joint fluid and joint functions;
• platelet-rich plasma – stimulation of joint self-healing.

The injection drug is selected by the doctor depending on the goals and clinical picture.

Careful reception

The drug "Diprospan" and analogues are prescribed with caution and under strict medical supervision in the following situations:

• Osteoporosis.
• HIV and AIDS.
• Chicken pox, measles.
• Tuberculosis in latent or active form.
• Purulent lesions, including abscess.
• Increased fat content in the blood.
• Liver failure, cirrhosis.
• Kidney failure or other pathological processes in these organs.
• Obesity that has reached the third or fourth stage.
• The period of bearing a child and breastfeeding.
• Angle-closure glaucoma.
• Recent surgery in the intestinal area.
• Two months after vaccination.
• Lymphadenitis resulting from BCG vaccination.
• Recent pathologies of fungal, viral or parasitic origin.
• Endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, Itsenko-Cushing syndrome, thyrotoxicosis, etc.
• Administration of the drug intramuscularly for thrombocytopenic purpura.
• Pathologies of the digestive system that occur in a chronic form during the period of exacerbation, such as gastritis, peptic ulcer and ulcerative colitis.
• Recent myocardial infarction, since the drug increases the risk of proliferation of a necrotic lesion, as well as rupture of the heart muscle.
• Acute mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, manic psychosis and others.

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It’s easy to find analogues cheaper than Diprospan.

In what cases are hormones prescribed?

In the later stages of arthrosis of the hip joint or any other, when pain almost always bothers the patient and painkillers do not help, a stronger remedy may be prescribed. This is an emergency treatment measure that can quickly relieve pain and improve well-being. Unfortunately, this coin also has a downside, especially if you resort to this method more often than necessary.

Kenalog, diprospan and other corticosteroid drugs quickly stop inflammation, eliminate edema and swelling. However, they do not cure arthrosis at all, do not restore nutrition to the cartilage and do not improve the condition of the joint. This is only an ambulance - a powerful blow to the body, especially if you resort to such treatment for osteoarthritis too often.

No organism can withstand frequent injections of hormonal drugs.

Advantages:

Anesthetic injections for pain in the hip joint are a way to relieve severe pain in the shortest possible time. The effect of chondroprotectors and other therapeutic agents lasts for a long time. A course of intra-articular injections allows you to delay and even avoid surgery, reduce the dosage and amount of medications taken, which is very important for problems with the digestive organs. Injection therapy can be repeated many times, since adverse reactions and complications are rare. The procedures have a beneficial effect on cartilage, accelerating healing and slowing down destructive processes.

What rules should you follow if you have been prescribed hormone injections into a joint?

If you cannot do without hormone injections, remember this:

• Keep a break of at least 2 weeks between injections. The drug does not start working instantly, so you need to wait a while for the doctor to evaluate its effectiveness.
• Remember that the first injection is the most effective. If there is no relief after the first injection, avoid repeated injections in the same place. It would be more correct to change the injection site or choose a different drug.
• You should not give hormone injections to one knee more than 4-5 times, as the risk of complications increases. Each time, the likelihood of needle injury, infection, or ligament damage increases.

Hormone injections are a last resort for arthrosis

In the video you will see how a synovial fluid prosthesis is injected into the knee joint in a medical office:

Classification of analogues

Not all substitutes for this drug are effective. In each specific case, the medicine must be selected individually.

Cheap analogues of Diprospan can be classified as follows:

• Ointments and creams : Betamethasone, Mesoderm, Beladerm, Soderm. These analogues are used to treat lichen, allergic rashes, itching in the genital area;
• Solutions for injections : Celeston, Betaspan, Gepatofon. They are necessary not only for the treatment of joints, but also for violations of the functionality of the endocrine system;
• Analogues of Diprospan in tablets : Prednisolone, Dexamethasone, Celeston;
• An absolute analogue is Flosteron. It is produced abroad.

Analogues of the drug Diprospan are produced not only by domestic, but also by foreign pharmaceutical companies. The latter make a high-quality, but more expensive product.

Is there an alternative?

Hormone injections reduce pain due to arthrosis of the ankle, knee, and hip, but also have a negative effect on the body. They are especially dangerous in case of diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, stomach ulcers, and also if the patient’s kidney function is impaired. In addition, corticosteroids only temporarily relieve pain, which means that a person will need a larger dose each time.

Instead of harmful corticosteroids, which also do not cure, you can choose other therapeutic methods:

• injections of chondroprotectors, which are aimed at restoring damaged cartilage tissue and normalizing metabolism in the joint (the course ranges from 3 to 15 injections);
• injection of a synovial fluid prosthesis, such as Noltrex, which expands the damaged cartilage surfaces, mixes with the joint fluid and returns the joint to normal functioning.

The course of injections of synovial fluid prosthesis is 2-5 procedures. After this, you can forget about arthrosis for 1-1.5 years. The drug based on hyaluronic acid or synthetic Noltrex is safe for the gastrointestinal tract and other body systems and will not harm diabetics or people with high blood pressure.

If you are experiencing severe joint pain, do not rush to relieve it with hormones. Consider a future-proof treatment option instead of drugging your body with corticosteroids for a long time.

Hyaluronic acid

Injections with hyaluronic acid replenish the deficiency of synovial fluid characteristic of joint pathologies. It is called “synovial prosthesis”, since the consistency and composition of hyaluronic acid is identical to natural synovium. If there is a lack of it, the articulating surfaces of the bones begin to rub against each other when walking and injure the cartilaginous layer. Hyaluronic acid returns synovium to its normal qualities, at the same time relieving inflammation and stimulating the regeneration of damaged areas.

Domestic analogues

Russian drugs of this type can completely replace Diprospan and give a positive effect.

The following funds can be allocated:

• Hydrocortisone ointment . This analogue is the cheapest, as it costs only 20-25 rubles. The product copes well with skin diseases. The drug is produced in the form of an ointment and suspension for injection. The main indication for use is bursitis, non-infectious arthritis, acute adrenal insufficiency, cardiogenic or traumatic shock, and heart attack.

• Rederm . This analogue has a keratolytic effect and is prescribed for external use. Its cost is 300-350 rubles.

• Sinaflan . Another inexpensive drug, the price of which is only 50 rubles. You can buy it at the pharmacy without a prescription in the form of an ointment, gel or cream. The product is characterized by a wide spectrum of action.

• Akriderm . Substitute for Diprospan for external use for skin pathologies and allergic rashes. It will not help if the underlying disease is caused by a virus. It is also prohibited to use during pregnancy and high sensitivity.

• Gistan . The cost of the analogue is 150-180 rubles. Its distinctive feature is the absence of hormones in its composition. The drug contains the natural component betulin, which has an antihistamine effect.

• Kenalog . This is a substitute for Diprospan in the form of an injection suspension. It is used for the treatment of diseases of the skin, endocrine system, rheumatic pathologies, and lesions of the respiratory system. The analogue can be injected directly into the joint cavity.

• Silkaren . The price of the product is 120-150 rubles. It produces an anti-inflammatory effect, eliminates itching that is present during allergic reactions on the surface of the skin.

The domestic analogue of the painkiller Diprospan is no worse than foreign forms. Its advantage is its reasonable cost and wide availability. Corticosteroids mainly contain hormones and are therefore sold strictly by prescription. Analogs must be prescribed strictly by a doctor. It is not recommended to use such drugs on your own instead of Diprospan, as they have serious side effects.

Indications for use

Diprospan injections are prescribed to relieve inflammation and relieve pain in the following pathologies and conditions:

• A pathological process in the adrenal cortex caused by its insufficiency.
• Hemoblastoses, which are pathological processes occurring in lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue.
• Allergic reactions, expressed in the form of hay fever, bronchial asthma, rhinitis, allergies to medications and insect bites, serum sickness and allergic bronchitis.
• Pathologies of soft tissues, as well as muscles and bones, such as bursitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, epicondylitis, radiculitis, lumbago, torticollis, fasciitis and various foot diseases.
• Systemic connective tissue diseases, including scleroderma, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus and periarteritis nodosa.
• Dermatological diseases - contact dermatitis, neurodermatitis, urticaria, coin-shaped eczema, severe photodermatitis, atopic and herpetic dermatitis, psoriasis, pemphigus vulgaris, lichen planus, cystic acne.
• Other pathological conditions, such as nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, malabsorption syndrome, ulcerative colitis, regional ileitis, adrenogenital syndrome, etc.

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pharmachologic effect

Properties of the drug:

Diprospan consists of 2 main components:

• Betemethasone sodium forfate - once in the body, it quickly disintegrates, dissolves and is absorbed. That is why the patient’s improvement occurs quickly. It is eliminated naturally within 24 hours.
• Betamethasone dipropionate - creates a protective film and leaves the body in no less than 10 days. This allows the active components to act longer on the source of tissue damage.