What medications should patients with ankylosing spondylitis take?
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints, causing pain and stiffness. Currently, there are no specific drugs that can cure this disease, but patients can use medications such as indomethacin enteric-coated tablets, diclofenac sodium capsules, sulfasalazine enteric-coated tablets, methotrexate tablets, and tripterygium wilfordii glycoside tablets under a doctor's guidance to control the progression of the disease. The details are as follows:

1. Indomethacin Enteric-Coated Tablets: This is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that can rapidly relieve lower back pain and stiffness, as well as reduce joint swelling and pain. It is a first-line medication for treating ankylosing spondylitis and is suitable for initial treatment in most patients, with the advantages of rapid action and relatively fewer side effects.
2. Diclofenac Sodium Capsules: Also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium capsules have good anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. They can improve patients' mobility and quality of life and are especially suitable for acute pain and inflammation caused by ankylosing spondylitis.
3. Sulfasalazine Enteric-Coated Tablets: These tablets can, to some extent, slow the progression of ankylosing spondylitis. They reduce inflammation and pain by suppressing excessive immune system responses and are suitable for long-term treatment and disease control.
4. Methotrexate Tablets: Methotrexate tablets are disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) that have a certain therapeutic effect on ankylosing spondylitis. They reduce inflammation and pain by interfering with cellular metabolic processes and are suitable for patients who do not respond well to conventional treatments.
5. Tripterygium Wilfordii Glycoside Tablets: This is a traditional Chinese medicine preparation that has pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and functional improvement effects. It is suitable for adjunctive treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and can alleviate patients' pain and stiffness.
Patients should also maintain good posture to slow disease progression and undergo appropriate functional exercises and rehabilitation therapy.