Rheumatoid Arthritis has forced me, whether I like it or not, to become more patient; with myself and my medication. When you are hurting and want relief the last thing you want to hear is to be patient.  Unfortunately that is exactly what you need to do with many RA treatments.  Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall) starts to work faster than the other DMARD’s (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) in about 3 to 6 weeks.  Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) originally used for the prevention of malaria can take up to 6 months to reach the full effect.  With Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) symptom relief can take up to 3 months.  Gold (Myochrysine and Solgana) injections take 3 to 6 months before they have an effect on symptoms.  The class of drugs known as biologic DMARD (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) include Enbrel, Remicade, Humira, Kineret, and Orencia. These medications can take from several weeks to several months to achieve the full effect.  Some of these medications are taken in conjunction with one another, so that may influence the time it takes to start feeling improvement.  If you are not seeing or feeling results from your current course of treatment, discuss it with your rheumatologist.