Treatment depends on how severe it is. Most people have mild disease that doesn’t need any particular treatment, apart from staying as warm as possible.
If there is severe disease where simply measures of staying warm and avoiding obvious triggers of attacks is not working then medications can be considered. The first step with Raynaud’s if you have it is to stay warm. It’s doing sensible things like wearing socks, shoes, gloves and hats in cold weather, as well as underlying singlets to keep the core body temperature warm. If stress and anxiousness are triggers it’s important to find ways to deal with them also.
What medications are used if needed?
If simple measures of staying warm do not work, then medications can be trialled. The medications that are used are ones which improve the blood supply by relaxing the peripheral blood vessels that are in spasm.
NB – just because there are medications doesn’t mean you stop keeping warm!!
The most common types of medications are known as ‘calcium channel blockers’.
The medications we usually use are:
Amlodipine
Nifedipine
Prostaglandin infusions can be considered if the disease is so severe that it is affecting the health and condition of your fingers or toes. If nothing is working and the health of the tissues of your hands and or feet is in danger and seriously affected then chemical injections to sympathetic nerve ganglion may be tried, or surgical transection of the sympathetic nerve ganglia, and in extreme situations amputation.
Please note that most cases of Raynaud’s disease are very mild and don’t even require medications to treat it.