What are treatment options for lupus?

also, what are long term effects of the disease? are there any ways to prevent the occurrence?

The treatment goals in lupus are to reduce symptoms and prevent permanent damage. This is accomplished through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressive medications, biologics and chemotherapy. The specific medications depend on what body parts are affected by the lupus and the severity of the autoimmune activity.

If a patient is a good self manager, is compliant with the treatment regimen, and is proactive about overall health a lupus patient can generally expect to live a normal life span. However, every drug we take has some toxic side effect. There has not been a new drug approved by the FDA specifically for the treatment of lupus since November 20, 1958!

Long term effects depend on what organs are affected and how severly. What is know for certain is that lupus patients have double the risk of cardiovascular events brought on by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Since the cause of lupus is not understood, there is no known way to prevent it.

Lupus is not contagious. Lupus is not sexually transmitted. Lupus is not HIV/AIDS. Lupus is not cancer.

I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 6yrs old. What you need to keep in mind is this illness affects everyone differently. My "problem areas" are lungs, kidneys, and skin. Right now I am taking 12 different meds a day, the one most used for lupus is Cellcept. It is an immune suppressant so that adds other problems with it.
I hope you things figured out :)
Thoughts

I dnt want to scare you or anything but lupus is a deadly disease which causes the skin to look unpleasant, pains all over the body, hair on the head to fall and most of all death and it cannot be cured.