Sometimes medicines called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can reduce the size of rheumatoid nodules. But people who take methotrexate (which is a DMARD) may get more and bigger nodules. In that case, your doctor will often switch you to another medicine.
Some people get steroid shots to shrink nodules. If the lumps become infected or cause severe symptoms, you may need surgery to remove them.