Light headed & not feeling well | Arthritis Information

I am a little dizzy and light headed when I walk around or stand up. I do not feel well today.

It might be from me not eating much in the last few days. I just have not been hungry for what hubby makes or it just does not taste good. Or my jaw hurt from where I gritted my teeth the night before.

My right knee is down, I can feel my knee cap and the bones around my knee! But my right hand is swelled and I cannot make a fist.

I will take a pic of my right knee for ya'll to see. Then when it swells again... I will take another pic for ya'll to see. It just amazes me how often it inflates & deflates within hours.
Please don't let that discourage you from using the Minocin, though, the side effect should resolve eventually.
Quit standing up and walking around!!!!!

Ummmm.... Katie have a 3 year old and he is quite demanding.

I will lay back down after I eat something. I just do not feel well.

I know why I am light-headed and dizzy.... It is because of my BO, I just realized I had not took a shower at all yesterday.

The other night I had to ask hubby if I took a shower and he was like "yeah, like 30 mins ago". I was like OH

No... really not sure what is making me feel this way.Well, sometimes even RAers get a cold or 'flu, so that's a possibility, too. Joonie, that BO will do it every time

It occurs to me you're having a herxheimer reaction---duh! The dizziness
and hand swelling are both classic herx symptoms. With how long you've
had RA and the dose of Minocin you're on you're probably toxing like crazy.
Well AP is a bit of a roller coaster but in the end it's worth it! Drink lots of
water with lemon slices if you have any.what about lemon juice? You know the pre-squeezed kind that comes in a bottle.Could do in a pinch. The lemon helps your liver detox (so does water). The
best is the lemon/olive oil drink but I know you don't have a blender yet.

From the sounds of it the lemon won't be enough to get rid of the
symptoms, but it might help a bit. Herxheimers are caused by a backlog of
toxins that takes time for your liver to clear out. When you take the Minocin
it helps your immune system kill off the mycoplasma buggers that are
suspected of causing your arthritis, so the dead bacteria are the toxins
backlogging in your system. While herxing people experience a temporary
worsening of symptoms.

The good news is if you herx it means the AP will probably work for you.Gimpy-a-gogo39423.5834722222Hummm... well... I will look into getting a blender. Joonie, another option is to reduce the Minocin you take and then build up to your current dose, if your herxheimer reactions are too extreme. I started at 50mg twice a week (and I herxed on that! but not as much as you are) and worked up to 100mg twice a day on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. I did that specifically to not herx too bad.

I think a lot of people start AP at the dose you're at and the they have all these crazy herxheimers and they think the AP isn't working but it really is. Detoxing and lowering the dose helps a lot of people.

I think it is working. It is helping with my swelling. So... to me it is doing what I was told it should do. So... I am happy with it.

Just feeling light headed and just blah is what is bothering me. I am on so many new meds that I am not sure which is making me feel this way or even if they are making me feel this way.

I do feel better since I ate something. Still a little light-headed but not like I was when I first got up.

joonie39423.6180439815Well, you would be the one who would know. I'm glad it's working. Oh before the knee decides to swell... let me post a pic of it for ya'll.

Here's my knees as of about 10 mins ago.

they still look a little swelled, but man compared to how it was looking and me not being able to bend nor straighten my right knee at all, something is working because I can move bend and straighten it again today, but last night not so well. And I had to take pain meds and muscle relaxers as my right leg was twitching and swelled big again.

Today I can see my knee cap. Hardly ever get to see that.

My right hand was the first to be stricken with RA, so it is the worst of the two. The only finger not affected on this hand is my pinky.

On my left hand, it's not quite as bad, with the exception of my pinky, which has a fused joint...it's a bit of a source of embarassment to me.

Hi Joonie,

The nortriptyline can also make you dizzy, especially if you are on other meds that cause dizziness. I take mine at night and could not stand for more than a few minutes without passing out in the morning. But I am on a lot: 150 mg. Call your dr and see if they have any suggestions. Mine said to start taking my blood pressure med at noon instead of breakfast and now I am fine. Hope something works for you.

Laker

Joonie - I switched to the pulsing method of minocin (MWF) because it was too hard trying to take it twice every day with one hour before a meal, 2 or 3 hours afterwards. My hubbie works retail and his schedule is brutal and it was too much.

So after 4 months, I dropped my dose to the pulsing method. Ever since then I have had these passing moments of this weird light headiness like you are describing. It's like my brain and head want to levitate off my body. Very strange, then it passes. I hope its killing the bugs in my brain :) Hang in there, your knees look gorgeous -

And big thanks to Claire for posting her hand pictures. My hands are slowly starting to look like yours, so it was reassuring in a weird way. I kept telling the doctors something was wrong with my hands - I called it mouse hand as I though it was from too much computer time. But its RA - nice wedding ring too :) Take care - Cathy

justsaynoemore39423.7425347222

Joonie - I had headaches, light headedness, tinnitus, and nausea when I first started taking Minocin. Like yourself, I was put on 100 mg. twice a day, every day. It wasn't until I went to pulsing that the side effects subsided.

Now I take Minocin on M/W/F only, and I take 200 mg. all at once. This might be something to consider, or if you don't feel comfortable doing this on your own, give your RD a call and see if she agrees with the pulsing method.

Hang in there girl, it WILL get better!

Oops their Claire's hands, I am having one of those days.

Thanks, Justsaynoemore and Cordy....I think they look veiny and distorted...but then I remember what they once were, too.

I just know that if I'd started enbrel sooner....

oh well...as my RD says,..."shoulda, woulda, coulda", every time I express regret about something. She's just awesome like that...and doesn't allow me to stay down!