Some truths about minocin | Arthritis Information

 

Nobody on this forum can honestly tell you that they have been cured or brought into remission from the DRUG minocin, nobody. As much as some people want you to believe that AP is the answer to RA, they are very much full of themselves. Biologics work. Prednisone works. Methotrexate works. Your doctors actually want you to get better. They are not a bunch of pharma paid scum as the APers want you to believe. Real people with real parents and grandparents with ra are working overtime to help you. Seriously. These doctors and biologists are going to make us better, believe it. So many of these stupid people want you to believe that minocin is some sweet alternative to the normal protacol for RA. They want you to believe that minocin is some very safe drug with a better safety  rating than enbrel. Bull, blanking blank. Check it out.

Minocin Oral

 

Sure, worry about your enbrel.

Shouldn't that be "trueths" 

Arrisblowswell,

You wouldn't know trueth or thruth if thruth slapped you in your chipmonk face, got it? Oh yeah, tell Jvstin to come get me, I'm waiting.

LEV

That is just the answer, you got it? Blank with me again blank, go ahead, just try me and I will give you trueth and truth, go ahead, blank.

LEV

blank? really? That's what you're usin' these days? Don't you have a hobby yet?

Shoo fly.

Where is the light headedness as a common side effect?

My RD put me on Minocin. I never asked or mentioned it to her. She just said it would help with my swelling. Not like I would know... I stopped taking it because of the light headedness and already being off balance from my hip acting the way it is, and I do not need to fall when hubby is not home, as I would be stuck in the floor for God knows how long before someone comes in the door to help me get outta the floor.

So... I am waiting to go back on it; when my hip issue is resolved then I will.

Lev,

Thank you so very much for bring this up.  It's an opportunity I've been hoping would arise here on AI and I welcome the opportunity to set the records straight.

This is the info for Minocin in WebMD.  The entire link is:

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6906-Minocin+Oral.aspx?drugi d=6906&drugname=Minocin+Oral&pagenumber=6

The first thing we should know about WebMD is that they have a policy on listing 'sponsored' information.  Here is a link to their policies involving journalist intergrity, clearly labeling advertising and sponsored content, and licensed content.

http://www.webmd.com/policies/about-editorial-policy

Here is the link to their advertising policy.

http://www.webmd.com/policies/about-advertising-policy

And most importantly, this is their information on 'sponsors'.  A sponsor pays for the information provided to WebMD.  Paragraphs 1 and 2 are particularly chilling to me.  Follow the links to the examples of 'sponsored' advertising.  See how clearly it is supposed to be marked. 

http://www.webmd.com/policies/about-our-sponsors

The second thing we should know is that 'sponsor's' pay WebMD for the right to sponsor the information and to advertise on their site.  Quite handsomely, I've seen in newspaper articles. 

Here is the link to the entire information WebMD has for Minocin.

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6906-Minocin+Oral.aspx?drugi d=6906&drugname=Minocin+Oral

Again, notice how nothing is listed as sponsored.  You would think that the information is clean.

However, if we go over to Amgen and compare information on both Enbrel and Minocycline to WebMD - we can see a MAJOR discrepency. 

This is the info on Enbrel from their site.  Note the last paragraph.

http://www.amgen.com/patients/products_enbrel.html

Here is the detailed info on Enbrel from the maker; Amgen.  WARNING: It is a LOT more scary than the first page. 

http://www.amgen.com/pdfs/misc/enbrel_pi.pdf

As an aside, apparently Amgen must be worried about the results of their study for psoratic arthritis.  They allowed people in the study to be on Minocin during the study.  Might slant the response towards their product and make it look better than it is.  LOL

OH, WAIT - Amgen took their prior information on Minocin off their website.  Hmmmm.

So, here's the information on Minocycline from the current manufacturer, Triax.

http://www.triaxpharma.com/MinocinPI.pdf

As you can see, the differences are rather benign.  Again, those contemplating pregnancy need to choose a different antibiotic - usually Zith.

And I have yet to see anybody claim to get anorexia from this - it is listed as a side effect.  LOL

Which brings us back to our central question.  Why is there such a discrepency in what Lev posted from WebMD and the FDA mandated information on the manufacturer's site?  Could it possibly be the income WebMD gets from the biologic makers?

And the final question is - why would any of us attack another persons choice of med?  While I personally do not choose to do a biologic - I would not begrudge any of you a pain free day.

Why do some of us do that?

Pip

Joonie -

Lightheadedness is a definite side effect when starting AP.  It usually resolves within month or 2.

Pip

RA is a horrible disease and I applaud anyone who has made it to remission whatever the drug combination.  So here's my question for the masses. 

I am 1 year into remission, normal blood tests, no pain, Minocin was and continues to be my miracle drug. I would love to know what has put other people in remission.  What worked for you.

By the way Lev, don't call me stupid.

Becky

LevLarry: Certainly hope your ready for this!

In April of 2007 I began taking minocycline.

Since my medical history will prove I tend to have positive or negative reactions to drugs within a short period of time. My gp began with a 25mg. dose every M,W, and F for two weeks and since I had no problems with this dose but was already beginning to show improvement we went to 50mg. every M,W, and F. The only problem I had was mild tummy and belly discomfort for a couple of weeks. No diahrrea or anything else.

So we, my gp and I, have agreed to stay at 50mg. I have a prescription for tramadol which I haven't used for months and months and months for the RA. My left knee is in need of medical attention and there are days when it hurts so I've taken the tramadol for the pain. (Have an appt. with an ortho specialist in Februrary - 2nd. opinion required by insurance.)

If you knew what the mtx did to me you would realize the decision for me to take minocycline wasn't difficult at all.

BTW, I tried the Snickers therapy first and it doesn't work, but I'll fight to the death my right to try it again if I so choose.  I like the idea of snickers therapy...do you think you could sign me up for a clinical trial :)

Seriously, Jesse I so agree with you. I am having great success with Rituxan after failing with a lot of other meds. What works well for one, may not work well for another...Nothing in life is one sized fits all, at least concerning medical treatments.

Lynn


Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr


Lynn4939464.297025463Lev, all meds have side effects, biologics have some severe ones too so does methodrexate. Yes there are people out there who are testing these drugs for us and should be applauded but to the same extent if Apers want to test the effect of minocycline and it works for them then good luck. Each to their own. Us on biologics come on here and speak of the wonders of them so to should the Apers of their meds, where the heck do you get off dictating to everyone. Didnt you get any toys for xmas.

[QUOTE=Lynn49]I like the idea of snickers therapy...do you think you could sign me up for a clinical trial :)

[/QUOTE]

Lynn, I can sign you up, but there's already 1,433,621 people ahead of you.
LevLarry: Checked out WebMd (where you obtained your information) and found you chose to post only the possible negatives of minocin.

Am not aware of what drugs you take or if they're effective. Would you be willing to post what drugs you take and if they are/were effective? Thanks.
Finally, I have watched this board get taken over by AP'ers.

Go to Johns Hopkins or Mayo and read what they say about AP. Mild
DMARD. So if you have mild RA go for it. There is no way to tell on this
board who really has mild or serious.

I am also tired of the conspiracy of the medical community. I have a great
doctor and he said AP is for mild and it is bad to be on antibiotics long
term. Think I will trust him before someone who would promote AP to
any and everyone. At least I know my doctor cares about me. Even
probobics don't bring back all the good bacteria.

Call a truce-no AP and no anti AP.

Birdy.
This board is to be open to all points of view. I'm not promoting AP Therapy for anyone - I'm simply relating my experience. Nor did I ever feel AP Therapy was being promoted by anyone else but were relating their pros/cons experiences with AP Therapy.

I don't accuse anyone using drugs of promoting drug therapy and am ever so happy when it works for them.

So let's all share our positive and negative experiences with our therapy of choice and acknowledge we each have the ability and the right to choose which type of therapy we want to go with.

Bird Girl: No AP or anti-AP??
By the same token: No drug therapy or anti-drug therapy.


watchingwolf39464.3697800926

I saw my RD this morning and asked him what he thought about AP.  He was very well informed about it.  He knew the theory behind it, knew all about Dr Brown and the Road Back, said he currently has two patients that take minocin alone and do well with it.   He even mentioned that many people interested in AP believe in this big pharma conspiracy to hold back on AP because of their greed for money.

He also said that AP is not a cure, it's long term therapy just like the biologics, and that their are risks involved with taking minocin just as their are with the others.  One of the risks (among others) is that you can build up an immunity to antibiotics so in the event of an infection it can be much more difficult to treat.

He told me that the vast majority of his patients he's treated with AP, it doesn't work for. But for mild RA the anti inflammatory properties in minocin can reduce symptoms like other anti inflammatory drugs.

He said that if I want to try it he wouldn't object but he wouldn't recommend it due the fact that my RA has been difficult to manage.

So I will store this away as a possibility for the future but for now I am staying with MTX and Enbrel.  To those of you on AP, all the best.  I certainly don't hold it against you.  Or think you're stupid.[QUOTE=Linncn]

One of the risks (among others) is that you can build up an immunity to antibiotics so in the event of an infection it can be much more difficult to treat.

[/QUOTE]

When a resident fellow said this to me, I said I had taken the same type of antibiotics for acne without a problem and asked if dermatologists still used them.  She stammered slowly, "Yes....dermatologists use.....minocycline...." and had nothing else to say on that subject.

[QUOTE=Suzanne][QUOTE=Linncn]

One of the risks (among others) is that you can build up an immunity to antibiotics so in the event of an infection it can be much more difficult to treat.

[/QUOTE]

When a resident fellow said this to me, I said I had taken the same type of antibiotics for acne without a problem and asked if dermatologists still used them.  She stammered slowly, "Yes....dermatologists use.....minocycline...." and had nothing else to say on that subject.

[/QUOTE]

But the problem of drug-resistant bacteria is not limited to the patient taking long-term antibiotic therapy. If it becomes widespread, the entire community is at risk.

[QUOTE=JasmineRain]
But the problem of drug-resistant bacteria is not limited to the patient taking long-term antibiotic therapy. If it becomes widespread, the entire community is at risk.


[/QUOTE]

Okay, so all I am saying is let's let dermatologists lead the way and stop using them for pimples.  Then I will worry about using them for a crippling disease. 

[QUOTE=Suzanne]

[QUOTE=JasmineRain]
But the problem of drug-resistant bacteria is not limited to the patient taking long-term antibiotic therapy. If it becomes widespread, the entire community is at risk.


[/QUOTE]

Okay, so all I am saying is let's let dermatologists lead the way and stop using them for pimples.  Then I will worry about using them for a crippling disease. 

[/QUOTE]

I agree, it should not be first-line therapy for someone with mild acne.  It should be reserved for the serious cases.  Just like antibiotics should not be given to every two year old with an earache.  Studies have shown that most cases of otitis media clear up in a few days with or without antibiotics.  Same with uncomplicated sinusitis.  It's usually viral.  Most doctors don't bother to do a culture before writing out a script for augmentin, biaxin, etc... these used to be the "big guns" reserved for patients who had penicillin-resistant infection.

And nobody is on tetracyclines for serious infections, because they don't kill bacteria, only destroy the proteins they eat.  Doctors are rx'ing penicillins like you describe, which kill bacteria, and my understanding is that is where the greatest risk of resistance comes from (and why we got ear tubes for both our girls, instead of continual abx).

  

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5162937Becky,

I believe I am now heading toward remission. I keep decreasing my meds. Now I am only on Enbrel and fish oil. I was diagnosed five years ago as moderate to severe.

For me, diet was the key. I follow the specific carbohydrate diet by Elaine Gottschall. It is a diet recommended for people with celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. I didn't have any symptoms of gut dysfunction but after I cut out gluten (and got dramatically better) it was clear something was going on. I was tipped off by the fact that I responded well to sulfasalazine. Sulfasalazine is used to treat UC and Crohn's.

The diet is now also being used to treat autistic kids, so my son and me are both on it.
I am mad about the overuse of antibiotics. In fact, one of my friends just told me her doctor put her on antibiotics EVEN THOUGH THEY WOULD NOT MAKE HER BETTER. He said it would make her less contagious. WHAT?! Levlarry
I know of a horrific story about antibiotic therapy, one of my "friends" (more of an acquaintance) bought into AP big time and ended up with quite severe damage in her hands and feet - she kept thinking (for around 6-9 months!!!) that she had what the APers call "herx" but she was in the flare from hell. 
I would never ever touch AP, and I don't really appreciate when posters get pious about it either.    I'm always worried about people who have a drum to bang and I don't know what their motives are.
Anna

Even if antibiotics are the direct cause of the SuperBugs, I do not want to go back to the bad old days without antibiotics.

People died far more often, and suffered terrible life long complications from ordinary things like cuts and colds before antibiotics. 

The SuperBugs are going to get figured out and we will be able to put them down too.

Maybe the next generation of enemy cell killers won't breed Super Bugs, and will be able to kill cancer cells and not normal cells, and hold inflammatory cells in check without shutting down our immune systems. 

[QUOTE=Suzanne]

And nobody is on tetracyclines for serious infections, because they don't kill bacteria, only destroy the proteins they eat.  Doctors are rx'ing penicillins like you describe, which kill bacteria, and my understanding is that is where the greatest risk of resistance comes from (and why we got ear tubes for both our girls, instead of continual abx).

  

[/QUOTE]

Tetracyclines may be used in the treatment of infections of the respiratory tract, sinuses, middle ear, urinary tract, intestines, and also gonorrhoea, especially in patients allergic to β-lactams and macrolides; however, their use for these indications is less popular than it once was due to widespread resistance development in the causative organisms.

Their most common current use is in the treatment of moderately severe acne and rosacea (tetracycline, oxytetracycline, doxycycline or minocycline).

Doxycycline is also used as a prophylactic treatment for infection by Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and is effective against Yersinia pestis, the infectious agent of bubonic plague. It is also used for malaria treatment and prophylaxis, as well as treating elephantiasis.

Tetracyclines remain the treatment of choice for infections caused by chlamydia (trachoma, psittacosis, salpingitis, urethritis and L. venereum infection), Rickettsia (typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever), brucellosis, and spirochetal infections (borreliosis, syphilis, and Lyme disease). In addition, they may be used to treat anthrax, plague, tularemia, and Legionnaires' disease.

They may have a role in reducing the duration and severity of cholera, although drug-resistance is occurring^[2] and their effects on overall mortality is questioned.^[3]

Demeclocycline has an additional use in the treatment of SIADH.

Tetracycline derivatives are currently being investigated for the treatment of certain inflammatory disorders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetracycline_antibiotics

[QUOTE=JasmineRain] [/QUOTE]

 Tetracycline derivatives are currently being investigated for the treatment of certain inflammatory disorders.

 

[/QUOTE]

Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!  (although this is wikipedia, so make that woo-hoo.) 

Okay, I think I did hear about this.  I think they are taking the antibiotic part out?  Just using whatever is left, what they think is the anti-inflammatory component?  Sounds like a win/win if it works - no more superbug worries, knocks out the controversy of infectious cause. 

Same old, same old if it doesn't I guess. 

Hi,  Could you all tell me what AP therapy is and Biologics?

While on chemo I ended up in the hospital twice with an unexplained infection.  The one time I was on three kinds of antibiotics thru IV.  After that after each chemo session they put me on 500mg of Levaquin.

Thanks for the help.

AP is antibiotic protocol  - lowdose antibiotics.  There is a lot of info on www.roadback.org. 

Biologics are meds like Enbrel, Humira, Remicade. 

Birdy -

This board has not been taken over by APer's.  This is an incredible board where people come together to help each other heal.  Some people without options have tried AP and liked what they saw happening.  And they tell others.

So do we all believe there is a conspiracy?  Probably not.  I know I do.  And trust me, my conspiracies are a lot more interesting than "Pharma did it".  But when you, personally, had seen 5 doctors and we're told variations on 'it doesn't work' (especially for severe) and you, personally, have been told enough by them to realize they know enough to talk you out of it, well, let's just say I'd be interested to know how much they took in from Pharma fee's to their offices and their own personal bank accounts.  We decided to move out of state so I could get cutting edge help.

This is not to say there are not good rheumies out there willing to let us manage our own health care and learn from our willingness to try new things.  But for giggles I kept trying to get a local rheumy for when I was in MI.  When we'd left at I was at 10 docs - none of which wanted me on a med that so drastically and immediately changed my life.  So dramatically that the neuro I saw put my name up for an episode of Mystery Diagnosis.  (apparently, they didn't want me :-(  This is the guy that actually went to the websites I provided and was amazed at what he saw in Pub Med.  He said "there's some serious research on this".  Too bad I couldn't get him to be my rheumy. 

Like Suzanne said - let them take the antibiotics from acne-faced teens first if they're so concerned.  I'm using this to control a horrifying disease that put me on a walker in 4 months. 

And notice from link NikkiLynn posted that even tho dermatologists use antibiotics - they do not seem to be proscribing probiotics to ensure no future problems.

O'Dell, in a newspaper article on my AP doc's wall, says minocycline is a powerful cell regulator.  It inhibits enzymes that cause damage.  Sounds like the basis for the biologics, no?  He goes on to mention something that sounds like Minocin works to bring the cells back in line, in cell communication, so that the body does the work the med is helping to repair.  I wish the articles weren't from the early 90's so I could copy it and put it up for you all to see.  Pre-Internet. 

There is exciting work being done in this field.  A field, I'd like to point out, that NONE of the RA legislation put forth last year addressed.  Nothing for infectious etiology on disease EVERYBODY says is supposed to be started by a virus or a bacteria.  So, if the rogue scientists toiling away in actually trying to cure this stuff can't get funds from that to support their work...how can I not think 'the hand of Pharma'?

Pip

P.S.  Supposed to go to a show Friday to see the performance art work of a scientist/woman with 4 autistic kids.  She works with neuro-reprogramming.  She said some really interesting things regarding recent autism research.  She said the problem wasn't the MMR virus with mercury, she said the problem was the injections into the gut.  Don't know much about it; just know she was well familiar with the strep mycoplasma as it's really implicated in autism. 

[QUOTE=Lynn49]http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5162937[/QUOTE]

This article is from 2006, so I don't think it moved any mountains, but it certainly contains a few comments that made me happy!

"Another theory is that the antibiotics lead to a sort of system-wide change in the body."

Smile.

"There's a belief that some of these antibiotics may actually alter your immune system," says Margolis, "and this slight alteration could be the reason that somebody develops the upper respiratory tract infections we saw."

"What many dermatologists are trying for now is to reduce dosage. Patient Andrea Read has cut back substantially on the dose of erythromycin she takes for acne, from twice a day, to once a day, and now, every other day.

Her dermatologist, Sandra Read, who is also her mother, says the strategy seems to be working."

Smile.  My daughter only takes a dose three days a week. 

"At the end of the day, says Read, every patient is judging their treatment based on what they see in the mirror. "

Smile.  Or on the playground or at dance class, etc.

Suzanne39464.4820717593LOL
This is a bit lengthy but comes from the National Institute of Health.

Clinical Trial Shows Minocycline is Safe and Effective for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Results of a 48-week multicenter clinical study of 219 adults with rheumatoid arthritis show that the drug minocycline reduces joint pain and swelling and is safe in patients with mild to moderate disease. Findings of the Minocycline in Rheumatoid Arthritis (MIRA) Trial are reported in the January 15 issue of Annals in Internal Medicine. Lead author Barbara C. Tilley, Ph.D., is from the Henry Ford Health Sciences Center in Detroit, Michigan, which served as coordinating center for the study. Graciela S. Alarcón, M.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, chaired the MIRA steering committee.

"Minocycline is another drug to add to the armamentarium of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis," said Michael D. Lockshin, M.D., acting director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). The MIRA Trial was conducted at six clinical centers across the United States and supported by research contracts from the NIAMS, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Stephen P. Heyse, M.D., M.P.H., of the NIAMS, managed the trial, with the assistance of Stanley R. Pillemer, M.D., and Marilyn Tuttleman, M.S.

In an editorial accompanying this paper, Harold E. Paulus, M.D., a rheumatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, calls the MIRA Trial "well designed and [well] executed." Paulus says that the modest-but significant-clinical benefit of minocycline combined with minimal toxicity "compares favorably with currently used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs."

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, potentially crippling inflammatory disease in which joint linings become inflamed and cause damage to nearby bone and cartilage. This causes pain, stiffness and loss of movement, and can eventually lead to destruction of the joints. At least two million people in the United States, the majority of them women, have rheumatoid arthritis. Just what causes rheumatoid arthritis is unclear, and is the subject of much research.

Previous reports on whether tetracycline drugs such as minocycline are effective for rheumatoid arthritis have been contradictory. Minocycline and other tetracyclines are known and used in medicine primarily for their antibiotic (anti-infection) properties. However, recent research indicates that these drugs have various anti-inflammatory actions that may make them useful for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. "The MIRA Trial is an example of the way a clinical study should be done," said Lockshin. At the beginning of the study, patients were split ("randomized") into two groups with very similar characteristics. One group, consisting of 109 patients, received 100 milligrams (mg) of minocycline twice a day by mouth; the other 110 patients received a matching placebo (inactive capsules) twice daily. In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, neither physicians nor patients know who is receiving the test drug and who is receiving the placebo.

To participate in the trial, patients had to meet established criteria for rheumatoid arthritis and have six or more swollen joints and nine or more tender or painful joints. All study participants taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or low doses of oral steroids such as prednisone prior to the study could continue taking these drugs. If patients were taking any of the so-called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (such as gold, hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or sulfasalazine) or intravenous steroids, they were taken off these drugs for at least 4 weeks before starting to take minocycline.

The two main objectives of the MIRA Trial were to find out whether minocycline produces improvement in joint swelling and in joint tenderness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Another objective was to determine whether minocycline is safe over a 48-week treatment period in these patients. At the end of the 48 weeks, 54 percent of patients taking minocycline and 39 percent of patients taking the placebo had at least a 50 percent improvement in the number of swollen joints. In terms of joint tenderness, 56 percent of the minocycline group and 41 percent of the placebo group had at least a 50 percent improvement.

There is often a "placebo effect" in clinical trials of potential treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Other factors may have contributed to the unexpectedly large improvement in the placebo group, including the fact that study participants were encouraged to continue taking stable doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Although improvement began by week 12 of the study in both groups, improvement in joint swelling and tenderness continued through week 48 for patients receiving minocycline but reached a plateau at week 24 for those receiving placebo.

Patients taking minocycline also showed significant improvement in several laboratory measures of disease activity, including such blood tests as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hematocrit, platelet count and rheumatoid factor levels. Both physicians and the patients themselves made subjective assessments of how the patients were faring. These subjective measures were not significantly different between the minocycline and placebo groups.

Adverse reactions that were clearly due to minocycline were infrequent and mild. Only seven patients stopped taking minocycline because of side effects. The most common of these was dizziness, a known side effect of minocycline.

Minocycline has several actions that may explain its usefulness in rheumatoid arthritis. Recent research shows that, besides their antibiotic effects, some tetracyclines, including minocycline, can block the actions of enzymes called metalloproteinases that play a role in the destruction of bone and cartilage in the joints in rheumatoid arthritis. There is also evidence that these drugs can dampen or modify some of the body's inflammatory responses. However the MIRA Trial was not designed to provide information on how minocycline works.

The results of the MIRA Trial show that minocycline has some benefit for treating rheumatoid arthritis; how effective minocycline is compared to other treatments for the disease remains to be determined. The results also show that minocycline has relatively low toxicity over a year's time.

The six clinical centers that participated in the MIRA Trial were: The Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn; The University of Alabama at Birmingham; The University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan; and The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington. Minocycline and placebo capsules were provided by Lederle Laboratories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assisted by performing blood tests to help rule out Lyme arthritis.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a component of the National Institutes of Health, leads and coordinates the Federal research effort in all forms of arthritis by conducting and supporting research projects, research training, clinical trials, and epidemiologic studies, and by disseminating information on research results.

 

Using AP has been an up and down journey for me so far, but also so good.
My RA has definitely improved since I began it, even though I have
decreased my other meds by about half. I have never seen it as an issue AP
vs Biologics (actually, this point of view is most often expressed by people
on biologics, for some reason. I don't know why they find AP so
threatening). If my RA ever gets bad enough to use a biologic I will. But after
informing myself about the different drugs and reading a bunch of studies,
Minocin seemed like the least of the evils to me, plus the long term effects
of it are known. I don't know why someone would begrudge or bash or call
someone stupid because they're on a drug therapy that works for them. It
defies logic and it's inappropriate behaviour.
Just an FYI - I am not trying to discourage anyone from using minocycline.  Hell, if plaquenil stops working, that will be my next step.

Never thought you were :-)  I forgot to comment that the post you made mentioned a few L forms - but not the one I have.  Supposedly I don't have c. pneumonia - but tell that to my lungs.  LOL

Pip

I cannot believe that any of you who responded to Lev, gave this creepy man
the time of day. He is rude, and hostile and does not deserve to be treated
with any respect.

Lev, you creep me out. [QUOTE=lorster]I cannot believe that any of you who responded to Lev, gave this creepy man
the time of day. He is rude, and hostile and does not deserve to be treated
with any respect.

Lev, you creep me out. [/QUOTE]

He hasn't been brought up since page 2BOTTOM LINE----

Different meds work for different people. It like that with ANY disease or sickness. We are all DIFFERENT. Its nice to exchange info and give each other advice--but what LEVLARRY said is very hostile and maybe he needs a therapist instead of a rheumatologist.

This is why I left this website last time.

Yeah, but if you look at this whole thread.  I'm so proud of us and am glad I'm a member of this board.  We didn't let somebody destroy our ability to work together.  I really think this is one of the only places that tries to learn from other people's experiences.  Look at my PPI thread.  The suggestions came from so many different ideological backgrounds - and now I have a plan!  And suggestions for what to do when it gets bad again.

Seriously.

Pip

Pip,
Your right--the messages got better and it was clear that the original messenger was ignored. It just makes me mad---sometimes I think that some people have nothing better to do then to start trouble. What did that person think people were gonna say---especially people that might be on that med?
Negativity just breeds more negativity--I am glad it didn't get that way in this situation though.

Last time--a couple years ago--It got really out of hand on this website and a bunch of us left and another one was started. Its now called 4RATalk.com and I still post there also.
This website was the first one I found and its been VERY helpful--so I try to be loyal and I came back just a few months ago. It was a little deja vu though when I saw the posting. Hopefully not too many of them in the future.
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