I got my rheumatologist to give me Minocyclin yesterday. I was so excited, I took it the moment I got home.
He told me to take 50 mg in the morning and another 50 mg at night. Do you think that's enough? It seems too little to me, I've read about people taking a lot more. Should I combine it and take it all at once.
Also, when do most people start seeing results?
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Girlfriend, take it how your doctor told you!!!
AP is lowdose, and even if people take more than what you were rx'd, maybe that is to see how you will tolerate it. Splitting the dose keeps it in your system more equally, I'd think, so you are not pulsing.
Good luck with it, and I know more APers will reply. My daughter is on Zithromax MWF, but since it has a longer half-life, she isn't pulsing, either.
Hi Cindy and Congrats! Whoo Hooo!
Now, hang on, you may be in for a bumpy ride! Starting slow is good because it's easier to manage the herx (temporary worsening of symptoms) and the die off of the microbes.
Please start keeping a journal. Record symptoms and such so you can watch and see how you're doing. Look for "Ah-ha" moments - something you can do again that you couldn't in a long time. For me, my first was opening that darn milk gallon all by myself! The next time I couldn't 'it wasn't working!" Then after that I could do it every other time. Two steps forward, one step back.
Tracking those "Ah-ha's" will help you to keep going. From posts on the RB the average time to 'turn the corner' is 6 to 8 months. Thank God those "Ah-ha's" start a LOT earlier so you don't give up!
And lurk on the Roadback. Lots of suggestions there on managing the herx and other stuff like herbs etc. (please don't leave here!)
And please tell me he told you to take probiotics! If not, start now! Truly, IMHO, this is the most important part of AP (other than the antibiotics). Start at one cap a day and work up! Seriously, you are constantly killing your good gut flora that helps process your food into usable vitamins and minerals. I take 4 caps a day and will probably go higher until I can get this yeast under control.
GoGo has posted a LOT on pre-and probiotic foods. Try to eat some naturally if you can.
Hugs,
Pip
Thanks Pip. Oh my god! ... I've never heard of probiotics ... Is that a medication? Can I get it at a drug store or do I need to get it from a doctor?
Sorry to sound like such an idiot ... I am still trying to learn as much as I can .. thanks.
Health food store. Eat yogurt until you get some.I think 50mg twice a day is actually a pretty aggressive starting dose. I thinkYou're not an idiot - you know my thoughts - if they don't tell you what to do, and you fail on it, then it's the med. I don't know how these guys sleep at night!
I use something in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods called Solaray Multidophilus 12. In the beginning I was able to use the cheap stuff (pearls) at Walmart but like an idiot (apparently all this stuff applies to other people, not me - LOL) I forgot my probiotics for 6 weeks when we were coming across the country. I had a return of pain in my hands and feet. Not a lot, but enough for me to think OH GOD! It's been 9 months and I'm still not quite right. No pain after 6 weeks back on probiotics but...I feel 'off' where I didn't feel 'off' before. So...see why I harp on this probiotic issue? I think in my case, I had an underlying yeast issue and no probiotics and all the antibiotics allowed the little beasties to breed like bunnies. But because I'm also on Zith I can't take diflucan. So...working slowly to naturally kill those guys.
It doesn't matter what probiotic you use. I think GoGo is on Florastar. Or maybe she switched. Others post about PB8??? The key is as many strains as possible. I tried this one at Whole Foods with FOS but it did nothing for me.
You know probiotics are working when any bowel issues you had are gone. Too little and you add in more and get 'regulated'. Too much and you're constipated. So...you figure out eventually what your body needs. Unfortunately, it's trial and error.
Hugs,
Pip
Hi again. Any suggestions on when to take Minocycline in terms of spacing / time? The instructions on the bottle say that it should be on an empty stomach and you shouldn't take calcium within 3 hours of taking Minocycline.
I have borderline osteoporosis so I need to take calcium. Since I will be taking Minocycline morning and night what times do you suggest taking it? I never have an empty stomach! .. I am always eating.
I usually eat breakfast at 8:00 am. So I was thinking Minocycline at 10:30. And lunch at 1 pm. But the dinner part is going to be tough. I don't get home for dinner until 9 pm. So I have to wait until midnight to take the Minocyline on an empty stomach. And then the bottle says I can't lay down for 30 minutes ... jeez, I am going to be very sleepy by then and probably won't be able to stay awake.
I can't seem to figure out how to time taking this medicine. Any smart people out there can help me with a good schedule?
Thanks!!
[QUOTE=Cindy74]Hi again. Any suggestions on when to take Minocycline in terms of spacing / time? The instructions on the bottle say that it should be on an empty stomach and you shouldn't take calcium within 3 hours of taking Minocycline.
I have borderline osteoporosis so I need to take calcium. Since I will be taking Minocycline morning and night what times do you suggest taking it? I never have an empty stomach! .. I am always eating.
I usually eat breakfast at 8:00 am. So I was thinking Minocycline at 10:30. And lunch at 1 pm. But the dinner part is going to be tough. I don't get home for dinner until 9 pm. So I have to wait until midnight to take the Minocyline on an empty stomach. And then the bottle says I can't lay down for 30 minutes ... jeez, I am going to be very sleepy by then and probably won't be able to stay awake.
I can't seem to figure out how to time taking this medicine. Any smart people out there can help me with a good schedule?
Thanks!!
[/QUOTE]Thanks Jasmine. My morning stiffness makes it hard to drag myself out of bed at 6 am .. I usually don't get up until 7:30.
Spacing it 12 hours apart would be absolutely perfect .. but it's so hard to make it work. Do you think it would be ok to be 3 - 4 hours off?
New research is saying Mino works with Osteo - so you're going to get more bang for your buck. LOL
When you first start you want to be exact. Life isn't exact. :-)
You might try taking the Mino when you first get up and waiting a bit for breakfast. That's what I did when I started. If something happens and you forget to take it, go ahead and take it with food. I've seen posts about it only loses something like 15% of it's efficacy. Not a whole lot and especially when starting.
Just don't lay down for a bit - you'll definitely get gassy/reflux-y. I don't know what it is about that one little pill, but it's constantly getting stuck in my throat.
Pip