Anti-biotic therapy for RA, etc.

harrysmum2
harrysmum2 Member Posts: 8
edited 28. Jul 2010, 07:11 in Living with Arthritis archive
I have just been diagnosed with seronegative RA. I really am not sure what that is even after reading lots about it.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia many years ago and thought it was just that flaring up.
All my blood tests are normal except for the raised ferritin.
It seems to me the difference is that now I have pain and stiffness constantly but in symetrical places, like both hands, feet and knees.

Anyway, the doc is starting me on minocycline (an anti-biotic) as he says there have been a lot of studies saying it works better than the usual drugs.

I'm happy to try anything (within reason) and wondered if anyone else had tried this.

Thanks.

Comments

  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello harrysmum and nice to meet you. :D

    I haven't heard of this antibiotic treatment / or it being used for inflammatory arthritis...but 'googled' it and see that there is currently research being done in the good old USA on it's effectiveness for treating RA. sounds interesting :wink:
    May be you could ask our helpline peeps if they know/ can tell you more about it :?:

    With regard to your diagnosis of sero-negative arthritis...as you've said it means that the form of inflam arther that you have is negative for RA factor. I've posted you a link to the publications page on this website on sero-negs (of which there are many forms) which I hope will help.

    http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/Search/search_results_page_view?SearchableText=sero-negative+arthritis

    I have PA (Psoriatic Arthritis) which is also a sero-negative arther and having gone through various DMARDS (Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs) am now on Methotrexate and about to start on my third anti-tnf.
    Treatment for the sero-negs follows pretty much along the same lines as the treatment for RA.
    There are lots of other people on the forum with PA, AS, Fibromyalgia etc. who I'm sure will be happy to share their experiences and treatments with you too.

    Hope you enjoy being part of the forum community!

    Iris xxx
  • harrysmum2
    harrysmum2 Member Posts: 8
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you Iris,

    I'll have a look around.
  • speedalong
    speedalong Member Posts: 3,315
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Harry'smum,

    welcome to the forum.

    I have OA, so no advice to offer.

    However just wanted to say sound like your doc is informed re new research and treatments. Keep us up-to-date with how things go.

    Speedy
    I have had OA since mid twenties. It affects my hips and knees. I had a THR on the left aged 30 and now have a resurface-replacement on the right - done May 2010.
  • cherrybim
    cherrybim Member Posts: 334
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Harry's Mum :)

    Glad you've found this most helpful site, all the peeps are wonderful.

    I've been reading up about the antibiotic therapy for RA since you mentioned it yesterday as despite the fact that I've had RA for 31 years I'd never heard of it, lol.

    http://www.drmirkin.com/joints/1196.html was just one of the sites I looked at from which one can see that minocycline is nothing new in the treatment of RA.

    IMHO your Doctor is being very astute in its prescription as other sites say that it has anti inflamatory properties and as you're not suited to anti inflams maybe this will be the one :D

    All the best

    Cherry
  • harrysmum2
    harrysmum2 Member Posts: 8
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you all for your replies.

    It was me who asked the doc about it......lol. He didn't want me starting the traditional drugs just yet, but I can't have Celebrex as I'm allergic to sulfar drugs and there is a limit to the amount of prednisone (I love that stuff....lol) you can have. I have Barret's oesophagus so have to be careful.

    I found all these 'whacky' websites saying how people had been virtually cured of RA with the minocycline and so I found a few 'good' sites that also had the same info.

    When I asked him about it, he explained the minocycline had been used for years and gave me a script...

    What he did say though was you can't have the 'generic' brand as it only works as an anti-biotic not an anti-inflammatory. Makes you think????
  • marion1952
    marion1952 Member Posts: 963
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    HI folks

    just to say that I remember reading that the actress Kathleen Turner, who suffers from RA, is on minocycline..

    Marion
    (got bad hands today so won't be posting much!)
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi, I've got OA & maybe a few other things going on in my back, so I'm not really the best person to answer this, but thinking about it, if you have inflammation, an antibiotic may help releave this. I'm no doctor, so please don't trust what I say. Sometimes a drug helps for more that its intended use, just think Asprin was never thought of as a drug to prevent heart attacks, I mean 30 years ago, what would you think if your doctor told you to take asprin for your heart disease problem!!! :lol: New thinks happen all the time!
    I hope all goes well for you. :wink:

    Love Sue
  • harrysmum2
    harrysmum2 Member Posts: 8
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Marion......I hope your hands improve soon.

    Sue...that is true. It is odd how they found one particular anti-biotic helps with inflamation. It also apparently kills mycoplasma (little greebly bug thingys that are sort of a cross between a virus and a bacteria). According to the studies, a lot of people with inflamatory diseases have these in their system.

    I'm only repeating what I've read here and my doc is looking it all up through the proper channels, but minocycline is helping with RA, Lupus, Psoriasis (sp) arthritis, spondalosis (sp) and fibromyalgia among other things.

    It sounds really hopeful as I've had FM for ages and am still a bit unsure whether this 'new' flare is not RA but FM.

    We shall see........