50mg of Minocycline

[aboyer]

Has anyone done well on a very low dose of Minocycline 50 mg Monday Wednesday and Friday for RA

Diagnosed with severe RA 12 years ago
Tested positive for M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae

Current meds: Kineret 100mg, doxycycline 50mg, cbd oil, and celebrex

Supplements: fish oil, vitamin b12, folate, b6, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin c, and biotin

[PhilC]

Hi,

You’re taking 50 mg of mino because you couldn’t tolerate 100 mg, is that correct?

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[aboyer]

Yes that’s correct.

Diagnosed with severe RA 12 years ago
Tested positive for M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae

Current meds: Kineret 100mg, doxycycline 50mg, cbd oil, and celebrex

Supplements: fish oil, vitamin b12, folate, b6, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin c, and biotin

[PhilC]

Hi,

Have you considered switching to doxycycline? Doxy is a lot easier to tolerate than mino. I think doxycycline is a better choice for many people starting on antibiotic therapy for rheumatic disease, especially for those who have been sick for a long time.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[aboyer]

I have taken both in the past. Doxycycline tends to upset my stomach more and it’s not helping my severe RA

Diagnosed with severe RA 12 years ago
Tested positive for M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae

Current meds: Kineret 100mg, doxycycline 50mg, cbd oil, and celebrex

Supplements: fish oil, vitamin b12, folate, b6, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin c, and biotin

[PhilC]

Hi,

How long were you on doxy, and what dose were you taking?

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[qman]

I didn’t tolerate the mino well either for years. Flared really hard at 50mgs even. Once I started the azithromycin, I never had toleration problems ever. Interesting huh? But we were those kids that got tetracycline for our acne in the 1960’s so maybe I was just sensitive to it.I have sclero but Dr Fry is a fan of azithro and he wasn’t concerned about me taking everyday and I have had no side effects from a 250 mg dose everyday for 4 years. I just like to emphasize no ongoing problems even after 20 years on different antibiotics and Dr. Brown even recommended azithromycin for some. Just might pay to try different combos and abx. Just my experience.

[PhilC]

Hi,

Consider transitioning to a higher dose of minocycline in a more gradual manner. You could try taking 100 mg of mino on Friday, but remain at 50 mg for Monday and Wednesday. After two or three months you could then try increasing your Monday dose to 100 mg as well. And then two or three months later you could try increasing your Wednesday dose to 100 mg. Also, use of an NSAID or low dose of prednisone may be helpful during this process to help keep your inflammation under control.

Of course, if your doctor wants you on 50 mg MWF, then you shouldn’t make any changes without discussing it with him or her. But if, as I suspect, your doctor wants you on a higher dose of minocycline, the method I outlined may help you get there. I used a similar regimen to gradually transition from 25 mg of mino to 200 mg, and since it worked for me I felt compelled to pass that info along to you.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[whaleharbor]

I’ll preface the following by saying that I’m just another patient and I’m not a doctor and I’m just “some chick on the internet” so take whatever I say (or any other patient who is not your doctor) with a grain of salt. All I can tell you is what has worked for me and why I believe it has worked for me. Ok…here’ goes. I’m not of the belief that more is better. When my local doctor put me on AP, he put me on 20mg of Doxy…actually, I can’t remember if it was 20mg or 10mg…and yes that’s not a typo..it was an ultra low dose. He did this because he didn’t believe it in…but you know what, I did get slightly better. I took that for a year and stabilized after 20 years of just taking NSAIDS and prednisone. Then I found a real AP doctor…traveled far far far to see this doctor who is now retired who put me on 200mg twice daily of mino (I think that was the dosage…)…anyhow, he put me on the max dose. I couldn’t tolerate the dizziness and thought all my hopes were dashed. But after talking with this doc, my local doc and taking all of the advice here under consideration…my docs (AP doc and local doc) and I came up with the dosage of 100mg every other day….AND I took it WITH food…which of course, you’re not supposed to if you want to the max effectiveness from it. Voila…that’s the dosage for me and in about a year went into remission and stayed there for I think 10 years…or almost 10 years. I’ve lost track. In 2017 I had a MAJOR relapse when a big box pharmacy switched generic brands on me (plus I went through a horrible horrible horrible stressful time in my life…horrible). The generic I was using was discontinued for a while, but I tried another one and got better. My local doc wanted me to take 100mg every day when I had my relapse. I guess he thought more was better as well… but once again, I couldn’t tolerate it…so we had to go back to 100mg every other day. So that is and continues to be my personal best dosing schedule and amount. The takeaway here…”your mileage may vary” and pulsed dosing may actually work better. Like any other med, you have to have your doctor help you to dial in your best dosage and schedule. I personally have also found that taking the mino at night works better for me. My doc and I have based my med dosing on not only how I feel but also his clinical assessment AND blood test results. At this point, I think I’m back to remission again, praise God…or nearly so…like 95% so. I hope this helps. Bottom line, take what we say here as just fodder for conversation with your doctor and get a doctor that will work with you to make sure your med and dosage is the best for you.

Minocycline 100mg every other day with food...lots of food: Zydus brand. Celecoxib 200mg twice per day: Greenstone brand.

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