Anemia- Any feedback?

[Anonymous]

Hello..
I have been taking minocycline since mid February of this year and I can say I feel alot better. Before AP i was in pain and had developed sensitivity to everything, food, vitamins even meds. I was in bad shape. I stopped eating proteins, grains and stopped taking any vitamins. I could tolerate about 5 or 6 six things and that is what I ate everyday. I have suffered from anemia before so it got worse and my white blood cells dropped. In March the doc gave me iron IV for 4 weeks. 5 months later on Minocycline I can tolerate eggs, red meat, chicken and some dairy. Now I’m back to taking Multivitamin, fish oil again. I just came back from the doctor and I’m seriously anemic again and have to get more iron IV. I know I’m feeling better but how come the anemia is not improving? First of all I have lost so much weight so having anemia just makes everything worse. I feel like I have no strength all the time. Any feedback would be appreciated!

I must thank the good people on this board that encourage and answer questions about AP.

Thanks
Margie

[richie]

Hi The anemia wouldnt have anything to do with the AP protocol or your rheumatic disease —anemia most l;ikely comes from another cause –my good friend had and still has an anemic condition –it was brought upon by slight leaking of blood internally –are you taking any anti -inflammatories ??? that could cause bleeding —I would think your doctor has to discover the cause of your anemia —
richie

[Maz]

@ihatera wrote:

I have suffered from anemia before so it got worse and my white blood cells dropped. In March the doc gave me iron IV for 4 weeks.

Hi Margie,

As you have suffered from anemia before AP, it is likely not related to minocycline use. However, as you also mentioned a low WBC (called, leukopenia), there is a FAQ on rheumatic.org that describes a type of low WBC in some folks and there is a special test that can be run to determine what might be causing it – See FAQ #14:

http://rheumatic.org/faq.htm

14. MY DOCTOR HAS TOLD ME TO STOP THE MINOCYCLINE (MINOCIN) BECAUSE OF A LOW WHITE BLOOD COUNT.

White blood cells are used to fight infection. A low white blood cell count is clinically called leukopenia. This occurs when there is a reduction in the normal number of circulating white blood cells in the blood stream. This condition involves the blood and the bone marrow. Patients may demonstrate a low white cell count before commencing the antibiotics. This can be due to the nature of their illness, or previous therapy such as methotrexate that causes suppression of white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells. This is caused by increased destruction or impaired production of these cells. Poor quality protein intake or digestion (impaired pancreatic enzyme or HCI production), inadequate trace mineral or essential fatty acid intake are other causes.

A blood test called the Carbon test is enormously helpful at determining the cause of the decreased WBC. The company Body Bio (888-320-8338 @ https://www.bodybio.com/contact.aspx) can provide a clinician that can perform the test in your area.

A doctor may be cautious and suggest that you cease the minocycline therapy. This is to check that this is not the trigger of the leukopenia. If the white count returns to normal then one can resume the minocycline and observe if the WBC count decreases again. If it decreases again it probably is not wise to continue with the Minocin.

The minocycline assists the body in clearing the infection and once the infectious trigger which stimulates the increased production of white blood cells is gone, the WBC will drop to its normal non-infectious level.

Margie, there are a number of infections that can cause anemia, but it depends on the type one has. E.g. babesiosis, a tick-borne infection, infects red blood cells and can cause autoimmune hemolytic anemia as well as air hunger, chest wall pain, breathlessness, aches and pains, fevers, sweats, chills, etc. Drops in white blood cells can be due to another tick-borne infection, called ehrlichiosis.

Richie is right that various rheumatic medications can cause various types of blood dyscrasia. However, Dr. Brown talks about anemia (due to chronic inflammation) commonly found in RAers in the Henry Scammell book and the type he discusses usually resolves over time with AP.

There are other forms of anemia and causes are listed here, including genetic Thalassemias. To look for causes would require some investigative work and sometimes seeing a hematologist is needed to find a cause/solution:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia#Causes

Has anyone ever done an infectious diseases work-up on you, Margie? Some infections are highly immunosuppressive and can alter white and red blood cell counts (as mentioned above). Just looking back on your first post on the forum and that you also live in a mid-Atlantic coastal state, makes me wonder if the early flu-like symptoms might be associated with tick-borne diseases? Any thoughts on that?

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10001&p=72284#p72284

[m.]

Margie,

My doctor told me the disease itself could cause anemia. He recommended I get regular CBCs, Serum Iron, and Ferritin testing. He put the results into a spreadsheet chart and kept a lookout for improvements and worsening.

At one point, before going on progesterone, I was having flooding periods. I also was taking aspirin like candy to help with pain. My iron and ferritin plummeted, and we concluded I was losing blood.

An occult blood stool test might not be a bad idea too.

[Anonymous]

Hello Richie, Maz and M,
Thanks so much for the feed back. I also don’t think anemia is being caused by AP. I think the first time this year it was due to very poor diet and the sensitivity prevented me from taking my iron supplement. The last two months my diet had changed and do consume more proteins but my iron is still acting up. Since this is not a new problem may be I need more testing done.

Maz, I’ll ask my doc to refer me to an infectious disease doc. I never thought about that.

Richie, I just had endoscopy and colonoscopy done and nothing is leaking.

M- That could be very possible the the heavy periods could be the culprit. Did taking progesterone help?

Thanks guys!
Margie

[m.]

Yes, progesterone stopped the flooding periods, and changed them back to normal flows.

[Anonymous]

Margie,
First I would be very careful with iron transfusions. It is more common to get an infection in the hospital these days.
What are your levels of MCH and RDW? Please see below:
– low MCH indicated iron or folic acid deficiency, also Vit C or copper deficiencies.
– If your RDW is high but MCV low it is iron deficiency. If your RDW is high and high MCV it is folate and Vit B12 anemia.
Have you ever checked your levels of B12, folic acid and iron /not just Hemoglobin/?
I think your iron is low. Also there are people who cannot break down meat proteins, so doesn’t matter how much red meat you take it doesn’t help.
Linda L.
PS
MCH Mean corpuscular Hemoglobin
RDW Red Cell Distribution Width

[Author]

Posts