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How long for this to go away when you discontinue Minocycline? I have been taking MWF 200 mg. I need to discontinue. I will continue with clindy, though. How long for the bruises to go away??? Help! I hope I have not done permanent damage all over my body. I had surgery recently. Bruises not going away. Still purple/grey. Thank you. Karin.
Hi Karin,
Can you switch to doxycycline while you wait for hyperpigmentation to recede? Are you taking ascorbic acid? There was a discussion recently here about IPL (intense pulsed laser therapy) which can reduce/get rid of hyperpigmented spots. There is no set time for the spots to disappear and likely depends on individual skin type and other factors, but I would fathom a guess that by about 6 months there should be signs of improvement.
You don’t think the Clindamycin is enough? Well I had surgery recently. And everywhere that I bruised after surgery is where the bruised spots are stained and will not go away. So I am bruised/spotty all over. It is not just hyper pigmentation, like from acne. It is bruised spots that seem to have stained the skin! What is the mechanism behind this action? I know Mino binds to protein or something… but why does it turn the skin blue/grey/purple? I had surgery all over!! So there are stains everywhere. I wish I had thought of this before surgery I would have switched to Doxy before surgery! I sure hope it is less than 6 months! I have a wedding in Cabo next month so I will need to be in a bikini!! Ugh. I will be vigilant with my vitamin C supplementation. Sometimes I forget so I will be better about that. Is there anything else I can do?? Thank you Maz!
Hi Karin,
Minocycline is chelative – it binds to iron and other minerals in the blood. The following publication states that there are three types of minocycline-induced hyperpigmentstion and yours may be due to the first two types I and II, but your doc would need to confirm this.
Minocycline-induced skin pigmentation: an update.
“Types I and II stain for iron and melanin extracellularly and within macrophages in the dermis.”
My guess is that injuries (e.g., surgery or accident) will naturally cause bruising and blood rushes to these areas and gets bound in place by the iron that cleaves to minocycline. Vitamin C helps to metabolize iron in the body and my doctor said regular use with minocycline can help prevent this type of hyperpigmentation. Doxy and Tetracycline do not cause the blue/gray hyperpigmentation, just the sun exposure type (brown freckle patches).
Some people here have shared that it can help to speed up reduction of blue/gray hyperpigmentation by using a topical mixture of powdered ascorbic acid mixed with something like coconut oil.
Note: people with SD need to check with their doc about Vit C supplementation. Although some people with SD here do use this vitamin, it is known to promote collagen.
If you need to get rid of the splotches quickly you might need to see a laser therapist. Lasers are used to remove tattoos and hyperpigmentation but finding a good laser center is wise, because it can be costly and may take a few sessions.
Thank you so much Maz! That sounds like a very good guess! And I did read that it binds to iron also. I also recently found out I have MTHFR 1298C — which makes it harder for me to metabolize certain minerals/metals. So I wonder if this makes me more prone!? I will try the vitamin C topically along with some grapeseed oil. I have both handy. I am also taking 3000 mg vitmamin C. I will do a vitamin C IV when I go to get my Clindamycin IVs also!! Anything else to help metabolize the iron? Thanks so much for your help!! It might be too many areas for lasers! I hate to stop Minocycline for the RA but I think I need to for the long term benefit of my bruise healing. Do you think Clindamycin alone will help my RA?
Do you think Clindamycin alone will help my RA?
I don’t think you’ll know, Karin, until you stop mino. These antibiotics have different actions and tetracyclines also have DMARD actions, which may be benefitting you. The downside of stopping mino altogether is that there is a relapse potential and it can, for some, be harder to regain lost ground if it’s started again. This is why some folks feel it’s safer to switch to doxy (and dose may need to be titrated) while waiting for the hyperpigmentation to resolve.
One method that might be worth discussing (as you mentioned also doing IV Myers) with your doc is chelation. I did a quick search to look for studies for the use of chelation for mino induced hyperpigmentation but couldn’t immediately find any. This doesn’t mean it might not help…just that no one has published on measurable effectiveness. Chelation helps transport heavy metals out of the body, so I wonder if it might help break up these iron deposits. Just musing really…
Hi Karin;
I had blue pigmentation around my lips and over one eye.Stoppe mino 1.5 years ago and still have some even though I switched to Doxy.It is so similar to mino that I think it discolours also.I have friends who switched to Zith 5 days on then 5 off and that solved the colour problem.
I have found that niaciNAMIDE helped the most.I take 1500mg a day and make a solution of 1500mg in 2 oz. af water and wipe it on the spots.It worked extremely well for my SD pigmentation but is slow for the mino problems.I never had any hyperpigmentation or skin discoloration when I was taking doxycycline. It began appearing only after I started taking minocycline.
Phil
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert EinsteinI might switch back to zith again. Maz, how do I chelate? Lynn, what is Niacinmide? I will try it!! Thank you all!!
Hi Kaein;
It is one of the many kinds of vitamin B and you can find it in very expensive skin products that often contain hyaluronic acid.You can make your own for pennies.Last year after beeing so fed up with all the hype from supplement producers I took a full semester course at Uni. on this topic.What an eye opener it was.Oh wow! Thanks, Lynn. I will try it for sure. I hope I can find it on Amazon. So you take it orally and topically? And your blue spots lightened? Are your spots in places you had bumped and bruised? Ugh I hope mine does not take years to go away! Do you take the vitamin C too? How do you chelate? Have you tried that, Lynn?
KarinHi Karin;
My spots were due to 15+ years of taking mino,not bruises,cuts or bumps.You can get niacinamine at your local health food store.I have tried many brands but find ” NOW” worked best for me.Hi again, Lynn! Do you remember me Lynn? I have been on AP since 2006. On Zithromax for most of those years. Complete remission 2006-2015. I just recently tried Mino again last fall. And I had my surgery last month. I am just left with these awful bruises all over my body. Most people who have had the same surgery, all of their bruising is gone within a week. I am five weeks out and it is not getting better. I just put it together the other day that it was because of the minocycline. So I stopped as of Friday. I am still taking the Clindamycin. I have a call into Dr. F. about restarting on the zith. Have you tried the vitamin C? Or can you not take it because of scleroderma? I did buy the niacinamide. Thank you!!
RBFV Note: Edited to remove AP doctor’s surname as per forum guidelines. Thanks for understanding.
Hi Karin:
I am on minocin for the last 18 years.
Some years back one day I had bruises all over my legs and thighs with all the colors you have mentioned.
Immediately I went to my primary and he saw it and said that I had bumped myself some where.
Fortunately he took blood for my labs and at midnight I get a call from the doctor asking me to go to ER as
my platelets had gone down.
I had ITP so was infused WINRho immediately and was put on steroids in the ER.
All individuals are different so it is always good to check with your doctor and get it cleared.
Of course I took treatment for a year and went for a second opinion also to an ITP specialist.
It took some weeks for the bruises to disappear.
Thanks
ssKarin;
Yes,I vaguely remember you but not your disease.Is it SD also?It strikes me that you say the spots happened after a surgery so I wonder if it is the mino.Could you explain things a bit more.Since you remember me you know that my English is pitiful and I have trouble with nuances.I need clear baby words in an explanation.No,my English has not gotten much better. hehehe
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