AP for Psoriatic Arthritis

[Susan LymeRA]

I am certain there was a recent thread on this board about how AP doesn't really work for Psoriatic Arthritis and it was thought because PA is a fungal condition rather than bacterial.

I'm at work and can't search for it right now but here is a good article about PA. 

http://www.health.uab.edu/17597/

” Some scientists believe certain bacteria or fungal agents may cause chronic stimulation of the immune system, which, in turn, could cause arthritis in people with a genetic “susceptibility” to psoriatic arthritis.”

 

[Todd WI]

FYI, a couple of testimonials from people with PsA:

https://www.roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/community.display/display_id/379.html

https://www.roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/community.display/display_id/213.html

[rcp]

Thanks for the reply. I was taking 1800mg. of ibuprofen/day, until I started the London AS , low starch diet. It's a terrible way to eat, but the results have been impressive.

I have been able to reduce to 600-1000mg of ibuprofen/day. It's not enough, though. I would have tried sulfasalazine, but I'm allergic to sulfa. I'm not interested in the other traditional Dmards, but an quite anxious to try AP.

[DW]

Hello, I am new to this board. I have had psoriatic arthritis for five or six years and have tried many natural treatments to curb the joint flares. My psoriasis is mild, but half of my toes are locked up and a couple of my fingers are as well. Just recently I had a flare and the back of my left ankle that has become quite inflamed. I turned to this board after my naturopath recommended I might want to try the AP route. I'm near the end of the first week on Mino (50 mg twice a day, jumping up to 100 mg tomorrow) and am also now trying Diclofenac. I've been at this long enough to know relief will not be immediate, but I remain optimistic.

[rcp]

Hello, again. I spoke with my rheumatologist, and he did prescribe minocycline 100mg./day; not following the AP, which he is uncomfortable with, but as an approved dmard, and with no other antibiotic, IV's, etc.

I had the first dose yesterday, and was a bit tipsy, and “spacey:, but not badly.

I'm hesitant to take the mino every day to start, and was wondering what others with PsA, AS, or any of the spondyloarthropathies have done, or suggestions.

I didn't take the dose today, and am leaning toward 3 times a week for awhile.

Also, the dr. wrote the scrip for generic minocycline. I asked the pharmacy about the cost of Minocin, and was told 30 100mg caps would cost $300.00!! This was at Costco. The generic was $10.00.

Any comments?

Many thanks.

 

[Maz]

[user=1345]rcp[/user] wrote:

Also, the dr. wrote the scrip for generic minocycline. I asked the pharmacy about the cost of Minocin, and was told 30 100mg caps would cost $300.00!! This was at Costco. The generic was $10.00.

Any comments?

Hi rcp,

Some people do very well on generics, though there can be quite a bit of variation in bio-equivalence between them. Teva and Watson have been reported to work well for many, but Ranbaxy came into question a while back. Manufactured in India, the People's Pharmacy had an article on its site about the FDA picking this one up as being below standard for sale in the US.

For those who can't get brand name Minocin covered on their insurance, buying through an online pharmacy, such as http://www.buylowdrugs.com, has worked well. Although a different colored capsule (two-toned indigo and orange), it is manufactured by Stiefel in Canada and is exactly the same as the Wyeth/Triax version here in the US (which is a pea green colored capsule with one translucent end). I have bought my Minocin from the above online pharmacy for the past year and can purchase 100 caps in the sealed manufacturer's bottle for about $165.  It take about 2 weeks from placing the faxed order with the doc's script, but as long as I order well in advance, it's not a problem.

Brand name Minocin (either Wyeth/Triax or Canadian Stiefel) is a pelleted version, which is thought to be free of the usual generic fillers which some people are sensitive to. It's also thought to be more time-released than the generic…but, as mentioned, some people do very well on generics, too. I simply chose to go straight to the brand name, as I was really severe with my RA in the beginning and didn't want to be concerned about a generic possibly not working for me….just a personal choice, so I can't say if a generic would have worked fine or not. Others here might be able to share their experiences on generic minocycline and what has worked for them to reassure you, if you'd prefer not to buy from Canada.

A co-pay of $10 for 30 caps is still a lot cheaper than $165 for 100 caps. As I have only taken 6 caps a week, though, 100 caps is pretty reasonable and this supply lasts me about 4 months.

Hope this helps in some way!

Peace, Maz

 

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