Hyperpigmentation

[Anonymous]

Thank you Maz.
Linda L.

[A Friend]

@MichaelsMom wrote:

After a few years of AP for RA,FM, I developed a terrible facial hyperpigmentation. I looked like I had a moustache and a goatee! As a woman, this was not a good look for me! After several treatments with a Fraxel Laser, there was some lightening, but even Dermablend make-up would not conceal it. The Dermatologist decided to try a Tattoo Laser immediately followed by the Fraxel Laser. I can’t even begin to desribe the pain! But…….it worked!! No more hyperpigmentation! BTW, I did try high amounts of Vitamin C prior to trying the lasers, but it didn’t help.
I find that I am now pretty nervous about resuming AP. Does anyone out there have any experience with hyperpigmentation and the resumption of AP?
Thannk you!!!

MichaelsMom,
By now you may have found other steps to take to address hyperpigmentation. After years of reading about AP and related things, my mind usually works this way: “What is not working correctly in the body that could cause this problem? And, what could I do/change that would address this.

There probably are many posts (or links elsewhere) that could be helpful. If we get a lot of sun while on AP, some patients have more hyperpigmentation because of that.

Also, if your body is overly acidic, it could mean you are low on required minerals, especially magnesium. Being mineral deficient can cause the liver/body to have to store more toxins in it, instead of the toxins being neutralized and flushed normally during the night when our liver’s metabolic detoxification normally takes place. The body will not flush toxins through the kidneys without first trying to neutralize the acids using minerals — this can eventually affect our bones if too many minerals have to be borrowed from them.

Regardless of the hyperpigmentation, for myself I would make sure to do some routine pH strip testing when I arise, testing a bit of saliva…, and a bit of urine, by quickly touching a separate pH strip to each of these. It may be that your body cannot expel wastes because you are mineral deficient and this may be leaving your liver unable to neutralize the acidic wastes before flushing them through the kidneys — if so, some of these wastes may be part of the problem in the hyperpigmentation.

Maybe Board members can help you with searches and links to messages dealing successfully with these problems. (I never had hyperpigmentation when on AP, but I noticed a buildup of dark tartar on my teeth, which was easily removed by my dental hygienist, so I began going about three times a year while this was happening. As the bacterial die-off subsided, and I got better and better, the dark tartar subsided a good deal. But, as long as we have unfriendly bacteria that is being killed by abx, the die-off will happen and we may need to take steps to help usher it out of the body with extra minerals and various kinds of cleanses… even sweating in a far infrared sauna can be helpful.

The above is from experience and information shared on this board over the years, and other places. Hope you find what works well for you without having to do procedures such as you did. Ouch!

Best to you,
AF

[m.]

@Patti D wrote:

I am so saddened that my hyper pigmentation has gotten so bad. I have been on mino for 8 years and had great success. The black spots showed up first about 3 years ago on my face above my lip. As described earlier, looks like a mustache. Covered it up with make up but it kept getting darker and darker. Now 3 years later it is below my mouth, above my lip, inside corners of both eyes, front of legs and back of legs. The dermatologist said it will not go away until you stop taking the minocycline and that if I continue to take to minocycline it will continue to get darker with more spots appearing.
I am so saddened by this as minocycline has been a life saver. I believe when I started the placquenil it when I got really dark above my lip, almost black as both drugs cause hyper pigmentation. The dermatologist thought it was the mino as I have only been on the placquenil for 4 months.
Today I am starting doxy. Not thrilled about it as was on it before for the lyme and got a really bad stomach ache. I sure hope it works as well as the mino as I don’t want to “go back there”

Hi Patti,

Please keep us updated on your switch to Doxy, and the hyperpigmentation problem.

Some people report less stomach problems when they take Doxy with a little food.

Good luck!

[Patti D]

Hi M,
Thanks for your response. I see you are my neighbor to the south. 🙂 I will see the rheumatologist in January for my first bloodwork follow up. He was reluctant to use the doxy but agreed that the mino did an amazing job keeping me well for 7 years. I hope the doxy does the same. I see you are on it as well but I do not see any other med you use. I did well on the mono therapy for this long but had a major flare that lasted 6 months so had to add plaquneil. Still adjusting to the GI issues with the plaquneil so am concerned about the GI problems with doxy. Any GI upset with the doxy?
Well wishes
Patti

[m.]

I see you are on it as well but I do not see any other med you use.

Yes, I’ve been on Doxy, MWF, at one dose or another, since 2008.

I was fortunate to catch the disease early, get on antibiotics within months of my first flare, and to respond to the therapy quickly.

No, I have not had noticeable stomach trouble with the Doxy, although I have read of many who do. Sometimes a little non-dairy food makes a big difference re: stomach upset.

I am on another medication. I just added in Azithromycin a couple months ago. 250 mg on Tu and Sat.

My joints were getting achy again, off and on, the last year or so. I don’t really know why, and I assume it could be a variety of factors. Age, changing sex hormones, simply the need to switch antibiotics as it’s been 6 years on Doxy alone (see the Historical Protocol about switching up antibiotics), sometimes forgetting to take my Doxy, Lyme?, who knows!

The addition of Azithromycin has helped with inflammation in my hands and wrists. I am experiencing an adjustment period to it though. Sometimes I just don’t feel hungry or I don’t feel so great after eating. GI gurgling. We’ll see. In the big picture, very minor complaints.

I keep popping those probiotics and trying to take good care of myself!

[Patti D]

Do you see a regular rheumatologist or an AP doctor in chi town ? I am stepping up my probiotics as well. Not always good with this. Religiously eat yogurt every day. I will keep you posted as to my success with the doxy as well as the hopefully fading awful black spots on my face 😎 .

[m.]

@Patti D wrote:

Do you see a regular rheumatologist or an AP doctor in chi town ? I am stepping up my probiotis as well. Not always good with this. Religiously eat yogurt every day. I will keep you posted as to my success with the doxy as well as the hopefully fading awful black spots on my face 😎 .

Actually, I’ve never seen a rheumatologist. Shortly after my first flare, I saw a primary care physician in Chicago who had a reputation for being open to alternative treatment options. He signed off on the TARCI testing (tested for mycoplasmas, chlamydias, and strep), and based on the positive results, he was willing to write the Doxy prescription.

A few months in, on only 50 mg Doxy MWF, I had another bad flare. I was scared. I didn’t know if it was a Herx, the fall weather changes, an indication that I should be on more Doxy, less Doxy, Minocin?….

Anyways, each visit to see the doctor in Chicago was costing us one arm and one leg, and my confidence wasn’t very high. He was pushing for me to go on the Stratton Protocol or homeopathy, and I was more interested in giving old school AP a fair shot first.

I wanted to go low and slow and save the big guns (higher doses, other antibiotics, IVs) for down the line, if needed.

So, I made an appointment with Dr. S in Iowa and drove out (in terrible weather, I might add). After the appointment, I raised my Doxy and have been doing well since. I consider myself in remission, although I’m not 100% pain free. If I took Advil daily, I would be pain free.

I am curious as to whether I have Lyme or not, or some other infection load. I have pulled plenty of ticks off of me, especially the year we did blue bird monitoring, but never had a rash.

There is only so much money our family can throw at testing and treatment, so we just try to do the best we can with the cards we’ve been dealt.

[Patti D]

Well you sound like me and I really love the fact that you went to Dr. S. I had considered it many times as we are in the midwest but again it was cost on my part as well. This is my 3rd Rheumy over the last 7 years. One you can’t count, treated me for lyme and months later wanted to start me on methotrexate. Not gonna happen. Found another Rheumatologist who did go with the mino based on the research provided . My DO provided the mino next and read Dr. Browns book. He loved it and put other patients on mino with great results. Moved south so I winged it on my own with a concierge doctor who technically is still my family doctor but I am searching. Anyway started looking for a rheumatologist. The first year and one half with this doctor he could not believe I was not under the care of a rheumy. My X-rays normal, labs normal, state of well being normal with an active life style. Then I got the flare from hell. It lasted 6 months so the plaqunil was added. It completely helped in about a miserable 4month time frame. I have one hour visits with the rheumy . He gets that less is more and he would love to burn out the RA which he says is possible. I am all for that .

[kater]

Hi MM
great post AF–lots of great info! I have SD not RA–now in remission– but after the first 2 years on Mino I got hyperpigmentation on my shins. I was watching for it and caught it early so it reversed quite quickly after I switched to doxy. I reached remission while on the doxy (have done lots of other abx and holistic treatments also). I did just as well on the doxy as on the mino and had a bit of tummy trouble on both so have to take with non-dairy food to avoid nausea and sometimes vomiting 🙁
I take 2000 mg vit c and vit k2 to help, and also milk thistle and NAC to help the liver with detoxing. Bought a far infrared sauna which is also very helpful. I just had my appointment with the doc yesterday and he agreed to my request to switch back to mino and rotate with doxy 6 months off 6 months on. I think this will avoid future pigmentation issues. I also had the grey teeth problem initially but with hours of cleaning it corrected. That has diminished over time and now I get cleaning about every 5 to 6 months. Perhaps the rotation idea would work for you too? My doc wants me to decrease mino to 100mg a day in 6 weeks time so I am hoping that is okay–he says decreasing to 100 a day is not a very drastic change compared to going below 100 or pulsing. Thoughts on that anyone?
good luck MM— i do think there are ways around the hyperpigmentation. Rotating antibiotics, pulsing, taking break periods, detox. Myself I would not give up on AP because of it but I do know how bad I felt with grey teeth and blue spots. Just not as bad as I felt with SD raging 🙂
cheers
kate

Systemic Scleroderma since 2010. Lyme and Myco P. AP and many other antibiotics and treatments since Nov. 2011. Presently mostly in remission other than fatigue.
Teva Minocycline 100mg a day. Dessicated tyroid, LDN 4.5, LDI, hawthorne, curcurmin, berberine,, caprylex, reishi mushroom, liver protect, zinc,, fish oils, magnesium, vit K2, d3, bcomp, E, C

[cavalier]

Now if the hyper
Itme notation is black that’s likely the mino but if it’s brow the. I may not be all of the ABX fault check out HPU and KPU in talks by dr K who says 80% of Lyme patients have this but it doesn’t have to be that you have Lyme to have this hyper pigmentation is one sign.

Jill

[Rockin Annie]

Hi Everyone,

I have very bad pigmentation also and would like to change to Doxy. Can anyone please tell me the original Doxy brand as I am being told different things from the Pharmacists.

Thanks…. Rockin Annie

Diagnosed with RA in 2004, after trying many conventional meds I changed to mino.
2015 changed to doxy 50mgs
2016 went off doxy, after getting double pneumonia and massive flare put myself on 250 mgs Zith & 50 mgs doxy, which I will increase slowly.
Supps, magnesium, NAC, vit c, krill oil, oregano oil, thisylin, turmeric, olive leaf extract, vit B, multi vit.

[Patti D]

Hi Rockin Annie,
Good to hear from you. I don’t know if this is the original or not but my new prescription was for Vibramycin or doxycline hyclate.
There is another doxycline that has an m after it. So really not sure the difference other that the one I have prescribed is more expensive, of course 🙄

I would not mind the bruising look on my legs but the dark black spots on my face in not good. Also getting harder to cover with makeup.
Good luck and keep us posted with the switch. Day 4 with the doxy, no upset stomach. Yeah!
Patti

[lynnie_sydney]

Can anyone please tell me the original Doxy brand as I am being told different things from the Pharmacists.

Hi Annie. The original brand is Vibramycin manufactured by Pfizer – the same in Australia. However, Dr D (who you’ve seen) has said Doxylin tests better than Vibramycin and that’s the one she prescribes her patients.

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[Rockin Annie]

Thanks Lynnie,

I have a phone consult with Dr D next month so will get her to give me a script. Thanks again and how are you doing these days………..Annie

Diagnosed with RA in 2004, after trying many conventional meds I changed to mino.
2015 changed to doxy 50mgs
2016 went off doxy, after getting double pneumonia and massive flare put myself on 250 mgs Zith & 50 mgs doxy, which I will increase slowly.
Supps, magnesium, NAC, vit c, krill oil, oregano oil, thisylin, turmeric, olive leaf extract, vit B, multi vit.

[lynnie_sydney]

Hi Annie
Doing pretty well thanks. Am overdue for an in-person consult which I’ll organise

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

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