Minocin skin coloring side effect…

[Shibasdad]

Yikes! Over the last two months my one foot has turned blackish and the other is starting, as well as my legs. I had surgery last year to reconstruct my lower leg and foot, and this looked like a vascular problem. I went to my surgeon and he recommended I see a vascular surgeon and neurologist. This has been a horrible two months, but actually I was to the mental place that if I had to have amputations and use prosthetics, I would have to go that route. I’ve dealt with multiple fractures and reconstructive therapy and psoriatic torture, that I wasn’t going to let this stop me. I went to the ER while there was a fear of gangerine, due to the blackish coloring. Finally, a few days ago, I went to my rheumatologist, and she stated it is not vascular or neurological. She said that my skin pigment is changing color. She looked in my chart and saw that I was on thyroid medication as well as minocin. She said it is sort of rare, but some people do have this skin reaction to minocin. I went to her recommended dermatologist today who confirmed that I am that one in one hundred who has this happen. He told me to stop taking the minocin right away. Needless to say, I was very relieved that I did not have gangerine, diabetes, or vascular problems and I would save my feet and legs! The sad part is that I have finally had some relief from my agonizing psoriatic arthritis condition using the minocin over the last 8 months. What does one do? Is there another antibiotic that I can use that doesn’t have this side effect? Thanks for your information.

[Maz]

Hi Shiba’sdad,

Glad you found us here on the discussion forum. You’ll find the search engine at the top of the general discussion threads to be a wealth of info if you type in key words in your search, such as “hyperpigmentation.”

I found your email and have responded to you. 🙂

Look fwd to chatting more as time goes on and hopefully others here will chime in with their experiences for you.

A warm welcome to you!

[matv]

welcome Shiba’sdad!

Glad you don’t have gangrene either! This discussion has been talked about a few times by people around the board, so Maz’s suggestion will help you find information on it for sure. I’m going off memory here, but Minocen has a couple nasty possible side effects, one is hyperpigmentation (which is sort of a collection of iron, binded together in the blood, many people have said consuming lots of Vitamin C has the ability to eventually clear it out.. but you’re not eating anything with Iron in it while taking the medication I hope?) and DILE (Drug-induced Lupus, which is actually a problem Maz had)

Search around the forums, for sure, but I seem to remember Doxycycline being a good alternative to Minocen. It doesn’t have as good of a penetration rate, but it doesn’t produce DILE and (as far as I know) it doesn’t have that hyperpigmentation problem.

Goodluck!

[cavalier]

Minocycline is a good AP however sometimes due to length of time being on this med or just sensitivity or diet it just seems to indicate that we need to talk to a doc about changing the AP to another. If it is of any consolation my feet turned black being on the minocycline & i got alot of gray spots on my arms & face – I take 8,000 Mg’s of Vit C daily so certainly enuf Vit C seing it is water soluable & a doc felt it was critical to repairing cells knowing I have systemic SD he felt it was safe – I know of the collagen concerns but it is felt the body will know ow to use this best to repair & help in ways of being antibacterial & anti viral. It seemed to the doc i saw that for whatever reason the mino was not working as well anymore judging by the advancements in skin & other outward SD signs & also my lungs so we are mixing it up for now at least.

It maybe depending on what you have & your doc’s input considertaion of changing to another AP.
Sometimes a doc trials a triple AP challenge of Ceftin Doxy & Rifanin (spelling) or some other combo to see if there is any improvement.

Best – Jill

[Shibasdad]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses! I have some homework to do! I am ordering vitamin C tomorrow, that’s for sure! I just sent a pic to Maz to show her; I hope it doesn’t upset her! Maz, please be forewarned! 😯 One of the problems is that I need to really secure a good MD here in Manhattan. Maz has been great about this support. Between my guy in Philly, my very Western Rheumatologist here at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and my faithful, but unfortunately uninformed GP it’s been a bit of a hit-or-miss. I have an appointment with a Rheumatologist on the RB list for this Tuesday and I am happy about it. Again, thank you and I plan to follow up with your great wisdom. It’s a gift to have you all there.

[cavalier]

Just wondering how one would know for sure that the minocin is the reason for the feet or toes or legs turning black. Of course if you remove the med & it goes away then you have a answer.

I am not convinced in my case it was caused by the minocycline as I went off of it & my feet nor my toes abated. I think it just was a extreme exacerbation of how bad my circulation had gotten to be – I also have bruises all over my legs & a couple on my chest & arms. This is why I felt I had better up my game plan to include the Hyperbaric oxygen along with AP to increase circulation – there is a definite decrease now in my feet of the black and alot more healthy pink skin in coloring up.

Recommend you keep an eye on those feet – they certainly will tell you the story – I hope that is all it was.

Best – Jill SD

[richie]

Hi–Why dont we do the easy first —have a doctor or podiatrist check your pulse down by your ankles —its not exact but they can certainly determine if you have circulation problems —I had discoloration on lower feet near ankles –in fac t still have it –but so what -awful small price to pay for good health !!!! When it first got discolored -I happened to be involved with going to a podiatrist –it took him about 10 seconds to determine there was no problem with circulation —
Richie

[richie]

Now to confuse matters –if Raynauds in the lower feet and toes is a problem –that can cause discoloration as well —
richie

[A Friend]

@Shiba’sdad wrote:

Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses! I have some homework to do! I am ordering vitamin C tomorrow, that’s for sure! I just sent a pic to Maz to show her; I hope it doesn’t upset her! Maz, please be forewarned! 😯 One of the problems is that I need to really secure a good MD here in Manhattan. Maz has been great about this support. Between my guy in Philly, my very Western Rheumatologist here at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and my faithful, but unfortunately uninformed GP it’s been a bit of a hit-or-miss. I have an appointment with a Rheumatologist on the RB list for this Tuesday and I am happy about it. Again, thank you and I plan to follow up with your great wisdom. It’s a gift to have you all there.

Hi Shiba’s dad,

Just reading your post above about ordering the vitamin C tomorrow. Since I noticed a recommendation about taking Vit C for the discoloration problem, I did a search about it to refresh my memory on this problem. Before you order the Vitamin C, I want to mention that some of the types of Vitamin C using the high dosage I saw mentioned can cause loose stools. You might check into the best kind for yourself. I recently switched to the NOW brand Sodium Ascorbate powder, and take it 3 times a day with meals. The bowel intolerance problem I was having with another type Vit C powder has stopped (thankfully). Would just hate for you to develop that problem with everything else going on. However, 500mg is not considered an extremely high dose; and according to the link below, is supposed to help.

I just stir the powder into a glass of water, add a bit of stevia sweetener, some lemon juice, stir thorough to mix (a little crushed ice is nice), and it tastes good as a beverage with your meal. Below is information I copied & pasted from a search about minocycline and the discoloration. Hope it will be helpful.

http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/minocycline.html
This was copied & pasted from this link:

[Shibasdad]

Thank you all once again for the wonderful feedback! Thanks Richie, yes I did have my pulse checked and even went to a vascular specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery where I had my reconstructive surgery last year, and he did a few tests. He was happy to say that I have really good circulation in all of my limbs and toes, that to him it was the discoloration as well.

Thanks AF for the wonderful idea of the vitamin C drink with the powdered formula and thanks all for other ideas! I am so grateful for your experience, strength, and hope.

I found a new AP MD this week who really seems to know his stuff, which is a Godsend…hopefully. He said that I was one of the candidates whose skin pigment is affected by the minocin, yet was quick to say there are other alternatives. He was happy that in the 8 or so months that I was on the minocin that I had positive results, along with my new thyroid medication. He was happy that Dr. B in Philly recognized the beginnings of a thyroid issue, and that an endocrinologist seems to have stopped my bone breaking through hormone supplementation. In my 40s I have broken over 12 bones without doing anything stressful and had to be put back together…very Wizard of Oz! A work in progress…

Without the minocin for a week or so now, I was hoping that the thyroid meds would keep me afloat, but I have to say that in the last day or two I feel things creeping back ever so slowly. My psoriatic symptoms are reappearing. Wishful, naive thinking perhaps on my part, but having started the doxy last night, I am hoping to avoid the full onset. The stages of denial and fantasy still amaze me. My sister has been trying to break mine for the last 4 years, despite my experiencing her recovery on AP for 7 or more years now.

All the best, thanks again! Shiba’sdad (my dog is a Shiba Inu…furry companions help)

RBFV Edit to remove AP Physician’s full name as per forum guidelines to protect physician privacy. Thank you for your understanding.

[cavalier]

As a update to my own blackened feet – I had written to Dr S. in sending him a update, I felt he would know what to suggest /make of this.
I had stopped the minocycline recently as it just appeared to no longer be working for me as my skin lesions have gotten worse from my SD, while on the minocycline & Zithromax. I was not sure if the med could be causing my feet or just a bad case of raynauds or what to think.

Dr S. did confirm that I should stop the minocycline in his opinion see below.
Perhaps when I was a teen my 2 1/2 yr’s of being on a tetracycline (acne) put me at risk to it reacting or no longer being effective or just my general drug sensitivity/ BTW I never asked him if I should stop I just wanted his opinion he could have said to continue but he didn’t, he said this –
Hello Jill,
I appears to me that you may be having a reaction to the minocycline. Therefore, increase the zithromycin 250 to one on MWF and hold the minocycline. Is there any possibility of your getting clindamycin 900 IVs once a month? If not, we may add oral clindamycin to the routine.

I take 8,000 mg’s of Vit C daily so upping my C would not in my case help.

Just thought since this was being discussed that while hopefully this is rare sometimes we do have to make a change from a protocol based on the patient’s individual needs.

Best – Jill Systemic SD

[cavalier]

I forgot to mention that I got my pulses checked by my Cardio’s office for the legs & feet which also cleared that up so I have every reason to think Dr S. is correct. The funny thing is the HBOT is the only thing that has helped to remove this blackened color but then HBOT ( Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) does indeed help with detox & chelation so I am assuming this is the why.
Looks like I have a new med to add to my allergy list of med’s.
Best – Jill SD

[richie]

Hi–I notice that you mentioned your skin lesions are getting worse –I would strongly urge you to read about the relationship between vitamin C and the synthesis of collagen —-8000 mg of vitamin C is an extreme dose and is really what I would consider a massive dose —I think its doing more harm than good for you !!!!!
richie

[cavalier]

The 8,000 Ritchie was recently introduced within the last 2 wk’s LONG AFTER my skin lesions got worse & the mino stopped working for me this was suggested by a doctor who has seen my condition. Trust me I have researched the pro’s & cons of Vit. C but seeing how I was worse AHEAD of taking the Vit. C I feel it was worth trialing if my skin showed any changes at all for the worse I would drop it in a heart beat so far I have not. I appreciate the input – right now it is being used for the hyperpigmentation& for cell renewal.

Best – Jill Systemic SD

[A Friend]

@cavalier wrote:

The 8,000 Ritchie was recently introduced within the last 2 wk’s LONG AFTER my skin lesions got worse & the mino stopped working for me this was suggested by a doctor who has seen my condition. Trust me I have researched the pro’s & cons of Vit. C but seeing how I was worse AHEAD of taking the Vit. C I feel it was worth trialing if my skin showed any changes at all for the worse I would drop it in a heart beat so far I have not. I appreciate the input – right now it is being used for the hyperpigmentation& for cell renewal.

Best – Jill Systemic SD

Hello Jill,

Just signed in and saw your reply to Ritchie’s post, which I had read yesterday. It triggered my recall that SD patients have a rather unique problem involved with their manifestations. Must confess I was concerned, and did some searches and reading, with both “pro” and “con” statements found. Am relieved to read your post above, and to know that you and your physician are on top of the situation. So glad Ritchie raised this question. Thank you, Ritchie!

A thought or two did come to my mind that just might possibly help you clear some things that possibly could be contributing to these problems you are experiencing. You “might” want to look into:

a) Taking the Whole Lemon/Extra Virgin Olive Oil (with water and a bit of stevia) drink at bedtime, as it has been shown to aid the liver in detoxing and moving out wastes. [Dr. G.N. on Immed.org mentions this, as well.]

b) Coffee enemas are excellent for helping the liver dump all kinds of poisons/wastes that our sick bodies often cannot do on their own. [Among others, Dr. S.R. has good instructions, etc. on use of these in her book(s)… “Detoxify or Die”, “Painfree in Six Weeks”, etc., and can be ordered from Prestige Publishing…. not available from most book stores.

c) FIRs (far-infrared saunas) have been used with excellent detoxification and movement of blood/circulation, etc., and heat can cause cleansing, with additional circulation and excretion of toxins throught the skin (our largest detox organ). This has actually been testes on cardiology patients who had exhausted other protocols; amazingly well tolerated — not the usual type saunas, but the FIR. Be sure to document replacement minerals, etc. recommended after sauna use.

d) Read/find supplement(s) to incorporate into protocols daily to support liver, i.e. milk thistle, and probably there’s one with more than one helpful ingredient.

If you do a search in the search window beside General Discussion (hope that’s the name where all the posts can be searched; got to write that down so I can remember the exact name) if you’d like to see what has been posted on these already. If you want more brainstorming on these subjects, many of us here have discussed them in previous topics, and may have links in our PCs.

Keep the faith! There are helpful answers for our problems.

AF

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