Home Forums General Discussion Minocycline and bruising

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  • #304521
    spacehoppa
    Participant

    Hi everyone,

    Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life is just very busy lately, but in a good way.

    My question is about the bruises that minocycline causes. Being a mum of two small boys, they are forever climbing on me and bruising me, not to mention my natural clumsiness.

    Since beginning the minocycline last year I have noticed that in places where I've got a particularly bad bruise, the bruise never actually goes away entirely. It leaves a light bruise mark in the flesh. Now I know this is only cosmetic and hardly life threatening, but the trouble is that at this point in my life I'm typically getting a bruise or two per day, and I'm accumulating these 'forever bruises'.

    Does anyone know whether there's an antibiotic that I could swap to that would be less likely to give these long-lasting bruises? I was thinking maybe doxycycline or tetracycline, but perhaps these do the same thing? Does anyone know?

    By the way, I am feeling great and am down to 4.5mg prednisolone currently. I am still off all anti-inflammatories and all other arthritis meds. My little boys are making me ill every other week though, with my youngest just having started nursery and my eldest just having started school. This week it was a really fluey cold, ugh. I am dreading Winter that's for sure!

    I just wanted to say thanks to Maria for letting us know about her Dr Mercola probiotics. I got some (60 billion per capsule) and they're absolutely excellent and helping me get on top of my bowel yeast woes! Thanks Maria!

    #349887
    lynnie_sydney
    Participant

    Ruth – good to hear from you and that's great news that you just keep on getting better!:dude: Dont know whether you have seen this piece from our main site – Current Protocols review section:

    The most frequent long-term side effect usually encountered after prolonged administration is minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation. Most often the skin at either sun-exposed or non-exposed sites may develop patchy or generalized darkening. Any area of the body can be involved. Characteristically it has a slate-like hue. The gums, teeth or even the conjunctiva of the eyes can also darken. The problem, with the exception of the teeth, appears reversible with drug discontinuation and the passage of time. Since the hyperpigmentation is purely cosmetic in nature, some patients choose to stay on minocycline due to its beneficial effects on their RA. In an animal model of minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation, high dose vitamin C therapy improved the state for some. Decreased sun exposure can help the problem, at least in part.

    ALTERNATIVE[/b] An alternative oral tetracycline derivative for RA is doxycycline. It may not be as strong as minocycline for RA although this point is by no means proven. A particular advantage of doxycycline use is its lessened likelihood of hyperpigmentation. Patients who have experienced hyperpigmentation with minocycline can be converted to doxycycline and followed for what hopefully will be an improvement in the darkening and continued arthritis benefit.

    https://www.roadback.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=studies.display&display_id=183

    Others may have some personal experience they can offer you. I know Maz had a feeling that the blue-ness might be related to iron deposits. Lynnie[/color]

    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)

    #349888
    Maz
    Keymaster

    [user=30]lynnie_sydney[/user] wrote:

    <span style="color: blue]I know Maz had a feeling that the blue-ness might be related to iron deposits. Lynnie[/size%;”>[/color]

    Hi Ruth,

    Yes, I had read studies a while back where they'd taken biopsies of the blue-gray patches and found high concentrations of iron. My guess is that this is why minocycline is also so beneficial for MS patients who are known to have high levels of iron in their brains (causing sclerotic lesions). Tetras are highly chelative and so, if you're banging yourself up and getting bruised, it makes sense that minocycline might be attracted to those areas in a chelative fashion. Minocycline is also used for stroke victims (bleedouts in the brain) to improve outcomes.

    Vit C therapy makes complete sense in this context, too, because Iron is the major transporter of oxygen in the body. Vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron.

    This is just a fellow patient suggestion, but if I was in your shoes, I would stick with what is working for now till the pred is gone. Any changes in protocols, even small dosage changes, can initiate worsening and upset the status quo. As you're stuggling with cold and flu bugs the boys are bringing home, getting off the pred first would be ideal, too, to help re-instate immune function to help fight these off. The blue/gray patches are purely cosmetic (albeit unwanted) and not harmful, also completely reversible when mino is switched out to doxy. This is just what I would do, though, Ruth. 😉

    So great to hear from you and that you are doing so amazingly well. Have you been back to your old rheumy to show him your labs and physical improvements?

    Peace, Maz

    #349889
    spacehoppa
    Participant

    Thanks maz and lynnie,

    If you think that the bruises will go away when I stop the minocycline then I won't be nearly so bothered about them Maz. I was just concerned that they wouldn't ever go away even after quitting the minocycline as I am getting quite a few of them now and they're on my arms and legs in visible places. So, sorry to labour the point but do you have experience yourself of these patches fading or is this something others have noticed? I just need that reassurance that I'm not going to end up looking like a walking bruise for the rest of my life 😀 .

    Also, you seem to be saying Maz that you don't think that doxy does the same thing, is that right? It's nice to know there's an alternative to switch to if I need it. I did try taking high dose vitamin C 1000mg but I think it gave me a bit of constipation (the opposite of what you'd expect I know), which put me off a bit.

    I also agree about not messing with the dose too much whilst I'm weaning off prednisolone. I've already halved the minocycline, which itself may have been a change too far, I'm not sure. I'm managing slowly to come off the prednisolone but it's a haltingly slow process and I am flaring a bit with the recent drops. But I have managed to come off my nightime dose and that in itself is a huge win for me.

    Thanks, as ever, for your support. I am getting there, with your help!

    #349890
    mschmidt
    Participant

    I'm so glad you like the probiotics I suggested–I LOVE them, and they're so affordable, I smile everytime I get the bill.  😀

    As far as the brusing goes, I just noticed the other day that I have a bruise on my shin that has been there for 4 months now.  I never bruised easily before but, it's a little weird to be walking around with multiple bruises that won't go away.  All that being said, I feel fantastic so, I'll deal with the bruises for now.  I'm considering doing high dose iv Vitamin C but, want my LLMD and Rheumy to re-assure me that it's not going to be contraindicated with SD first.  I've read that taking higher doses of Vitamin C helps get rid of the bruising caused by Minocycline. 

    I hope you continue to feel as great as you have lately–what a wonderful thing!!:roll-laugh:

     

    Maria

    #349891
    Lynne G.SD
    Participant

    Hi Ruth;
       I used to have black and blue legs when  I was on 200mg of mino a day.After lowering to 100mg every other day the bruises slowly faded away over time.Thinking back it took around 2 years to do so.I thought of Vit.C but since it works in the formation of collage I did not venture there.It would probably work just fine for anyone other than SDers.
                     Lynne

    #349892
    Joe RA
    Participant

    I agree with everything Lynne said.

    #349893
    spacehoppa
    Participant

    Thanks guys, that's very reassuring and just what I needed to hear. Much appreciated!

    Oh and maz, I haven't been back to old rheumy as I am not welcome there anymore :angry: . But my mum still goes to that hospital and tells them all about how well I am every time she goes, which makes me very happy 😀 .

    #349894
    JeffN
    Participant

    I have some dark spots the sides of my face behind my eyes, which was an area that was very tight due to my SD. I have not noticed any increased bruising while on mino but as noted I do have the dark spots. I did a search here last winter and ran accross the Vit C for darkening threads. I tried 1000mg a day and over time I noted I had increased joint pain. Back in the 80s when high dose Vit C was popular as a cold preventer I had tried Vit C. Back then I also noticed increased joint pain. At the time one of my customers was a Dr. and we were talking about Vit C for colds and I mentioned my joint pain. He said that he had noted the same thing in some of his patients. At the time I stopped taking the Vit C an my joint pain went away. This past winter the joint pain returned and I gave up the Vit. C in April and it took about three weeks for my joints to return to normal (pain free). So if you are an SDer and try the Vit. C for bruising/darkening and notice increased joint pain it MIGHT be the Vit. C. Give it a break and see if it goes away. Just my experience with the Vit. C,

    Now way I was going to screw around with my mino dosage, I can live with the dark spots. Maybe that is just a guy thing.

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