Minocycline and Thyroid Health

[Phebagirl]

Hi: can Minocycline/Minocin cause thyroid problems? I have MCTD (RA & Lupus) since 1995. Began AP with Minocin in 2004. 100mg 1X daily. Put me in total remission. Now pain is back but does not feel like RA. Hurt all over.
Thyroid storm last summer. Bad heat intolerance, vomiting, etc. Put on Synthroid last October for hypothyroidism. Triggered hyperthyroidism. Dr. stopped Synthroid. Am wondering what is going on with my thyroid.
Read on WIki where Minocin can cause thyroid cancer. A few cases where the medication turned thyroid black.
Does anybody know if this information is true. Perhaps 6 years is too long to be on Minocin. Please advise.
Pheba.

[Maz]

@Phebagirl wrote:

Hi: can Minocycline/Minocin cause thyroid problems? I have MCTD (RA & Lupus) since 1995. Began AP with Minocin in 2004. 100mg 1X daily. Put me in total remission. Now pain is back but does not feel like RA. Hurt all over.
Thyroid storm last summer. Bad heat intolerance, vomiting, etc. Put on Synthroid last October for hypothyroidism. Triggered hyperthyroidism. Dr. stopped Synthroid. Am wondering what is going on with my thyroid.
Read on WIki where Minocin can cause thyroid cancer. A few cases where the medication turned thyroid black.
Does anybody know if this information is true. Perhaps 6 years is too long to be on Minocin. Please advise.
Pheba.

Hi Pheba,

I think you might be interested to read Dr. B’s interview with Mary Shoman, a very well-known patient/thyroid advocate online about infectious causes for thyroid and other AI problems.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/brownstein.htm

There was also research out of Greece tying the infection yersinia enterocolitica to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and the use of doxycyline for this condition:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hashimotos/a/antibiotics.htm

Yes, “black thyroid” can be the result of long term minocycline use, but this is generally considered to be a benign condition and just the result of hyperpigmentation of the thyroid….similar to the skin hyperpigmentation that may be caused by minocycline.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUM/is_9_82/ai_108967118/

I think different studies are likely to produce different results with this condition, which is pretty rare. Anyone with thyroid nodules should be getting them regularly checked with fine needle biopsy and I guess it’s always going to be a chicken or egg situation…would the cancer have arisen anyway or does minocycline somehow cause thyroid tumors? All I can tell you is that I had thyroid nodules long before my RA began and I started abx therapy. So, I can’t attribute abx use to my thyroid issues. AI thyroid disease is just a really common overlap amongst rheumatics (maybe as much as 10 to 20%) according to one author I’ve read on the subject. 🙁

Have you been dx’d with Hashimoto’s, Pheba? Seems some Hashi patients can swing back and forth between being hyper to hypo while the nodules in the thyroid arise and become hyperfunctioning, until they all burn out and then one goes permanently hypothyroid. So sorry to hear you have this prob, too. I can relate.

[Phebagirl]

Thank you so much for your response. I tend to get what I call “cancer head”. I am a cancer survivor, endometrial with total hysterectomy. I also took care of my Mom for 17 months with colon cancer. Cancer really scares me.
My problem is also that I don’t have a good AP doc. The doc that started me on AP is no longer available. I am considering a visit to Dr. S. in Iowa.

[hopefulmama]

Hi Pheba,

I don’t know if this will help but I have had Hashimoto’s (diagnosed) since 2007 and probably since 2005 after the birth of my first child. So far, thyroid meds have not worked well for me. I have symptoms of both hypo AND hyperthyroidism, even while untreated. When I went on T3 at a miniscule dose of 2.5mcg it sent me hyperthyroid in 3 months and threw all of my body systems out of whack. Recently I tried a small dose (2.5mcg) of T4 and it caused itching and palpitations. Honestly, Hashimoto’s is a strange ball of wax and I am trying to address mine with antimicrobials. I am taking an herb called myco that should in theory act like doxycycline. I also totally buy into the yersinia angle as well. Vitamin D has been hugely helpful for my thyroid over the course of the last 4 years so I would highly suggest checking your levels of that as well and if they are low, considering supplementation.

Take care and best of luck. The thyroid has such a strong affect over all of a body, I am constantly amazed at how many things it seems to influence.

Warmly,
A

[SS]

Hi Phebagirl:

I have MCTD (lupus) and taking minocin 100 mg alternate days for the past 8 years and doing good.

The lupus is in remission but i still get pain which is due to the other connective tissue disorders like the Sjogren’s syndrome that i have.

The double stranded DNA for lupus is negative but the ANA is high. I got my ANA checked to find out which is causing the problem and found it is Sjogrens.

Check ANA to find which disorder is causing the problem.
Hope this helps.
Regards
ss

[Author]

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