Need heart to heart advice

[Anonymous]

I started AP 7 months ago. I thought at some point I had started improving but the pain is back again. I don’t have an AP doctor so I advise myself with a help with people from the board. I have a Rheumy but you know how that goes.. not really supportive. My question, should I increase my dose? Right now I’m taking Minocin( generic) 100mg MWF. If I increase, how should go about doing it without causing a herx?

Thank you,
Margie

[Maz]

@ihatera wrote:

I started AP 7 months ago. I thought at some point I had started improving but the pain is back again. I don’t have an AP doctor so I advise myself with a help with people from the board. I have a Rheumy but you know how that goes.. not really supportive. My question, should I increase my dose? Right now I’m taking Minocin( generic) 100mg MWF. If I increase, how should go about doing it without causing a herx?

Hi Margie,

Would you like the contact info of Dr. S. in Iowa so you can send him an email to ask for his expert advice? He’s very kind to freely answer patient queries like this. 🙂

If you herxed initially, it’s possible you’ll experience more herxing with any dosage increase. It’s sometimes unavoidable and it’s a sign the increase is doing what it’s supposed to be doing. The herxing symptoms can be relieved in various ways with detoxing. Each person will be different in how they respond to increases, so it’s more a matter of listening to one’s own body and just increasing slowly as it can be tolerated.

Dr. Brown would sometimes treat patients who were experiencing excessive hypersensitivity by doing a short washout, stopping abx for a few days to a week. A washout provides a little break and enables the body to eliminate circulating antigen before re-starting at the same or a lower dose. You’re already on a low dose, but I was wondering if you had tried anything like this?

Am sure others will chime in with how they increased their doses, but always worth noting that everyone’s experience will be unique and a lot has to do with how much inflammation is in the body already.

[DianaW13]

Hi Margie,

It is difficult when you are doing AP on your own. I had to go this route also. At least (according to your signature line) you do not have the added burden of managing other meds, and then weaning these later on (which I did have to do).

When I began AP 3 years ago, my RA was really bad. I had regular blood work – monthly – at the time because a) I was on many drugs, and b) it helped monitor my AP. I had copies sent to me each time, and I kept a note book that logged every change in medication that I made and my symptoms. I would have been lost without these. I began to see patterns and learned to read my body. I also kept in touch with Dr. S and was blessed with lots of help with the many wonderful people on this board. I started off on name brand Minocin, but as I live in Canada and it is no longer available, I have been on generic for the last year and a half.

In my experience, I could not make ANY changes in medications without a herx. For me, it would hit around the 7 to 10 day mark – all part of knowing your body and keeping notes, but, at least by doing this I learned that I was ok, I’m herxing, and it will pass in a week or two (usually).

I hope this helps Margie. Have you spoken with Dr. S at all? If not, if you email a request to the Roadback, they will send you his contact information. Try not to be too discouraged, you are REALLY, REALLY new to AP. I am 3 years in and I am still seeing improvements, even though I am doing very well!

All the best to you!

Diana

[m.]

Hi Margie,

I started low with Doxy, at 50 mg on MWF, and gradually increased to 200 mg MWF. I still take 200 mg Doxy on MWF, and I take it as a divided dose. 100 mg in the morning, and 100 mg in the evening.

I was mostly feeling things out on my own. I raised the dose when I felt like I was losing ground. I would have a flare here and there, but when I felt like the pain was coming back and might not go away anytime soon, I took that as a sign to raise the dose.

A couple things to consider & discuss with your doctor or an experienced AP doctor:

Switching to name brand minocycline and staying at 100 mg MWF for now.

Adding just 50 mg of minocycline, for a total of 150 mg on MWF, & taking it as a divided dose on those days.

Making sure you are negative to strep.

Changing up the protocol can certainly cause Herxing, but there are things you can do to be more comfortable.

I don’t have the passage handy right now, but I seem to recall something in The New Arthritis Breakthrough where Dr. Brown observed an increase in flaring with the change of seasons in September. Does anyone remember this?

ETA (editing to add): Pg. 146 “…there are three flare periods in early stages of the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: September, February, and May, the months in which the barometer is least stable. At those times, a doctor has to reassure his patient that it is normal for the recovery to slow down and even lose some ground for short periods, but that the slump won’t last and that as the treatment continues the dips eventually stop occurring…..”

Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

I wonder what months it would be in Australia?…

[PhilC]

Hi Margie,

You might find this info to be helpful:
How I slowly increased my dose of minocycline

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the good answers. I have tried to email Dr. S twice but he has not contacted me yet. I will try to call him instead. Does anyone know if you can mix generic minocyline with minocin? My insurance will not cover minocin( brand formular). I was thinking maybe buying Minocin 50 mg out of pocket from an online pharmacy and mixing it. Doing minocyline 100 mg MWF and minocin 50mg MWF.
I also think I need to add another antibiotics. I have read that some people did better with a mix of different antibiotic. Some people have used flagyl. Anybody with that experience? I know my body is very sensitive to meds and food. It’s very frustrating!

I would love to think that weather is the culprit for my pain. I just think I need to make some changes to up my dosing.
I also think I need to do some detoxing. Anybody with easy ways of detoxing, please pass them along.
Thanks guys!
Margie

[m.]

I purchase my Doxy without using my health insurance prescription card. For whatever reason, it is less expensive buying it with my Walgreen’s prescription savings card (and paying out of pocket).

You may want to talk to the pharmacist at your drug store about other options you may not be aware of.

[PhilC]

Hi Margie,
@ihatera wrote:

Does anyone know if you can mix generic minocyline with minocin? My insurance will not cover minocin( brand formular). I was thinking maybe buying Minocin 50 mg out of pocket from an online pharmacy and mixing it. Doing minocyline 100 mg MWF and minocin 50mg MWF.

You can do that, but I think you would most likely be wasting your money. Instead, consider asking your doctor for a prescription for 50 mg minocycline tablets. In the U.S., minocycline tablets are rather expensive, but since you have health insurance that probably won’t be a problem if you stick to the generics.

I like minocycline tablets because most do not contain corn starch or synthetic dyes (unlike most minocycline capsules). Being able to reduce my dose (if necessary) by splitting the tablets is another big plus. Of the generic minocycline tablets sold in the U.S., I prefer the ones sold by Par Pharmaceutical, but in a pinch I will accept Ranbaxy tablets. Both are made in the U.S. and do not contain corn starch or synthetic dyes.

@ihatera wrote:

I also think I need to add another antibiotics. I have read that some people did better with a mix of different antibiotic.

That’s a good idea, but if your inflammation is currently not well controlled it could be counterproductive to add another antibiotic right now. Are you taking any anti-inflammatory medication?

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil,
The reason I wanted to add minocin 50mg is because of what I I was reading, Some people say that minocycline ( generic) is very different from the brand formula. Since my insurance doesn’t cover the brand formula I can buy that and mix it with the minocycline 100mg. so that I can get a little of the brand formula in my system. I use Ranbaxy capsules. Thank you so much for letting me know that they also make tablets. I had no idea.
Thanks so much for your feed back.
Margie

[PhilC]

Hi Margie,
@ihatera wrote:

Some people say that minocycline ( generic) is very different from the brand formula.

These kinds of statements lump all generics together and imply that they are all the same. They are NOT all the same.

@ihatera wrote:

I use Ranbaxy capsules.

That might be a problem. Ranbaxy has been in trouble with the FDA a number of times over the years, including recently. I no longer trust them, and will not accept generics made by Ranbaxy (except in a “pinch”).

See: FDA Update on Ranbaxy Drugs Made in US and in India

I have taken minocycline 100 mg capsules made by Ranbaxy twice. The first time was in September 2013. That batch seemed OK. The second batch I received in May 2014. Those capsules were noticeably weak, and I had a mild relapse while taking them.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[A Friend]

@ihatera wrote:

Thanks for all the good answers. ……….[omitted part of quoted comments/& skipped down to this statement]
I would love to think that weather is the culprit for my pain. I just think I need to make some changes to up my dosing.
I also think I need to do some detoxing. Anybody with easy ways of detoxing, please pass them along.
Thanks guys!
Margie

EDIT: Margie, decided to do a search for Barometric Pressure + Dr Thomas McPherson Brown, and the following link and excerpt from Katherine Poehlmann’s, PhD’s book was found. Very interesting. Hope it is helpful:

http://www.ra-infection-connection.com/free_articles/MycoRole.htm

Mycoplasma

[Anonymous]

Hello Phil and AF,
Wow, I learn something new every time I post. Phill I had no idea there was a controversy on Ranbaxy products. I called Walmart and they said that the manufacturer of Watson brand is experiencing production delays. I will call the other pharmacies and see if I’ll get the same answer. I’m sure Costco will have it.

AF – where we live the temperature has dropped a great deal. I need to start journaling to really know what is going on. Barometer
Thank you so much for reaching out! I’m just very confused!
Margie

[Author]

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