Pancreatitis

[caroline123]

Hi All,

Have been away for a while and just tried to look up info on minocycline and pancreatitis. My husband and I traveled to Florida this winter in our camper (small space – lots of love!). It seems to have prevented any more Raynaud attacks and my RA has been doing extremely well. December’s blood test was best ever according my Rheumatologist in NH. But like all good things I got zapped this month with an attack of acute pancreatitis and hospitalized for two weeks – the doctors maintained my AP but my gallbladder was diseased and had to be removed. Unfortunately I was so severe it was not an optional discussion because of fear of other organ failure. I’m feeling relatively okay now – RA still controlled – but am confused! I just came across some info that mino can cause pancreatitis??? Is this simply speculation or is it a rare side effect to anyone’s knowledge? Am I being paranoid? Still have to find a new AP doctor near VT since Dr T has “retired”.

Thanks for any input-

[BG]

Hi Caroline,

I’m sorry you went through this. There are many causes of acute pancreatitis including infections and drug-induced. All of the drugs in the tetracycline class can cause drug-induced pancreatitis but so can many other commonly used drugs. Below are a couple of links with more information.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/181364-overview
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16082282

Just do a search under “minocycline, pancreatitis” and you’ll come up with more info than you care to know.

Best wishes,

Barb

[A Friend]

@caroline123 wrote:

Hi All,

Have been away for a while and just tried to look up info on minocycline and pancreatitis. My husband and I traveled to Florida this winter in our camper (small space – lots of love!). It seems to have prevented any more Raynaud attacks and my RA has been doing extremely well. December’s blood test was best ever according my Rheumatologist in NH. But like all good things I got zapped this month with an attack of acute pancreatitis and hospitalized for two weeks – the doctors maintained my AP but my gallbladder was diseased and had to be removed. Unfortunately I was so severe it was not an optional discussion because of fear of other organ failure. I’m feeling relatively okay now – RA still controlled – but am confused! I just came across some info that mino can cause pancreatitis??? Is this simply speculation or is it a rare side effect to anyone’s knowledge? Am I being paranoid? Still have to find a new AP doctor near VT since Dr T has “retired”.

Thanks for any input-

Caroline, so sorry you are having these problems. The link I am posting here is not a recommendation for any treatment for you, but was found in the realm of orthomolecular medicine (my understanding of o.m. is first giving the body what it needs that may/can be missing — and we humans have long ago lost our ability to make vitamin c, yet it is necessary. Good luck in finding answers to your pancreas and other problems. )

A link re: vitamin c and the pancreas:
http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clinical_guide_1988.htm

Best, AF

[Maz]

@caroline123 wrote:

But like all good things I got zapped this month with an attack of acute pancreatitis and hospitalized for two weeks – the doctors maintained my AP but my gallbladder was diseased and had to be removed. Unfortunately I was so severe it was not an optional discussion because of fear of other organ failure. I’m feeling relatively okay now – RA still controlled – but am confused! I just came across some info that mino can cause pancreatitis??? Is this simply speculation or is it a rare side effect to anyone’s knowledge? Am I being paranoid? Still have to find a new AP doctor near VT since Dr T has “retired”.

Hi Caroline,

So sorry to hear about your acute attack of pancreatitis. From your description, it sounds like your diseased gall bladder and possibly a stuck stone may have caused the acute attack, hence your GB removal?

There are many causes for pancreatitis, as with most things, but this seems like it is the most obvious “cause” as you needed to have your GB out.

A sluggish, sludgy GB will, from time to time, become inflamed due to tiny stuck stones in the common bile duct and these can sometimes also lead to inflammation of the pancreas.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/

What is acute pancreatitis?

“Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that occurs suddenly and usually resolves in a few days with treatment. Acute pancreatitis can be a life-threatening illness with severe complications. Each year, about 210,000 people in the United States are admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis.1 The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is the presence of gallstones

[caroline123]

Thanks to all for input. Yes Maz I would appreciate name – you were so close to my home town in VT hope you enjoyed area!

I’ve got the prednisone down to 1mg on M-W-F and 2mg the other days. I’m still tending to personally blame most of the problem on Prednisone – there was sludge but no stone blockage and fortunately the bile duct was okay. After seven days on only saline IV to reduce inflammation in pancreas to allow surgery, I realize I need to be more attentive to “minor” signs so that I don’t end up in ER again! I return for post-op visit next week and then hopefully we head home to VT in late March. Even though the Rheumy I have in NH is fairly open to discussion I know that I need someone more experienced to guide me. Thanks for being there.

[Maz]

@caroline123 wrote:

Yes Maz I would appreciate name – you were so close to my home town in VT hope you enjoyed area!

It’s a pleasure, Caroline. I will send you a PM with this doc’s contact info in VT. I have not had any feedback on this doc, but the integrative docs tend to be pretty open. I took the British Charing Cross Hospital trial to my Lyme doc and he has been so helpful getting me going on IV clindamcyin to do at home. Here’s the study, if it would help in any way for you, too:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16465651

To retrieve your PM, just look up top,beside your User Control Panel and click where it will say (1 new message). 🙂 Sure hope this Lyme doc will work out for you, Caroline.

[Author]

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