Pelletized??

[Annette]

Hello Everyone, I was hoping for some clarification concerning the minocycline I’ve been getting from my pharmacist. I specifically asked for pelletized minocycline but when I opened up a capsule and poured out the contents, the medicine looked more like a powder and not what I would expect pelletized minocycline to look. Is this correct in its form? Has anyone else taken this brand and the contents look the same powder? Is there a better more effective brand I should ask the pharmacist for? The brand is generic for Minocin, yellow capsule with markings stating Minocycline 50 on the top and DAN 5694 on the bottom, manufactured by Actavis US. Also, the prescription bottle does state Pelletized. Thank you all for any advice.

[PhilC]

Hi Annette,

None of the generic minocycline is pelletized. Only pelleted Minocin contains pellets. However, I am not sure whether pelleted Minocin is readily available at present, and even if you could find it I don’t recommend it because it is outrageously expensive. The benefits the pellets would provide are minor, and not worth the extra expense. By the way, the Minocin capsules sold in some countries contain powder and not pellets.

The generic you are taking is a good one. There are members of this forum who are taking that generic and are satisfied with its effectiveness.

Phil

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

[Annette]

Thank you so much, Phil, for your response. I greatly appreciate your advice, as it makes me feel less confused about the matter. I had taken this brand in the past, for 2 years, and with much success so I was hoping to begin taking it again regularly. I was also concerned because last year I tried to restart taking this mino again after not taking it for 8 months and had developed tendonitis and other pains I hadn’t felt when taking this mino the first time. The pain was so bad I reluctantly had to stop taking it and I wasn’t truly sure these different pains were due to a herx reaction. When I took it for the 2 years, successfully, I felt the usual flu-like herxing which I was fine with and it eventually went away. So I was expecting the same flu-like herx when restarting the mino, and was very confused about feeling these new and very different and very intense pains. I really don’t mind pushing through any herx pain as long as I know it’s for the better and not making things worse. Are new and different intense herx pains normal when restarting mino? Thanks again for your help. 🙂

[PhilC]

Hi Annette,

I’m sorry for delay in getting back to you. I wanted to think about your situation before replying so I could I provide you with a better and (hopefully) more helpful response to your questions.

According to my experience and understanding, the painful herx you experienced is actually more typical than the flu-like herx you initially experienced. I suspect that the reason you initially experienced a flu-like herx rather than the more typical painful herx may be because you have scleroderma rather than RA. However, the fact that you later experienced a painful herx reaction seems to indicate that something has changed. Perhaps you now have some overlap with another rheumatic disease, one that is more inflammatory in nature than scleroderma. Another possibility is that your immune system has changed (improved) as a result of your previous treatment with minocycline, and now attacks infections more aggressively.

Are you taking minocycline currently? Has your doctor prescribed a DMARD or any other drugs that would be useful for fighting inflammation, like an NSAID or prednisone?

Phil

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

[Annette]

Hi Phil,

Thank you so much for replying, your advice is very helpful and greatly appreciated. I hope everything is good with you and you are doing well.

I’m not currently taking minocycline, as there was a mix up with the pharmacy I usually get it from, but I will hopefully start taking it again this week. The only medication I take for inflammation is ibuprofen. In the past, I was lucky enough to get the minocycline prescription from my general practitioner because the various Rheumatologists I’ve been to didn’t believe in AP protocol, regardless of how well it has worked for me. I think my GP was reluctant to prescribe anything other than ibuprofen because he doesn’t know that much about scleroderma and would rather me be seen by a Rheumatologist. But, unfortunately, many of the local doctors where I live also lack knowledge and experience with scleroderma, so it’s been very hard finding the best treatments.

Thank you again, Phil. I am truly grateful for all your helpful advice. 🙂

[Linda L]

I didn’t know that different rheumatic diseases can overlap. So maybe because of that it is so difficult to be treated correctly. Unfortunately doctors don’t learn it and love judging one sentence only.

RA tried everything: Methotraxate, Arava, Humira. Pneumonia three times. Anemia. Very low iron. Hypothyroidism
AP from April 2014 till August 2015. No luck.
Current medications: Natural thyroid, Mobic, supplements,
vitamins and minerals.
MTHFR heterozygous

[Author]

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