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I have been on minocycline 100mg daily X 6 days and plaquenil 200mg twice daily for 3 weeks. I started with pain in hands and feet joints in Late March. The pain diminished over 6-7 weeks to just a few joints in my hands. Arthralgia, no swelling. Today I woke with worse pain in the affected joints and pain in right ankle that hasn’t been present before. So, can anyone share with me if this is too soon to herx? And can I expect pain in joints I haven’t had pain in before, maybe because it’s too soon for the men’s to work? Oh the beginning is frustrating. And is anyone familiar with statistics on the percentage of patients the AP works on? So many experienced and knowledgeable people on here, I appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Nikkoal,
If you click on the studies link under Resources on the main site, you can read both the Harris Poll press release and full survey that RBF conducted and completed in 2006, which outlines the results of APers with RA and SD. The results are reflective of those of Dr. Brown during his long tenure as a rheumatologist, developing and prescribing the treatment to his patients (see Scammell book). Also worth noting that Dr. Brown didn’t just use tetracyclines and, when indicated, he used other classes of antibiotics, too.
https://www.roadback.org/resources/studies/
Everyone experiences a herx in their own time, depending on their pathogen load, type of Protocol, etc., but 3 weeks is well within that time frame. Herxing can be very transient in some folks, but can also go on for months in others. Learning how to detox can help to remove the dying bug toxins that irritate and cause hypersensitivity in the rheumatic tissues.
Yes, new joints can/do become inflamed during herxing and really depends where the bugs are hiding out and where the disease was going to progress (see Brown’s description in the book about RA being like a “smokehopper”).
A herx is a good sign the abx are reaching their target…unpleasant and unnerving, but one of the clinical signs that experienced docs look for to gauge if the treatment is working. Strangely, it can be even more unnerving for people who don’t herx and degree of herxing seems relative to the amount if pre-existing inflammation, prior to starting AP. This is why people who are very severe often must start very low and slow.
Feel better soon!
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