Psoriatic Arthritis Update

[vinny]

Just checking to see if anything has changed on the spam filter so I can update my progress without being blocked.
vinny

Psoriatic Arthritis: 100mg Minoz Minocycline TABLET daily; twice daily 400mg Pentoxifylline;125mcg Levotyroxine: Have been using some level of Minocycline since 2008

[vinny]

I had good pain control with just Minocycline from 2008 until 2012 when my main pain level became unacceptable again. Increasing to daily Minocycline did not solve the pain issue. Appears that I will need to stay on Methotrexate as well as some level of Prednisone to keep the Minocycline affective. I am also trying to determine if the changes in the powdered generic minocycline capsules was also a factor. I am currently using Minocycline tablets.
vinny

Psoriatic Arthritis: 100mg Minoz Minocycline TABLET daily; twice daily 400mg Pentoxifylline;125mcg Levotyroxine: Have been using some level of Minocycline since 2008

[Anonymous]

Hi Vinny

have tried clindamycin?
are you following a proper diet?

[PhilC]

Hi Vinny,

Have you tried switching to a different antibiotic? That’s what Dr. Brown would do (if he were still alive and you were his patient).

Phil

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

[vinny]

Phil,
What other antibiotic has shown effectiveness for Psoriatic Arthritis?
vinny

Psoriatic Arthritis: 100mg Minoz Minocycline TABLET daily; twice daily 400mg Pentoxifylline;125mcg Levotyroxine: Have been using some level of Minocycline since 2008

[PhilC]

Hi Vinny,
@vinny wrote:

Phil,
What other antibiotic has shown effectiveness for Psoriatic Arthritis?

I don’t know the answer to that question and don’t have any time to do any research on it. However, I think there is a better question one can ask, and that is this: “Is there any reason to believe that an antibiotic that is effective for treating a different rheumatic disease (like RA) would not be an effective treatment for psoriatic arthritis?” I believe that the answer to that question is “no.” And based on what I know about Dr. Brown, if he were still alive today I think he would agree.

So, what are some other possibilities? Doxycycline is an obvious one, but since minocycline stopped working for you it would not be my first choice (or any other antibiotic in the tetracycline class). That’s because bacteria that have become resistant to minocycline are likely to be resistant to the other tetracyclines as well. If I were in your situation, I would be inclined to try one of the macrolide antibiotics, probably clarithromycin.

Here are some relatively recent research paper abstracts that you may want to read:

Clarithromycin in rheumatoid arthritis: the addition to methotrexate and low-dose methylprednisolone induces a significant additive value–a 24-month single-blind pilot study.

Clarithromycin in adult-onset still’s disease: a potentially useful therapeutic.

Clarithromycin in adult-onset Still’s disease: a study of 6 cases.

Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to oral bacteria: etiological association.

Effects of clarithromycin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.

Those are just a few results that a quick search turned up.

Clarithromycin is also the preferred first antibiotic used in the Stratton Protocol for treating Chlamydophila pneumoniae (aka Chlamydia pneumoniae, aka Cpn) infections.

Here are some links to information on the Stratton combination antibiotic protocol (CAP):
The Sriram, Stratton, and Wheldon treatment protocols
Emerging Stratton Protocol 4/2008: a new approach to an old set of problems

If I were to try clarithromycin and find it helpful I would be strongly inclined to add the other antibiotics used in the Stratton Protocol — doxycycline and metronidazole (or tinidazole). That’s because using more than one antibiotic helps prevent the development of bacterial resistance, and because this protocol is designed to kill bacteria (bactericidal) and not just suppress their growth (bacteriostatic).

Keep in mind that none of the above is medical advice; I am just telling you what I would do if I found myself in a situation similar to yours, and why. I hope that reading my perspective on the situation is helpful in some way.

Phil

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

[richie]

Hi Dr T.s first choice for psoriatic was doxy –
r

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