RA and now Vitiligo & hypothyroidism too much!!!

[cookie]

I have been diagnosed with vitiligo recently. I noticed white patches on my skin but thought it was the result of niacin in my face cream which I used to reduce the dark discolouration. Honestly between the RA, hypothyroidism and now vitiligo I feel so defeated in this struggle. Any advice would be appreciated as I’m so depressed.

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[Maz]

Hi Cookie,

Sorry to hear you’re feeling down. These wretched autoimmune diseases seem to run in packs – as if one wasn’t bad enough.

Having just read a little bit of literature on the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Vitiligo connection, there appears to be an association between the two and interesting that 1/3rd of Vitiligo patients also have thyroid autoantibodies. This is quite a high prevalence, considering about 1/4 of RA patients suffer from thyroid issues.

Vitiligo and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

According to this second article (different authors with similar findings), melanin and thyroxine both derive from the same parent molecule, tyrosine. Oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species or ROS-induced autoimmunity) is a big driver of all inflammatory diseases (including RA) and these authors suggest possible treatment for Vitiligo with quinones.

Vitiligo and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: Autoimmune diseases linked by clinical presentation, biochemical commonality, and autoimmune/oxidative stress-mediated toxicity pathogenesis

For oxidative stress, alternative docs recommend anti-oxidative therapies and you’re already taking Vit C, curcumin, MSM, etc. However, if you work with such a doc there might be something more, or other, they can suggest?

I hope someone here has a positive experience to share with you, Cookie. I can really only share what I’ve found on quick search, which may or may not be relevant, so I wish you luck and hope you find some answers. I understand the struggle with thyroid stuff – had a toxic goiter removed but still have trouble finding balance with replacement hormone therapy.

Are you being treated for hypothyroidism and has it been diagnosed as Hashimoto’s with autoantibodies?

[cookie]

Hi Maz thanks for replying
No I don’t have Hashimoto’s. I take thyroid meds from the pig instead of the synthetic one. I just hope I can get this vitiligo under control. I was given a corticosteroid to be applied for a couple of weeks on and then a protopic ointment for one week then back to the steroid. I’m nervous about the steroid. This is supposed to help reinstate pigment in my skin hopefully. Gosh what else!

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[FayF]

Hello Cookie,
I hope you are feeling better. Autoimmune diseases can make us feel very lonely at times. But, I wanted to reach out to let you know, we are here. I wish I could help, but I have no medical expertise at all! I looked up vitiligo since I didn’t know the condition by name. I thought the following article was interesting. It’s the use of honey. The references might be more helpful than the article itself😳

I read about the oxidative stress factor somewhere, as Maz mentions. I purchased molecular hydrogen by mercola to help with AP herxing but never needed it. I wonder if this might help? Has anyone used molecular hydrogen with success? I wonder if molecular hydrogen would help with coronavirus?

I also did a quick search on the forum and found some discussion on low stomach acid as a cause. The other was LDN use. You may already have found this information.

Let us know how you are managing. Take good care!
Fay

[FayF]

My link didn’t work. I’ll try this again.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274315964_Successful_treatment_of_facial_vitiligo_with_honey_bee_Allium_cepa_and_Avena_sativa_combined_to_sun_light_exposure_A_case_clinical_trial

Fay

[cookie]

Thanks for all your information. I appreciate your help.
Cookie

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[Lynne G.SD]

Here is the latest news from the Global Lyme Alliance.Good reading

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGlkjWzMHlPwbFfjfMvJVPjhklX

[PhilC]

Hi Cookie,

My intuition told me that hydroxychloroquine might be helpful, so I did a little research and found this:

Improvement of vitiligo in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis after hydroxychloroquine treatment
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25243922/

Hydroxychloroquine protects melanocytes from autoantibody-induced injury by reducing the binding of antigen-antibody complexes
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27277530/

Phil

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

[Author]

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