The Itchies

[Devie]

I have no doubt that my RA is improving on mino.  I am still at one pill/3 x a week but on one day- I double the dose.  I am slowly working myself up to two pills/3 x week.

My problem is I have the itchies- I itch all over and my hair is falling out.

Any ideas?  It beats RA pain but I would love to feel better.

Thanks  Devie

[mom]

I notice I itch alot all over when I don't take my probiotics or eat any yogurt.
Do you have any yeast issues?

[Devie]

No, no yeast and I do take really good (60 billion organism) probiotics.  I am in a quandary!

[casey]

Devie,

What kind of probiotics do you take and where can you get them ?

thanks,

Casey

[Patti D]

Hi Devie,

Have you had your liver enzymes checked lately. Severe itching could be associated with the liver. I was itchy in the beginning from the inflammation going down. I still take hot baths with epsom salts which seemed to work pretty good:) I am not sure what the hair falling out is from but sounds like you need to get a hold of your doctor and check it out. I am hoping for the best for you.

Happy days!

 

Patti D

[Devie]

First- I get my probiotics from Metagenics- they are the best!

I am having all my blood work done this Friday- then I will know about my liver- thanks!

[Maz]

Hi Devie,

I noted that you have Hashimoto's in your signature line. Is it possible that your meds need adjusting? Itching and hair loss can be symptoms of low thyroid. Maybe get your levels checked, if you haven't recently?

Peace, Maz

 

[Devie]

I am having a huge blood test on Friday including thyroid.  Thanks so much!

[Colleen]

After almost 7 months on minocycline (100 mg, twice a day) I am also experiencing severe itching, mostly on my arms and legs, and my hair is now falling out.  I went to a dermatologist who thought I was developing alopecia….my rheumatologist says it could be an extremely rare side effect of minocycline…and he decided to cut me down to 100 mg once a day……any one else having similar challenges?

The mino is working great for my RA, but I'm not too happy about this new development….

Colleen

[Devie]

I take the mino once, three times a week but I do get the itchies and my hair is getting thin.  I am going to buy Nioxin tomorrow and try and grow some back. My hair is also brittle and frizzy!

I dont think I will lessen my dose though….

Devie

[lynnie_sydney]

I have heard other people take Benedryl to relieve both itching and hives. And I have also heard that the hydrogen peroxide/epsom salts bath is good for this and to help rid the body of toxins. I am repeating the recipe below. Lynnie

Soak in a bath of 2 cups Epsom salts and 2 x 16 oz bottles of hydrogen peroxide for about 30 minutes. It helps rid the body of toxins deep in tissues and kills a wide spectrum of microbes. (First, soak in tub about 5 minutes before adding the peroxide and Epsom Salts to open pores.) This can be done at least 1 to 3 times per week. Take no vitamins 4-8 hours before bath. The hydrogen peroxide may be increased later to 3 bottles per bath if well tolerated.

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[Devie]

Good reminder.  And for hair loss?

[A Friend]

[user=302]Devie[/user] wrote:

Good reminder.  And for hair loss?

Devie,

I was going downhill fast “on a greased pole” by 2006… after having done really well for 7 years on AP.  What I found when I began having thinning hair, and eventually fascia and bone pain, was that when an ND asked me if I'd checked my pH, I hadn't, but did.  My pH was 5.0-5.5 — as acidic as the strips measured.  This isn't child's play.  This is a measure of how acidic our body is when doing saliva and/or urine. 

Medical professionals usually tell people that the body keeps the blood in a certain range, and this is usually ignored…. until and unless a patient is taken to the emergency room for something really serious.  Then one of the first things that is done is to check the blood pH, and usually put them on (I believe) an IV magesium.  I've read in articles that tracking has shown that when people have serious heart attacks and this is done, a larger percent survive. 

Having tested my pH and knowing it was way off, I began searching and reading about acidosis and all the many, many ways this sets our bodies up for illness — and keeps us with illness.  Fortunately, I also learned more about alkaline- and acid- producing foods, as well as learning about the relationship of blood type to the incidence of acidosis and other problems. 

In a nutshell (but the above is incomplete information about all the things I've done since learning), in 1-year+ my extreme all-over fascia and bone pain has about 90% gone; my thinning hair has gotten much thicker (it had also turned almost platinum because of this acidosis condition, and since has gradually gotten more and more dark hair… though I liked the platinum color better, it's a signal things are improving), and I continue to find more and more positive research and helps for this condition. 

I've previously shared about this since its beginning (numerous of posts about this on the old board as well as this one).  Though this subject has been largely ignored, I'd go so far as to say that these findings relating to acidosis are in my opinion at the beginning of our illnesses, and until our body's pH balance is normal, we cannot achieve the kind of health we want — one of the biggest reasons is because this condition causes our cells to become anerobic instead of remaining aerobic, and we don't have the oxygen they and our body need. 

I feel I haven't said all of this very well, but hopefully it is well enough to encourage you to become aware of acidosis and its relationship to illness and symptoms. 

AF

[lynnie_sydney]

BTW hair loss is a listed possible side effect of minocin. For those on higher and/or daily dosing, maybe a lowering of dose and/or a pulse schedule could be discussed with your doc or a switch to another abx for a while. Lynnie

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[A Friend]

Lynnie,

Do you think the side effects from Minocin for some people could be because their bodies are already so acidic (and all abx and other meds ARE acidic) it adds too much more acid to the total load that it aggravates an already existing condition?  (When we've run out of our mineral reserve pool, this can happen… maybe gradually so we at first aren't aware of it; but gradually as things build up, it can happen like a bolt of lightening if a big trigger comes along.   

I believe this.  It was when I'd been on AP/Minocin for about 7 years, and had a high C. pneu. lab and treatment with another abx was begun, that I had a sudden powerful, painful, about 3 week long pain syndrome that caused me to give up all of my meds for a very long time.  I believe when I developed the C. pneu. it was because my body had already become too acidic and that is when all sorts of organisms can move in and take over.  Zithromax (the 2nd one that was begun for me) is known to be very hard on the liver (or the livers of some of us with certain sets of problems).  I believe the Zith put me over the edge.  After I got off all meds at that time, I gradually got better and better… but never got back to where I was before this episode began. 

Edit note:  If I had known then what I have learned the last year, I could have taken steps to better curtail other acid-producing foods, activities, etc., and more detoxing that addresses removing acidic wastes from my body.  Since learning about this broad subject, my then pH of 5.0-5.5 has improved to a usual range of 6.7 to 7+ depending on the time of day and meals, at least much of the time.  I also drink pure water that I put additives in to make the water more alkaline.  To address such a buildup of acids in the tissues takes a long time, but the changes I've made and will keep doing,  I believe will continue to address the acid waste problems in body and cells and get the problems back to a healthy balance.

AF

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