updating & help brainstorming

[m.]

I’ve been on Doxy since 2008 for sudden onset arthritis; currently on 200 mg Doxy MWF.

I’m lucky. I work, I’m active, I don’t have to take OTC pain meds very often, and –knock on wood– no complications so far.

When the price of Doxy went through the roof, I tried Minocin, at 200 mg MWF. The Mino “stirred things up”. I was in pain, & uncomfortable, so I switched back to Doxy. That’s been fine.

I do have days where, for whatever reason, I wake up stiff and my hands are swollen and sore. Today is one of those days. Ouch. I’m just as likely to have days where I forget I have arthritis. It comes and goes like that, but the sore days are nothing like my initial flare.

Since I’ve been on the same drug for 6 years, I am wondering if it would be wise to switch to Mino, even if initially it is uncomfortable.

See the Historical Protocol:

Drug Rotation (toc)

Thomas McPherson Brown, MD, originator of antibiotic therapy, found rotating the antibiotic every 4-5 years, even within the same classification, decreased the possibility of developing patient tolerance to the drug. After a rotation period, the original drug may be reinstituted.

If I’m honest with myself, I’m nervous about Mino. I’m worried, perhaps needlessly, that I’ll be one of those patients who has big problems with hyper pigmentation or drug induced lupus. It would be nice to pay less money for the drugs!

I don’t see a doctor regularly. I usually order routine blood work myself online & pay out of pocket. I had a CBC and Serum Iron done in 2012 and everything was in range. That’s great, because when I first got sick in 2008, there was plenty out of range.

I seem to have skipped 2013 for testing. Last week I had a CMP, CBC, and Serum Iron done. Everything in range. I also had, for the first time believe it or not, RA Factor, C-Reactive Protein, ANA and Sed Rate done.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Factor 37.4 HIGH [0-13.9]
C-Reactive Protein 0.34 [0-3]
ANA negative
Sed Rate 2 [0-40]

Since I have not had RA Factor tested before, I don’t know if that score of 37.4 is better, same, or worse.

Some questions:

Is the risk of hyper pigmentation with Mino no big deal if one takes plenty of Vitamin C?

If I switch to Mino, what would I switch to next if 5-7 years down the line I felt it was time to rotate?

Dr. S. in Iowa currently writes my prescription. Any suggestions on a back-up plan for when he is no longer writing prescriptions?

[PhilC]

Hi,

You can take both. That’s what I did. I started with a low dose of minocycline and slowly worked my way up to 100 mg. After I had been taking 100 mg of mino for a few months I dropped the doxy.

I described how I introduced the minocycline here:
https://www.roadback.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9152

Phil

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

[Author]

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