Zithromax & AS

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From: " Pierre Fontaine " <pierre14@...>

rheumaticonelist

Cc: Goodonyer@...

Subject: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Minocin & Zithromax

----Original Message Follows----

From: Goodonyer@...

Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 14:01:38 EST

pierre14@...

Subject: Zithromax

Pierre, can you spare the time to tell me how you got to take Zithromax

as well as the Minocin.

Is it just to kill the Klebsiella and if so how did you know that

Klebsiella was a problem for you.

Another guy has been writing great things about Levaquin to kill

Klebsiella and curing AS. Any thoughts on this.

Regards. Simon.

__________________

Final Update on March 24, 1999:

Hello Simon,

Hello everyone,

Ankylosing Spondylitis is caused by a bacteria called Klebsiella

pneumoniae. If present, this bacteria normally lives in the gut.

As you have blood tests prior to starting Antibiotics, ask to be tested

for Klebsiellas or Klebsiella pneumoniae in the blood. This will allow

for an accurate diagnosis.

Ankylosing Spondylitis belongs to the Spondyloarthropathies, a class of

Rheumatic Diseases affecting the spine which includes Ankylosing

Spondylitis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reiter's Syndrome, Infectious or

Reactive Arthritis, Crohn's Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases,

Proctitis and Ulcerative Colitis.

Different forms of Spondyloarthropathies are caused by different

bacterias, but whatever the bacterias, including gut bacterias, the

macrolides should be effective against them. The macrolides are a new

class of Antibiotics which exists since 1991 and include Zithromax

(Azithromycin) and Biaxin (Clarithromycin).

As I now understand it, Ankylosing Spondylitis is nothing more than an

ulcer, an untreated ulcer, which allows the passage of Klebsiella

pneumoniae bacterias from the gut into the bloodstream. Cure the ulcers

and you will stop the flow of fresh bacterias into the bloodstream.

Minocin is effective against most strains of Klebsiellas. Clindamycin

has no effect against Klebsiella pneumoniae, but may be useful against

other bacterias, some of which migrate from the gut into the

bloodstream, at the same time as Klebsiella pneumoniae, using the same

doorway, namely an untreated ulcer.

A positive blood test for ASO indicates a bacterial infection. Another

indication of bacterial infection would be a positive Rheumatoid Factor.

It should be known that Ankylosing Spondylitis is a negative Rheumatoid

Factor disease. Any positive result is in the low scale, such as 20 or

40 international units (the normal is 20 or under 20 international

units), and temporary, as it will not be confirmed 6 Months later as the

RF test is repeated.

The unresolved question is the following:

Is Clindamycin required, as a substitute for Penicillin, because

Zithromax would not be as effective against the gut bacterias that

invade the body at the same time as Klebsiella pneumoniae?

Not being a Medical doctor, but a business lawyer and legal scholar, I

have no final answer for that question.

Here's my experience. I had a high ASO titer as I started the Antibiotic

treatment and my Rheumatoid Factor had been positive on 2 previous

instances, at 20 and 40 international units, in 1992 and 1997.

Clindamycin was prescribed to me for the first 8 Weeks, as 600 mg, twice

a day, on Mondays and Fridays, in combination with Minocin, 100 mg,

twice a day, 5 days per week. Clindamycin was useful in the first 3

weeks and was possibly the cause of pain in the spine after the first 3

weeks, an indication that it might have been useful even beyond the

first 3 weeks.

Zithromax is currently tested in Europe to treat Rheumatic Diseases. It

is routinely presccribed by such prominent doctors as Dr. Gabe Mirkin

and Dr. Franco, both of whom are held in very high regard by the

Members of the Support Group.

Zithromax is also prescribed to HIV/AIDS patients, every week, for 2 or

3 years at a time, in order to prevent infections. It's a strong

indication of its safety for long term use, even for persons whose

immune system is weakened.

The best doctors in North America belong to the American Rheumatic

Association which recommends the basic protocol of Minocin, 100 mg,

twice a day, 5 or 7 days per week, in combination with either Zithromax

or Clindamycin, 2 separate days per week, as on Mondays and Thursdays

(or Fridays).

According to my Orthopedic Surgeon, a North American authority, the

protocol recommended by the American Rheumatic Association is " the only

one that has been proven to work " . As a consultant to the University

Hospital, my Orthopedic Surgeon is also concerned with recent Hospital

outbreaks of enterococcal gut bacterias that had acquired a resistance

to antibiotics, a deadly threat to hospitalized patients whose immune

system is weakened or compromised by their illness. Hence, his

insistence that antibiotics be taken every day to lessen the possibility

that bacterias develop a resistance to antibiotics.

And thinking about it, would you want the bacterias causing your disease

to develop a resistance to antibiotics, thereby leaving you with no

defence against them?

My first prescription of Voltaren was 18 years ago, on March 17, 1981.

It's only now (January 21, 1999 to February 4, 1999) that I have taken

care of my ulcers with 14 days of the Hp PAC, followed by 3 Months of

Losec (Omeprazole), 20 mg per day, a slow release antiacid medication.

The Hp PAC contains the following medication:

- Prevacid (Lansoprazole), 30 mg, twice a day, a delayed-release

antiacid medication;

- Amoxicillin, 1,000 mg, twice a day, an antibiotic;

- Biaxin (Clarithromycin), 500 mg, twice a day, an antibiotic.

I have taken Antibiotics (Minocin, Dalacin, Zithromax, Amoxicillin,

Biaxin) every day from July 6, 1998, to February 9, 1999, when I

interrupted all Antibiotics for 5 Weeks in order to prevent any possible

interference with my current laser treatment for a stubborn retina

detachment.

As soon as possible, I would like to resume my Antibiotics for at least

another 6 to 8 Months, namely Zithromax, 250 mg, on Monday mornings, and

Zithromax, 500 mg, on Monday and Friday evenings, in combination with

Minocin, 100 mg, twice a day, 5 days per week, when not taking

Zithromax.

Zithromax caused me intense pains in the bones for 4 weeks in November,

1998, and again, just after I finished the Hp PAC for ulcers. That's how

I know that the job is not finished yet, in addition to the pain that I

feel now.

I have never heard of Levaquin. It might help to know the name of the

chemical compound, in addition to the commercial brand name. As I have

never heard from it, I cannot recommend it.

For Ankylosing Spondylitis, Salazopyrin ENT (Sulfasalazine) might be

helpful. It is a second line drug, a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic

Drug (DMARD), to be taken in combination with other medications, such as

regular NSAIDs, Acetaminophen and Empracet 30.

As Salazopyrin ENT has the potential to damage the liver, you must have

regular blood tests every month. I have taken Salazopyrin ENT for almost

7 Months, but it takes 4 Weeks to reach an effective dose of 1,000 mg,

twice a day. The maximum dose is 1,000 mg, three times per day. I

believe that Salazopyrin ENT, if effective, will not last beyond 18-24

Months.

For pain management, including the Herxheimer reaction, I strongly

recommend Empracet 30 tablets (Acetaminophen, 325 mg, and Codeine, 30

mg), as needed, in combination with Acetaminophen, 500 mg, 6-8 tablets

per day. Before NSAIDs are interrupted, maximum daily dosage of NSAIDs

are quite helpful to manage the pain of the Herxheimer reaction.

In conclusion, please note that only a systemic antibiotic, acting

throughout the body, will kill the bacterias causing Ankylosing

Spondylitis. The bacterias are present throughout the body, in the

collagen and connective tissues which amount for one third of the body

weight. Ankylosing Spondylitis attacks not only the spine, but every

joint of the body and such important body parts and organs as the heart,

the eyes and the bones.

Finally, only an ulcer treatment will stop the flow of fresh bacterias

from the gut into the bloodstream.

And do understand that it might take a long time to kill old bacterias,

maybe a year or more, especially if Klebsiella pneumoniae was allowed to

develop freely for a number of years. As much as NSAIDs prevent

permanent bone damage and act as pain killers, they hamper the immune

system in its fight against the proliferation of invading bacterias,

including Klebsiella pneumoniae. But however long it takes, if you take

antibiotics every day, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that

you are doing the MOST that can possibly be done to achieve a CURE in

the shortest possible period of time.

A word of caution for women and men of low body weight. Following a

previous discussion and after a review of the Kloppenburg study, I

believe that Minocin is best matched to your body weight, at least in

the first 6 to 8 weeks:

150-170 pounds or more: 100 mg, twice a day, 5-7 days a week

130-150 pounds: 150 mg per day, 5-7 days a week

100-130 pounds: 100 mg, 5-7 days a week

Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis may want to take the full amount of

Minocin, 100 mg, twice a day, 7 days a week, if only after the first 6

to 8 weeks, because of the severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Any final

decision as to the proper amount of medication that you require is best

made by you and your doctor.

The Kloppenburg studies outline the difference between men and women in

their reaction to Minocin. Because of their importance, I will post a

fresh summary of the O'Dell and Kloppenburg studies.

Pierre

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