Re: Doxycycline + MTX in RA - HealthTalk.comtranscript

[Guest guest]

RxList.com

on methotrexate drug interactions

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/mtx_ad.htm

" Oral antibiotics such as tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and

nonabsorbable broad spectrum antibiotics, may decrease intestinal

absorption of methotrexate or interfere with the enterohepatic

circulation by inhibiting bowel flora and suppressing metabolism of the

drug by bacteria. "

a, I'm not sure it's a huge issue with low-dose MTX and low-dose

antibiotics. It's probably even less of a concern with injectable MTX.

The more I think about all of this, the more I've come to conclude that

minocycline and doxycycline can be effective in very early RA,

especially in combination with DMARDs, just as other " milder " DMARDs

like Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine sulfate) can be. It's not so much

that they're antibiotics or an antimalarial, it's that they can cool

down the inflammation (by whatever mechanisms) before it gets out of

control. Once beyond those beginning stages, it's a much different

problem.

Timing is crucial. A strong argument can be made for bringing out the

big guns like MTX and the biologics immediately and then scaling back

later.

Yes, I'm leading a double life. I'm blond and my last name is Tuttle

over at HealthTalk, LOL.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Doxycycline + MTX in RA -

HealthTalk.comtranscript

This is really interesting . The rheumatic site states that MTX and

antibiotics shouldn¹t be used together:

http://www.rheumatic.org/mtx.htm

I¹ve read it other places as well. Now I¹m sorry I didn¹t give the

antibiotics a chance since I was afraid of the combination. Would this

person asking these questions to the healthtalk be someone I know?

a

> HealthTalk.com

> Excerpt from October 30, 2003 transcript

>

> " Antibiotics in RA Treatment " :

>

>

http://www.healthtalk.com/rheumatoidarthritis/programs/103003/page02.cfm

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

What are you taking and how long have you been on it? How are you feeling?

I'm getting tired of being stiff and sore and I don't like my thumb joint

sticking out, also my fingers are swollen and stiff and my ankle hurts. It

is on and off though so when I start to feel better, I forget about how

lousy I feel other times.

Do you feel well on your meds or do you still feel stiff, etc.?

Thanks,

ette