New to Group - May have RA

January 20, 2011

Hi Terry,

I know the frustration - I truly can relate to your pain because when my

wrist, hands and arms hurt I am miserable.

I too was feeling sick and had multiple pain feet, legs, arms, wrists and

hands. All I heard for years is that it was hormonal - " PMS " or viral. In

2006 things got worse and I started having more and more symptoms. Until

finally my ANA was positive in 2009 and since then I have been diagnosed

with Lupus and RA. Have been taking meds for both diseases since then.

When my diseases flare the worst pain is my hands and wrist.

I have never been on an antibiotic for skin condition but I did take a lot

of antibiotics as a child for recurrent ear infections. I don't know if

this has anything to do with my diagnosis because I am not a doctor.

Hope you get both your doctors on the same page...so you can get on meds.

They do help. Hang in there...there is light at the end of the tunnel.

God Bless - Vivian from LA

January 21, 2011

Hi Vivian,

Thank you so much for the reply. It is good to hear that there is light at

the end of the tunnel. Looking forward to feeling better.

Blessing to you also.

Terri

January 22, 2011

Hi Terri and Vivian

Minocycline-induced lupus is a rare condition but it does happen.

After stopping the drug for a few months the symptoms go away. I

actually have been using minocycline for 5 years to treat my

rheumatoid arthritis and it's been reasonably effective and has

allowed me to stay away from the other drugs so far (I can't bear the

thought of their side-effects but if the antibiotics stop working

I'll have to investigate them). So I doubt that RA would be induced

by the antibiotics (it's classed as a DMARD in the US) but lupus

could very well be. A number of different antibiotics are used to

treat RA and other auto-immune diseases with success varying from

complete remission to a lessening of symptoms. I think I'm somewhere

in the middle at present.

Ros

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