prednisone--need your guidance again

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth

For the last 9 months I too have been very confused about what to do

and whether to try methotrexate because the antibiotics didn't seem

to be working well enough once I had to stop plaquenil. My friend who

takes methotrexate said it's a disease modifying drug (dmard) that

prevents deformities and slows the progression of RA but does nothing

for the pain and inflammation. She has been on prednisone and

methotrexate for seven years. She isn't very well generally, gets

terrible shingles on her body many times each year, and is always

fatigued though she tries to look after herself re diet, exercise and

supplements.

As minocycline is also a dmard I decided not to take methotrexate but

I am taking minocycline 150 mg daily (increased 50 mg) and prednisone

3 mg daily. The pain and inflammation were too much without the

prednisone and I can't take other anti-inflammatories. I believe that

prednisone is necessary for the antibiotic to work properly because

if there is too much inflammation the minocycline can't get into the

cells to destroy the bacteria so is not as effective. It is essential

to keep the inflammation as low as possible. And much more comfortable!

My doctor said that minocycline and plaquenil are synergistic, they

each help the other to work better. A couple of years ago when I was

feeling really good I stopped the minocycline and only had plaquenil.

The pain was very bad. I started the plaquenil again but never got

back to the pain free levels that I had before. Then I became

allergic to plaquenil which is supposed to be a pretty safe drug

relative to the others.

So I'm experimenting with antibiotic dosage and supplements and

detoxes on my own as I don't have access to an AP doctor. I know how

tempting it is to try the other drugs but I joined another list of

people who are using them and that list alone is enough to make me

very very wary. It seems as though the cure is worse than the

disease, though of course some people get helped and don't mind the

side effects.

I will be reducing the prednisone very very slowly over a few months

and then see what happens. But it's a balancing act. Another two

friends decided not to take any drugs at all and tried the natural

way for their rheumatoid and both of them are very deformed and

suffering a lot of pain. It's an individual decision which we all

have to make.

Ros