From Mino to Generic to MTX (to Mino?)

[Guest guest]

Hi All

A very happy 2009 to all on this board.

I would like to share my RA journey with you all. I have had RA to

coming up to 5 years. The first DMARD I took was Minocin which worked

to the extent that my ESR went down to 8. A couple of years in, Minocin

stopped being available in England and I replaced it with minocycline.

The generic did not seem to work and my ESR shot up and my left knee

become very swollen. People told me that if I didn't go onto MTX, joint

damage would continue and the disease would worsen so I did that 8

months ago and my ESR did go down to 22. A month ago my rheumy put me

on sulphasalazine as well as MTX with 3 injections of depo medrone

cortisone every two weeks for six weeks.

I may yet give Minocin a further try in the future and I wonder if

anyone on the board has done a similar thing to me.

Ken.

[Guest guest]

Hi Ken, from a fellow Brit.

I don't know if I can be much help, but I

started on generic mino last June, and also experienced swelling of my

left knee (and foot). Rheumy didn't diagnose RA until July (ESR was 24 and

CRP 73) and said I should start MTX and gave me a DepoMedrone

injection (which I only accepted as I was just about to go on an

orienteering holiday).(Incidentally it was 80mg which was meant to

last 6 weeks +, and did so.)

It was lovely whilst the cortisone was working,

and all the swelling went down. But I decided not to take the MTX and

to give the mino a good chance to work. Also visted the only AP Dr

listed in the UK (Dr H) for moral support!! However, I think the body

rebounds from the effect of the cortisone, and by October I was back

to ESR 35, CRP 71. However, the original swelling has not returned,

and I now think it was due to a herx.

But I wanted to stick with the AP

and since then, on just the mino, inflammation is now gradually

declining (December was ESR 29, CRP 39) so I feel very optimistic.

Decided to start also on MSM this month, to try to get inflammation

down a bit

more quickly, as, like you I am being frightened by the rheumy's

stories of joint damage, and many people on roadback bulletin board

have had good success with it. I really feel this is working too and

will know for sure when I get my next blood test this week.

I am also taking Arcoxia NSAID but

hoping to replace that with the natural COX-2 inhibitor Curcumin as

soon as I can get my hands on some.

This is the story so far, but I do feel that the generic is working

for me. All I will say is that, although it is generic it is a

modified (ie timed) release (capsule) type, and I always take it on an

empty stomach (2hrs after eating and allow another 1hr before eating

again). I also avoid dairy in the meal before I take it, and do not

take any mineral supplements - it does tell you to avoid iron and

indigestion remedies.

I am just wondering whether you experienced a herx when you switched

from Minocin to generic, as this can cause inflammation levels to go

back up temporarily.

I would be very reluctant to get on to the rheumy's drugs spiral,

precisely because they just want you to keep taking more & more all

together, and goodness knows what it's all doing to your body.

My rheumy did say I could carry on taking the mino with the MTX, but I

have decided that this does not really make sense as MTX depresses the

immune system whilst AP is trying to build it up it to conquer the RA.

As Minocin is now available again in the UK, it would be a good

opportunity to have another try as it worked for you before. Have you

been to see Dr H ? He is just about the only chance we Brits have to

actually discuss AP with someone very experienced, face to face, which

I find really invaluable.

Happy New Year to you, and good luck !

>

> Hi All

>

> A very happy 2009 to all on this board.

>

> I would like to share my RA journey with you all. I have had RA to

> coming up to 5 years. The first DMARD I took was Minocin which worked

> to the extent that my ESR went down to 8. A couple of years in, Minocin

> stopped being available in England and I replaced it with minocycline.

> The generic did not seem to work and my ESR shot up and my left knee

> become very swollen. People told me that if I didn't go onto MTX, joint

> damage would continue and the disease would worsen so I did that 8

> months ago and my ESR did go down to 22. A month ago my rheumy put me

> on sulphasalazine as well as MTX with 3 injections of depo medrone

> cortisone every two weeks for six weeks.

>

> I may yet give Minocin a further try in the future and I wonder if

> anyone on the board has done a similar thing to me.

>

> Ken.

>