Medications

[Guest guest]

When I was diagnosed with RA, I immediately began a search online to see what

information I could find. As many of you probably know, there's a ton of

information available and much of it is redundant. The lists of symptoms, the

treatments, the medications and their possible side effects were mostly the same

from website to website.

Most of the sites you come across list all the typical RA drugs - methotrexate

and the rest of them. But I also looked into the use of antibiotics to combat

the effects of RA and I chose to go that way instead of the more toxic drugs. I

read all the information I could find on the treatment of RA with antibiotics.

I'm 46 years old. I could feasibly live to 70 or 80. I don't want to try to

take toxic drugs for 30 years. When you read the potential side effects on most

of those drugs, it's downright scary! I couldn't imagine taking them for all

those years. So I chose to go with the antibiotic protocol, even though it is

not as well known nor does it work as quickly as some of the other drugs. But

long term prognosis was SO much better. I went to the rheumatic.org website

and read up on it, and even talked with a number of people who were on the

antibiotic protocol and after years were basically symptom-free and maintained

on only a low dosage of antibiotic (three times a week, with NO other drugs). I

even found a website that gave statistics on the use of different drugs -

http://remedyfind.com/sym.asp?id=66 . These are ratings given by people

actually using the treatments. Antibiotic therapy is listed with the highest

rating.

When first diagnosed, I went on methotrexate and plaquenil, but dropped the

plaquenil a few days later and started on doxycycline (antibiotic). I went into

a Herxheimer's reaction a couple of weeks in, which is typical and also

indicated to me that the antibiotics were working. I know in some ways it

doesn't make sense that you get worse before you get better, but it often

happens with this therapy. I later dropped the methotrexate as the combination

of antibiotic and mtx work against each other, and I chose to go back on the

plaquenil for awhile to help retard any damage to my joints while the

antibiotics did their job. I also went on prednisone after a couple of months

as I still had considerable inflammation and the antibiotic has a harder time

working on really inflamed joints.

I truly believe in the antibiotic protocol and have found that the people

following the AP tend to be in better shape, happier and more positive than

those on the traditional medications. I'm at the point where I take prednisone

every other day now (low dose), doxycycline once a day and plaquenil - although

I have cut back on that and will be stopping it soon, I think. I rarely take

any kind of pain meds now. I do have some pain daily, but the huge swellings in

my joints have reduced considerably (I had really big lumps on my knees and my

ankles and feet were badly swollen). I still get puffy joints in my hands and

they're stiff at times, but nothing like they used to be. A few months back I

was nearly bedridden, barely able to walk and on constant pain meds (oxycodone)

just to function.

I can work relatively comfortably now, and I walk to the lodge at least once a

day. I can train my dogs and even made it to a dog show a week or so ago -

driving 400 miles r/t and showing dogs in two different classes for three days.

I'll admit I was sore and tired, but I could do it! I might feel better if I

took a bunch more drugs, but the long term side effects aren't worth it to me at

this point and I have high hopes that the antibiotics will continue to help to

the point where I will be in remission. The one drawback I've found to the use

of antibiotics is that they take a long time - a year or more - to fully work.

I've been on this protocol for six months now.

I see so many people on this list talking about all the medications they're on

and many don't seem to be doing too good. I know it can be hard to find a

doctor (especially many rheumatologists) who are willing to consider the

antibiotic protocol. We have few rheumies in Alaska and none in my area, so I

took all of my research to my GP and she chose to go along with the treatment I

wanted (after she checked with patients who had gone out to Mayo Clinic for

treatment and found they were all prescribed antibiotics). She's been really

willing to work with me, and I was willing to accept responsibility for my

treatment (which I gave her in writing, by my choice).

Sometimes I think we have to be more proactive in our own choices regarding our

health. If what you're on isn't working, and your doctor wants to prescribe

more " big " drugs, you might want to look into some alternative solution. I

really don't think that the drugs they're wanting to give us are good for us in

the long run and can cause more problems than they solve. This, of course, is

my personal opinion.

in Alaska