Re: Antibiotics for Arthritis Pain


"Adelle" <adNOstavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:dsCdnStvHbAOISPVnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Don" <dondunlap13@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:v%wvk.74402$C65.29768@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm new to the group and have a question for all. I am 75 and have a history of arthritis. About 7-8 years ago, I had a very bad episode of arthritis pain in my knees and hips. There was also pain in my fingers and wrists. About this time, I also had a urinary problem and was having vision problems. I had to stop driving at night because my eyes would glaze over with what appeared to be an oily substance.

I saw a Urologist and he prescribed an antibiotic, whose name escapes me at the moment. It was the one that was used after the WTC disaster to treat Anthrax. After taking the antibiotic for a few days, my joint pain disappeared, my urinary problems improved and my vision improved. I didn't really associate the joint pain and vision problems to the antibiotic because there seemed to be no relation.

About two years later, I developed similar problems and again was given an antibiotic by another Urologist. Again, the problems improved, the most dramatic being complete freedom from joint pain. I noticed this time that there was a relationship and began to search the web for something that would associate the three problems. I found references to Reiters Syndrome, which I mentioned to my primary care physician, an Internist. He had never heard of it and said the there was no way that an antibiotic could correct arthritis pain.

I kept mentioning it to doctors but got nowhere. One doctor, a Rheumatologist, said that he tested me for Reiters and I didn't have it. I moved to Texas last summer and was having severe pain in knees, hips, shoulders and hands. Same problems with doctors here. I had a sinus infection and a doctor prescribed Cefprozil, an antibiotic, for the infection. All joint pain disappeared after 3 days. After all this, I still can't get any doctor to take me seriously. The seem to believe in coincidence only.

I am again at the point where I am almost totally debilitated with joint pain and am just writing this to ask if anyone else has ever noticed relief from their arthritis after taking antibiotics?



Don,

Some antibiotics are also very good anti-inflammatories and can significantly improve symptoms by reducing inflammation. I took doxycycline for over two years to treat both Lyme disease and my Rheumatoid arthritis. But there are hundreds of different forms of arthritis. Most require something called a DMARD (damage mitigating anti-rheumatologic medication which reduce the immune response so the body stops attacking itself) in addition to anti-inflammatories to reduce permanent damage to joint tissue.

Some arthritis symptoms are reactive - meaning they are brought on by some sort of bacterial trigger. I looked up Reiter's syndrome and got a decent description from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_arthritis. As you can see from the link, it is now more commonly referred to as Reactive Arthritis. Initial treatment is with an antibiotic to get rid of the underlying infection, then its on to steroids, analgesics, and drugs which suppress the immune response (DMARDS).

With the smaller joints being affected now, Reiter's/reactive arthritis is a less obvious choice than before, as it usually just affects larger joints. You need someone willing to look into the many different forms of arthritis and see what is really going on. I can say most of us have had to shop around for a decent rheumatologist before we found one. I went to three rheumatologists before I found one that took me seriously, and was willing to treat both the arthritis and the pain it causes (the first one blew me off saying I didn't have RA because I test negative, the other wanted to shuffle me into a study, rather than treat with standard care). The one I have now moved from a suburban hospital closer to me to a university center in Boston 20 miles further away. I followed after the move because I think he's worth his weight in gold. Keep looking for someone really good.

If you are in Texas, I recommend the Arthritis Clinic of Houston. My uncle is a pediatric rheumatologist and has his office there. I am sure there is at least one group at the clinic which treats adults. If you are not in Houston, call and perhaps they can make recommendations for your city/area.

Wishing you luck as you pursue care,

Adelle


Thanks for the information Adelle. I have had an almost impossible time finding a doctor who will believe anything I say. As I answered Harvey, I have intestinal conditions that cause me to have a reaction to almost every medication that is prescribed for anything, I have never heard the term "DMARDS) and will do some research on that. I have a sister with RA for 45 years and I have been tested several times for that but negative results. I have only seen one rheumatologist here in Austin and wasn't very impressed. I will keep searching.

Don

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