Antibiotic treatment for ra

[evie04]

I'm curious to know if anyone has ever been on antibiotic cure for their ra? I'm getting quite depressed at all the traditional remedies thrown at me and would love to hear from anyone that has been helped by this treatment.

[popsmith1874]

No a first for me the only time I get antibiotics is if I have an infection

[cheshcat]

My mom has had RA for 30 years (I was diagnosed last summer). I've never heard of antibiotics every helping RA. Curious where you read that it did?

[evie04 in reply to cheshcat]

Thx. I read about this many years ago somewhere. Helix helix below mentions a website which I will check out.

[Neverending63]

Antibiotics are used to treat infections. RD isn’t an infection it is an autoimmune disease which means your immune system attacks it’s self. Completely different from an infection which is the invasion of an organism. So no antibiotics are unlikely be used to treat RD unless there is an underlying infection that is linked to bacteria as well. Hope this helps. If you google it then it explains it better than I can.

[evie04 in reply to Neverending63]

Thx yes I know but read about this treatment years ago and now some theory that ra is caused by gut bacteria has taken another leap forward lately so curious if anyone knew more on it.

[helixhelix]

If you look up roadback foundation (roadback.org) you will find lots of information. There is a theory that underlying infection is responsible for RA.

Some people say it has worked for them, but generally it won't be supported by your GP as it has not be proven to be effective on anything other than an anecdotallevel.

[evie04 in reply to helixhelix]

Hi, yes that's something I must have read about and parked it in the corner of my brain years ago when first diagnosed but haven't seen any more updates about it and now with all the talk about gut bacteria and how it seems many auto immune diseases may be caused by a specific bacteria wondered if any on here had more info on the this. Thx

[cheshcat in reply to helixhelix]

I'm curious. I didn't see any research that says it works? I could have been looking in the wrong place? I saw some information on different things that it "could" be but nothing that a low dose antibiotic would actually cure or slow down RA?

Also, aren't you trading one devil for another? Low dose antibiotics will destroy your gut health, leading to even more problems. I'm more curious then anything.

RA is a complicated systemic disease. I suppose if someone was seronegative and had a low incidence or outlook of joint deformation, you could try some alternative therapies first. But those of us seropositive with high chances of joint deformation, I'm not sure I see why you would risk your joints, heart, and lungs. The reason RA isn't a devastating disease anymore and why the death rate isn't higher, is because of the better medications.

Again, I don't mean to be argumentative, I really am just curious on the thinking of why or how this would help.

As a side note, I know that having the epstein-bar virus is thought to cause our immune systems to go haywire down the road (but something like 90% of the population carries the virus, so I don't totally understand the significance but I realize they are looking at it). At the end of the day though, our immune systems have gone haywire and I suppose this is a personal decision, but I want to do whatever I can to keep my immune system from totally destroying my body.

[evie04 in reply to cheshcat]

Sure the usual treatments do at least enable us to lead almost pain free lives but all for knowing what other options might be in the pipeline that might be less toxic.

[cheshcat in reply to evie04]

I totally understand but it's not just more pain free. We don't have OA. It's preventing damage that can't be undone. And we don't have the death rate because of the medications. I think most of us wouldn't take it if it was just about being pain free, like OA. My mother has horrific damage because even 30 years ago, the medications weren't as good. My rheumatologist tells me the goal is to prevent that kind of damage, I suppose I just have to put my faith in him. My mom is back at the beginning with plaquinill (misspelled??) because her rheumatologist is trying to prevent heart and lung damage from advanced RA. If only we were only dealing with pain.

[Hidden]

I ve read about this too eve, Dr Brown's protocol, see helix's site above. Tbh if you re able to get it off GP to my mind anything wld be better than toxic stuff we re on and worth a try. Lets face it all that doesn't work necessarily for all, either. It's all trial and error anyway. Keep us posted.

[evie04 in reply to Hidden]

Totally agree with you. When first diagnosed back in the day, I took myself to a 'quack' as some doctors might say and had intolence test which showed I had issues with many foods. In the following 8 months I kept to my diet of not eating certain foods and was very healthy with no sigh or symptoms but after gradually started reintroducing the foods as is the way with this method, my ra came back and I've not been able to replicate the success I first had with the diet.

[Hidden in reply to evie04]

What a shame! It's all such an unknown quantity anywat as no one knows cause; live in hope of cure or breakthrough soon 😃

[evie04 in reply to Hidden]

Yes hear you. I'm very hopeful that the new research on gut bacteria will eventually lead the way. Take care

[nomoreheels]

Minocycline (a tetracycline antibiotic) was used as an early treatment for RD, the reason being at the time it was thought that bacteria was in part a biological pathogen that causes RD. Sulfasalazine is in part antibiotic & part salicylicate (aspirin) a commonly prescribed med prescribed ages ago before the treatments available today. As much as Sulfasalazine doesn't work for everyone neither do antibiotics so if you can convince your Rheumy to start you on an antibiotic protocol then it could be it wouldn't work either. From that perspective it's no different from any other DMARD, anti-TNF or biologic, there are no guarantees it'll work, except that is they have been 'designed' to treat RD unlike a broad spectrum antibiotic.

If we're to believe that gut bacteria has some influence of RD it would stand to reason that antibiotics aren't the best option, not only because we have better meds nowadays, ones that have been specifically formulated for RD but because if the antibiotic being used to treat RD also rids us of gut bacteria then the digestive system will suffer. Not only that it could be seen as a step back but if you have tried all of the usual suspects, they've not controlled you well enough & you've now run out of options then maybe it's worthy of discussion with your Rheumy as a last ditch treatment?

[Hidden]

There was an article on this subject, appearing on a reputed publication. The thing is, you need to get a dr to investigate what's in your gut. What's colonizing in your gut by taking some sample. Just taking those "expensive" good strain of bacteria, assuming it would all work is unscientific. Maybe a dr can check any improvement by taking a sample after you have been on the supplements for a while. If it works, NHS should provide it or at least we can get the correct strains to control which bad ones. Useful to know which bad infections are present in your gut and once that's established, you can discuss as to how to deal with it.

[Hidden]

I was given a two or three week course of antibiotics when I got a bullseye rash from a tic. Interestingly I felt quite a bit better in terms of joint pain. However, it didn't last long.

[helenlw7]

I’ve never heard of antibiotics for RA, and I was diagnosed in 2004. Interestingly I was diagnosed with a lung disease and uncontrolled asthma in 2012, and for the last four years I have been on prophylactic antibiotics daily to prevent chest infections. They haven’t had any effect on my RA!

[Californiadreamer]

Check out the Roadback Foundation. There are lots of people who have been on minocycline and successfully treated their Ra. The problem is finding a doctor who will treat with it, especially when n UK.

There is a theory that it was deliberately discredited by drug companies, who resent losing their massive profits from Ra drugs.... minocycline is out of patent so is very cheap.

Anything is possible.

[evie04 in reply to Californiadreamer]

Thank you I will look at it.

[Izabella81]

Hi,

Just yesterday I read an article that there is a condition called septic arthritis. It happens when joints ( usually elbow or hip but other joints could be involved as well) get inflamed due to a bacterial or viral infection. In this case antibiotics are prescribed to clear up the infection around the synovial fluid of the joints and the patients get better. Also in the treatment NSAIDS are used.

Otherwise for all Standard RA I have never heard or seen antibiotics be prescribed.