Antibotic Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the most common and debilitating forms of arthritis. For years doctors and pharmaceutical companies have created medications for relieving symptoms, or for lessening the pain; however, a resurgence in antibiotic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is happening.

Early Research

In 1939 researchers isolated an abnormal type of bacteria called mycoplasma in the cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists, up to that point, knew that mycoplasma caused arthritis in chickens, rats, goats, cows and mice. Unfortunately, this research was abandoned. Resurgences occurred in the late 40s and early 60s but traditional forms of treatment overshadowed the possibility of a bacterium causing this debilitating form of arthritis and the use of antibiotics to cure it.

Treatment

With modern technology, new research has led to antibiotic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. This treatment involves using low doses of minocycline (most commonly used), doxycycline, or tetracycline (the most cost affective of the three antibiotics) to kill mycoplasma cells living in the patients. The dose is low, because the treatment does not cure overnight. Many times patients will experience a lessening in symptoms and then a sudden flairup; however, over time many patients have entered remission, depending on the severity of the arthritis.

Oral/ IV Intake

In lesser to moderate cases, an oral intake of one of these medicines is enough to begin infiltrating the mycoplasmas. In advanced or extreme cases, an IV drip might be required. The healing process for these patients can take a longer time; it is important to remember that the healing rate depends on each person and the severity of the disease.

Traditional Treatment with Antibiotic Therapy

Traditional treatment with medications targets the symptoms, but it doesn't actually treat the disease. Antibiotic treatment will treat the disease, but the symptoms can remain until healing begins. During antibiotic treatment, the taking of symptom-suppressing drugs might be necessary. It is important to talk with a doctor about what medications will work safely in conjunction with antibiotic therapy.

Side Effects

As with any type of medication, there are recorded side effects with antibiotic therapy. Yeast infections are sometimes reported with antibiotic therapy, especially with women. A heightened sensitivity to sunlight is sometimes experienced by some patients. Rarely, diarrhea can occur.

Minocycline

It is important to note that minocycline is the most effective of the antibiotics. This antibiotic is more effective in infiltrating the bacterial cell. Some antibiotics might not be able to penetrate the cell wall like minocycline is able to do. The issue in deciding what antibiotic treatment is best for you is something you need to discuss with your health care provider. An antibiotic treatment is an exciting breakthrough in arthritis treatment; with more research emerging, antibiotic therapy might possibly become the most common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.