Minocycline for rheumatoid arthritis

Examples

Generic Name	Brand Name
minocycline	Dynacin, Minocin, Vectrin

Minocycline is given by mouth (orally).

How It Works

Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic. It fights bacteria in your body. It is not clear how minocycline works to reduce the activity of rheumatoid arthritis, although it may work by reducing the action of certain proteins that erode cartilage.¹

Why It Is Used

Minocycline is primarily used to treat mild cases of rheumatoid arthritis. While some studies have demonstrated some benefits from taking minocycline for rheumatoid arthritis, these benefits have not been consistently demonstrated in every study.¹

How Well It Works

In some studies, minocycline has shown some benefit in reducing symptoms, perhaps by slowing the progression of joint destruction caused by rheumatoid arthritis.²

Side Effects

Side effects from minocycline include:

• Nausea.
• Dizziness.
• Skin color changes.
• Rash, especially with sunlight.

Less frequent but potentially serious side effects from minocycline include:

• Hepatitis.
• Medication-induced lupus (SLE).

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

Minocycline may improve control of disease activity and provide relief from swollen, tender joints. While it could be as effective as antimalarials or sulfasalazine, many rheumatologists use it in milder cases.²

Minocycline should not be used by pregnant women or women of childbearing age who are not using reliable birth control. If you are going to take minocycline, you should be on some form of reliable birth control. If you plan to become pregnant, check with your health professional before stopping birth control and trying to become pregnant.

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: August 23, 2006
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology
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