Karen,
Here are below a few extracts from an other message board (I have been occasionally lurking into) about Doxycycline. Notice the ongoing phase II trial on bone mets in Canada.
Zometa was originaly approved to treat hypercalcemia & only later to slow metastatic bone lesions & to reduce bone pain.
Temporary fever & joint pain caused by Zometa are usually significantly reduced (if not completely avoided) by taking tylenol shortly before & for about 24 hours after the IV's. On subsequent IV's the side effects may not happen even without tylenol as the body appear to get used to the drug.
As an added precaution the IV duration should be extended from 15 to 30 minutes mainly to better protect the kidneys especially in patients with problematic kidney function.
On average, I believe that the minor temporary side effects are more frequent with Aredia than Zometa.
Of course all these precautions may not work in patients with strong allergic reactions.
From: Judi <judiz_at_umich.edu>
</SPAN>Date: Mon May 29 2006 - 13:20:54 EDT
Just a little blurb on the Doxy study - not much info, but: A fourth research study that is ongoing and is getting much attention
is the doxycycline Phase II trial. Doxycycline, a well-known antibiotic,
was shown to be very effective in reversing bone metastases in mice.
Eleven out of the needed thirty-nine patients have enrolled so far.
Participants need to have been diagnosed with bone metastasis and have
not yet been treated with bisphosphonates. For more information on these
studies, contact Dr. Bindi Dhesy at the Juravinski (Hamilton Regional)
Cancer Centre."
I have been writing to a Dr. Singh, so I don't know if he is one of the
PI's or if Dr. Singh's study is a different study from mthat of Dr.
Dhesy. They're both in Canada, so it's likely the same study. When I
email Dr. Singh again, I shall ask if Dr. Dhesy's study is indeed one in
the same as his.
I heard back from the PI of the study and he told me that the clinical
>> benefits look very promising and the dose they are using is 100 mg. This happens
>> to be the dose that I am taking for ONJ and there is absolutely no doubt
>> that I have felt a difference - a positive difference - in my bone mets. Am
>> very excited about this cheap, been around for decades (so no surprising side
>> effects) med! BTY, Judi
From: <Kaye301_at_aol.com>
Date: Wed Feb 08 2006 - 23:35:50 EST
</SPAN>In a message dated 2/8/06 6:30:09 AM, judiz@umich.edu writes:
> Doxycycline for bone mets - or for any reason, for that matter. Dose?
> Side effects? Any good results concerning bone mets and/or ONJ (if you
> have it)? Thanks so very much. Judi
>
>
Hi Judi, I have been taking it for 3 years along with Celebrex and half-dose
(now full dose) Zometa every 3 mos. Back in '02, about 20 mos. or so after
my dx., about 6 weeks after I stopped Herceptin after taking it for one year,
my alkaline phosphatase level which had been slowly but steadily increasing
made it's greatest jump--20 pts. in about 4 to 6 weeks and was just a
couple of pts. below being abnormal. Normal was <121. My level was 116. At
start of bc it was in low 60's/high 50's. I started taking the Doxycycline 50
mg/twice/day and also doubled Celebrex from 200 mg. to 400 mg/twice/day. The
next month my alk. phos. level stabilized at 114. It then began to steadily
decrease and returned to the 50's/60's. It has since gone back to 70's but
is still normal. I have been taking the doxycycline twice/day. I did try a
stronger dose (double) for a different reason but that bothered my stomach.