# Minocycline disaster for our son



## FamofDP

Our story began with the perscription drug Minocycline, which was prescribed to my son for acne when he was 17 years old. He only took about six of the tablets, and within a four weeks time he had to admit himself into the psych ward and was diagnosed as having a Major depressive Episode (he turned 18 while in the hospital)

We had no idea that Minocycline was known to cause depersonalization. He continues to suffer, even though its been over a year since he was hospitilized.

I'll make the story short but would like to know if anyone out there has suffered from Minocycline side affects similiar as my son. 
He was a star athelete, college student, martial arts, and doing things teenagers do, But now he stays at home and rarely does any of the things a young man would be doing at this time in his life.

We just fired the Psychologist who didnt have a clue and are looking for one who specializes in depersonalization....


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## joshualives

FamofDP said:


> Our story began with the perscription drug Minocycline, which was prescribed to my son for acne when he was 17 years old. He only took about six of the tablets, and within a four weeks time he had to admit himself into the psych ward and was diagnosed as having a Major depressive Episode (he turned 18 while in the hospital)
> 
> We had no idea that Minocycline was known to cause depersonalization. He continues to suffer, even though its been over a year since he was hospitilized.
> 
> I'll make the story short but would like to know if anyone out there has suffered from Minocycline side affects similiar as my son.
> He was a star athelete, college student, martial arts, and doing things teenagers do, But now he stays at home and rarely does any of the things a young man would be doing at this time in his life.
> 
> We just fired the Psychologist who didnt have a clue and are looking for one who specializes in depersonalization....


i took minocycline for a few months and it didnt really have any negative affects although i did take another acne medication called accutane that seriously screwed me up.

i had never had depression until a few months after i had gotten off the medication i was on it for 4 months.

anyway afterward i began to feel very detached from my surroundings feeling as though i was in a dream state and very aware of myself and unaware of the world around me, then out of nowhere one day i had a panic attack and for the next couple of months i was in a deep state of depression and going through intense dp/dr it was terrifying not knowing what had happened to me and why i was feeling this way, i too am only 18 and it is very stressful at times although i am not 100% cured of this strange perception on life, i do find that it is getting easier and i am finding hope.

let your son know that he is not alone and although he may find it very hard to believe it from you only because you are not going through it yourself, he may also feel that no one could possibly understand how he feels because it is happening to him and its inside of his own mind, but let him know that we go through it too and we also feel the same,

i too felt that my psychologist didnt help much either, it is something that you as the sufferer have to decide for your self/.

will you let this disorder consume you or will you decide that your life is way too important and special to feel sorry for yourself all the time.

it took me a while to realize this and i am still healing

it trully is a process but know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.


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## Visual

FamofDP said:


> Our story began with the perscription drug Minocycline, which was prescribed to my son for acne when he was 17 years old. He only took about six of the tablets, and within a four weeks time he had to admit himself into the psych ward and was diagnosed as having a Major depressive Episode (he turned 18 while in the hospital)
> 
> We had no idea that Minocycline was known to cause depersonalization. He continues to suffer, even though its been over a year since he was hospitilized.
> 
> I'll make the story short but would like to know if anyone out there has suffered from Minocycline side affects similiar as my son.
> He was a star athelete, college student, martial arts, and doing things teenagers do, But now he stays at home and rarely does any of the things a young man would be doing at this time in his life.
> 
> We just fired the Psychologist who didnt have a clue and are looking for one who specializes in depersonalization....


Does he have any visual symptoms?


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## FamofDP

joshualives said:


> i took minocycline for a few months and it didnt really have any negative affects although i did take another acne medication called accutane that seriously screwed me up.
> 
> i had never had depression until a few months after i had gotten off the medication i was on it for 4 months.
> 
> anyway afterward i began to feel very detached from my surroundings feeling as though i was in a dream state and very aware of myself and unaware of the world around me, then out of nowhere one day i had a panic attack and for the next couple of months i was in a deep state of depression and going through intense dp/dr it was terrifying not knowing what had happened to me and why i was feeling this way, i too am only 18 and it is very stressful at times although i am not 100% cured of this strange perception on life, i do find that it is getting easier and i am finding hope.
> 
> let your son know that he is not alone and although he may find it very hard to believe it from you only because you are not going through it yourself, he may also feel that no one could possibly understand how he feels because it is happening to him and its inside of his own mind, but let him know that we go through it too and we also feel the same,
> 
> i too felt that my psychologist didnt help much either, it is something that you as the sufferer have to decide for your self/.
> 
> will you let this disorder consume you or will you decide that your life is way too important and special to feel sorry for yourself all the time.
> 
> it took me a while to realize this and i am still healing
> 
> it trully is a process but know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.


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## FamofDP

I appreciate your response and positive attitude; I'll print this off and give to my son. I can see that he's getting better when compared to three months ago when he would barely walk or have a conversation. 
He lost thirty pounds in one year. We've did MRI's blood work, neurological, etc&#8230;Next week we have an appointment with an expert on DP, hopefully we can draw a conclusion. 
My son is taking yoga, exercising, praying and meditating on his own, we don't trust the experts. 
We know that it's a fact that he was outgoing, energetic, and lively. It all came to a screeching halt after taking Minocycline. Reading your positive outlook and witnessing him slowly coming back to himself is a true blessing. 
I've read every article I could get my hands on concerning DP; I can empathize how it consumes the human spirit. Yeah we wasted two months going to a psychologist who didn't have a clue.


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## FamofDP

Visual Dude said:


> Does he have any visual symptoms?


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## FamofDP

Yes he did but its gotten better, I took him to the eye specialist twice to check for nerve damage, all was negative findings


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## BusyBee

I have not had experience with this medication however a good thing to remember is that depersonalisation is a relitively common symptoms of many medications and drugs (prescription or otherwise) which proves that it is caused by chemical changes. My mother suffereda spell of it after taking strong antibiotics and so did an old collegue on strong painkillers which she was using to treat nerve damage.

I too am only young (I was very ill during my 21st birthday, just over a year ago) and doctors have finally guessed, after extensive tests proving that i'm in top tip health, that I am suffering from stress- I very much expect that the depersonalisation is because of the chemical changes to my body caused by the stress reaction rather than the emotional damage.

Therefore from my experience I would recommend looking for other therapies that may help to re-balance these chemicals rather than spend money on therapists that deal only with emotional damage.

It is however likely that your son could benefit from some sort of talk therapy to help him come to terms with whats happened to him- I am personally struggling more with the shock of losing the life I knew that I am from the past experiences which probably caused this.

I hope this helps put both your minds at ease and I wish you the best of luck.


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## LiveLife30

FamofDP said:


> Our story began with the perscription drug Minocycline, which was prescribed to my son for acne when he was 17 years old. He only took about six of the tablets, and within a four weeks time he had to admit himself into the psych ward and was diagnosed as having a Major depressive Episode (he turned 18 while in the hospital)
> 
> We had no idea that Minocycline was known to cause depersonalization. He continues to suffer, even though its been over a year since he was hospitilized.
> 
> I'll make the story short but would like to know if anyone out there has suffered from Minocycline side affects similiar as my son.
> He was a star athelete, college student, martial arts, and doing things teenagers do, But now he stays at home and rarely does any of the things a young man would be doing at this time in his life.
> 
> We just fired the Psychologist who didnt have a clue and are looking for one who specializes in depersonalization....


omg... Hi, please reply to this. i was on minocycline 200mg per day for my acne for a 2 week period, I started them at the end on January, now my whole life is different. I now have Derealization and had depersonalization for awhile but managed to get over it. I have so much anxiety its scary. This derealization has brought on visual problems, ive got eye floaters, and everything appears to be shimmering, like little dots too small to pinpoint, this may be visual static but it seems to be not as bad. Before i took one of those pills i was a completely different person, I was so happy and didnt have a worry in the world, aside from my acne. How is your son doing, did he have any of these visual problems, it seems like we are going through something similar. yah im depressed have anxiety dr etc all because of these tablets, i am 100% certain that if i did not take these i would be nowhere near this position. sometimes i dont know what to do and have no hope for anything anymore, I have no life anymore, i am just living out my teenage years in a hope that i get better, ive had mri eeg everything done, been to a neurologist who did nothing but tell me i may have hppd but i have never even touched a drug in my life, i told him dr would be a more likely cause and he kinda dismissed it, i just dont know what to do anymore, i feel for your son as this is just no way to live life. plz let me know how he is doing as any sign of recovery is yet to be seen for me and its been a `solid`6 months


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## Fleurs_Du_Mal

Hi there ok I have a huge thing on this.

My sister took these tablets for 5 months and one day started to exerience depersonalization from nowhere , no anxiety no anything. She was too scared to tell my parents her symptons due to the fact saying these out loud can make you sound pretty crazy she was on minocin but I think it could be a generic of the tablets in question.
she stopped taking the tablets after 5 months and for the next 4-5 months it gradually lessened.

only from this story and reading it did she ever even tell me she had gone through this as she felt it was something she didnt want to speak about as she was only 16 at the time but she wants me to tell you.

if you need to talk to me message me and I could get her to contact you.


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## forestx5

Dear FamofDP,
Your son is fortunate to have a mother who is concerned with his health. Your emotional support will mean
a lot in regards to his ability to cope with his issues.
Best wishes for you and your son.


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## Guest

forestx5 said:


> Dear FamofDP,
> Your son is fortunate to have a mother who is concerned with his health. Your emotional support will mean
> a lot in regards to his ability to cope with his issues.
> Best wishes for you and your son.


Agreed. Unfortunately this is indeed a known side-effect of Minocycline. Other antibiotics as well. You are a wonderful Mom.

My sense is to get ahold of articles regarding this occurence. It should be known by dermatologists and some other good doctors. You should have a dermatologist confirm the suspected cause and have your son see a psychiatrist with this information in hand. I see someone had another article, and I have one somewhere else.

My understanding is that the DP/DR will fade after a time, sometimes immediately, sometimes it lasts longer. Your love and support is very valuable. I'm definitely with Forest on this.

It also may take some therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for your son to deal with the cycle of fear that comes with it. If a psychologist doesn't understand, get as many other opinions as you can.

Best of luck.

D


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## Guest

Here is a well known Medical Journal article on the topic. Print this out and hand it to an MD Psychiatrist. NOT a psychologist.

*VERY best of luck to you.* Keep us posted. So sorry this has happened. You might want to contact the author at the University of Houston.

Any good doctor would have internet access to the full article. This is in a Dermatology Journal dated 2004.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=minocycline+depersonalization

Also, consult with a pharmacist who will give you the complete pamphlet on the medication and discuss this side-effect with him/her and inform the doctor.

*South Med J. 2004 Jan;97(1):70-3.*
Medication-associated depersonalization symptoms: report of transient depersonalization symptoms induced by minocycline.
Cohen PR.

*Source*
University of Houston Health Center, Department of Dermatology, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.

[email protected] <----- strange email, but it may still work?

*Abstract*
"Patients with depersonalization disorder experience episodes in which they have a feeling of detachment from themselves. Symptoms of depersonalization may occur in individuals who have other mental disorders, or who have various medical conditions, or who have taken certain medications.

A woman developed depersonalization symptoms after initiation of minocycline therapy. Her symptoms ceased after treatment was stopped and recurred when she restarted the drug.

Medications that have been associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization are presented and the postulated pathogenesis by which some of these drugs induced depersonalization symptoms is discussed. Medication-associated depersonalization symptoms typically resolve once the inducing drug has been withdrawn."

*PMID:
14746427
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]*


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## Henkie

@Dreamer Why do you advice this mother to take her son to see a psychiatrist and not a psychologist? I am questioning this because psychiatrist write out psychiatric meds that can also induce dp/dr and if dp/dr is already present the meds can make it a lot worse. Psychiatric meds or antibiotica are a lot like playing Russian roulette. Dangerous and not to be taken lightly. Be careful with the kind of advice you provide.



Dreamer* said:


> Here is a well known Medical Journal article on the topic. Print this out and hand it to an MD Psychiatrist. NOT a psychologist.*VERY best of luck to you.* Keep us posted. So sorry this has happened. You might want to contact the author at the University of Houston.Any good doctor would have internet access to the full article. This is in a Dermatology Journal dated 2004. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=minocycline+depersonalization Also, consult with a pharmacist who will give you the complete pamphlet on the medication and discuss this side-effect with him/her and inform the doctor.*South Med J. 2004 Jan;97(1):70-3.*Medication-associated depersonalization symptoms: report of transient depersonalization symptoms induced by minocycline.Cohen PR. *Source*University of Houston Health Center, Department of Dermatology, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, TX, USA. [email protected] <----- strange email, but it may still work? *Abstract*"Patients with depersonalization disorder experience episodes in which they have a feeling of detachment from themselves. Symptoms of depersonalization may occur in individuals who have other mental disorders, or who have various medical conditions, or who have taken certain medications. A woman developed depersonalization symptoms after initiation of minocycline therapy. Her symptoms ceased after treatment was stopped and recurred when she restarted the drug. Medications that have been associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization are presented and the postulated pathogenesis by which some of these drugs induced depersonalization symptoms is discussed. Medication-associated depersonalization symptoms typically resolve once the inducing drug has been withdrawn." *PMID:14746427[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]*


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## Guest

Henkie said:


> @Dreamer Why do you advice this mother to take her son to see a psychiatrist and not a psychologist? I am questioning this because psychiatrist write out psychiatric meds that can also induce dp/dr and if dp/dr is already present the meds can make it a lot worse. Psychiatric meds or antibiotica are a lot like playing Russian roulette. Dangerous and not to be taken lightly. Be careful with the kind of advice you provide.


I recommend a MEDICAL doctor only for a clear diagnosis. This seems to be medically induced. A psychiatrist would not force medication -- if you disagree with any doctor you don't need to do what he or she recommends -- I have refused to take certain medicines and fired psychiatrist, psychologists, and other doctors.

A psychologist would then follow up. A good psychiatrist will also require a full medical exam -- blood work, etc. Most psychiatrists then recommend therapists. Things have changed. I see a resident psychiatrist 2 times a year. I have a therapist who is an ACSW.

*I suggested she consult a pharmacist and the dermatologist re: this COMMON side effect. I suggested she EMAIL the dermatologist who wrote the article or contact the University of Houston.*

This woman does not need to take my advice, either.

She is obviously intelligent and caring. No doctor could force anything on anyone. This is a young person. His mother is his advocate. Most parents I know avoid psychiatric medication. It is possible however that a medication like Klonopin can kick-start some improvement, then therapy would be very effective.

Every case is unique.

Give this woman some credit for being an intelligent and conerned parent. Whatever she chooses to do she will make an informed decision base on all the options offered to her. I have an oncologist who wishes I would continue an anti-cancer medication that gives me bad side-effects. I have chosen to stop taking it. It is my body, my right. He isn't shoving the pills down my throat. HE may be concerned, but it is my body. A doctor is your EMPLOYEE. You can hire and fire. If you don't like your hair stylist you can do the same. No one is forcing anyone to do anything here.

This is the internet. Others here could recommend that he stand on his head and throw salt over his left shoulder.

My advice is not being forced on her. It is an option.

I told her to contact the DERMATOLOGIST who wrote the article.

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or any other medical professional. Do not take my advice as a substitute for profesisonal advice or counseling.*

I wish we could hear back from her to see how things are going. Perhaps her son has recovered by now. I hope that is the case.


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## mrsbusch

I am so glad that I found this thread and I hope that your son is doing well.

My 14 year old daughter started taking Minocycline a few months ago to help with her acne and she just came to me yesterday in tears that she was feeling very sad and very depressed (extremely unusual for my daughter). She is normally very happy and a straight A honor student.

My husband is also a Manic Depressive so at this point I am extremely concerned and have made a doctor appt but I also made her stop the acne medication until we can figure out what is going on - very difficult and concerning position to be in


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## Guest

mrsbusch said:


> I am so glad that I found this thread and I hope that your son is doing well.
> 
> My 14 year old daughter started taking Minocycline a few months ago to help with her acne and she just came to me yesterday in tears that she was feeling very sad and very depressed (extremely unusual for my daughter). She is normally very happy and a straight A honor student.
> 
> My husband is also a Manic Depressive so at this point I am extremely concerned and have made a doctor appt but I also made her stop the acne medication until we can figure out what is going on - very difficult and concerning position to be in


Mrs. Busch,

Glad you are not alone. I don't believe the original poster has reported back in.

Best of luck with your daughter. Again, you are a concerned and loving mom and that is of great help.

LC


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## Echoe

I'm taking deoxycycline for acne and I think it can make you feel worse sometimes.


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## smileygal

HELP ME! i'm currently taking minocycline for about 4 months now and i've started feeling nauseous initailly, before getting really depressed. at first i thought it might be the stress i get from school but after reading this article, it seems like minocycline is really the main cause because i cry over nothing, and the fact that i cry over nothing makes me extremely suicidal (because there is no reason for me to cry). and the detachment for reality and my own body parts (i feel that my brain is not part of me) really drives me insane, because i am so conscious and knowingly know all these things are happening so i can't be crazy and i thought i was. my dad was the one who found out that minocycline caused depersonalization and i thought it was something that, once i recognized it as being the side effect of minocycline, i can just overcome it by recognizing that its' just a side effect. yet i get increasingly depressed and suicidal and now i don't know if there are other alternatives to cure my acne. the thing is, i asked my dermatologist if there were any side effects of minocycline and he insisted that there is none, and that some people complained of minor headaches but he wants me to continue taking even if i had a headache. what are the alternatives that you may have? i don't know if i should continue taking the meds.


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## Guest

smileygal said:


> HELP ME! i'm currently taking minocycline for about 4 months now and i've started feeling nauseous initailly, before getting really depressed. at first i thought it might be the stress i get from school but after reading this article, it seems like minocycline is really the main cause because i cry over nothing, and the fact that i cry over nothing makes me extremely suicidal (because there is no reason for me to cry). and the detachment for reality and my own body parts (i feel that my brain is not part of me) really drives me insane, because i am so conscious and knowingly know all these things are happening so i can't be crazy and i thought i was. my dad was the one who found out that minocycline caused depersonalization and i thought it was something that, once i recognized it as being the side effect of minocycline, i can just overcome it by recognizing that its' just a side effect. yet i get increasingly depressed and suicidal and now i don't know if there are other alternatives to cure my acne. the thing is, i asked my dermatologist if there were any side effects of minocycline and he insisted that there is none, and that some people complained of minor headaches but he wants me to continue taking even if i had a headache. what are the alternatives that you may have? i don't know if i should continue taking the meds.


SmileyGal,

I would definitely stop taking that medication. If you're having bad side-effects, refer your dermatologist to the medical articles that have been posted. Dermatologists are aware of this. And it is also known that some people have odd reactions to antibiotics -- DP/DR from them. Quite a few people have come through this forum with such stories.

Nothing negative will happen if you go off the medication -- I don't think cold-turkey would be a problem. Can you tell your parents what is going on? If you are feeling suicidal that is pretty brutal. I'm not a doctor, and don't know what's happening, but this dermatologist is insensitive to say the least.

If this is something new that started when you started the medication, it should fade if you go off. That is what is indicated in the study.

The post is a page back I believe.

Good Luck.

You NEVER need to stay on a medicaiton a doctor has prescribed though you obviously need to find out -- from a pharmacist also -- if going cold-turkey is a good or bad idea. Pharamcists are great with stuff -- at least I've had that experience. They know when it's a bad or good idea. They deal with meds all the time.


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## Guest

Anyone having this problem -- if one started having DP after minocycline or other antibiotics -- it's even in Wikipedia.

Print out this information. They should be aware of this. Shame on them for not being informed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minocycline

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=minocycline+depersonalization


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## selfid

minocycline to me has been a miracle drug,after years of psychiatry not feeling understood and being quite anxious without positive signs of schizofrenia but surely chaotic due to adhd I read an article of a japanese experiment with minocycline where test subjects made better decisions while on te drug. I googled more on the subject and just took the risk and started my own experiment i must say it's a life saver I am confident I can function now more then ever in my life,about the tears and emotional part i can relate to also, my guess is that minocycline's neuroprotective effect made me more conscious of aspects of my personal life which are for the least very troublesome.,I suspect that i might be a host to some virus or bacteria that made me quite lethargic and anxious but I am sure I can't mobilize any medic experts to do any extensive test,what I am afraid of is that once i stop the medication whatever disrupted my functioning will hit full force resulting in a mental ward resort.I will take the necessary measures as I have a months supply left,I will take a break for a while as I am not someone who likes to take meds on a long term.


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## AlmostEasy

selfid said:


> minocycline to me has been a miracle drug,after years of psychiatry not feeling understood and being quite anxious without positive signs of schizofrenia but surely chaotic due to adhd I read an article of a japanese experiment with minocycline where test subjects made better decisions while on te drug. I googled more on the subject and just took the risk and started my own experiment i must say it's a life saver I am confident I can function now more then ever in my life,about the tears and emotional part i can relate to also, my guess is that minocycline's neuroprotective effect made me more conscious of aspects of my personal life which are for the least very troublesome.,I suspect that i might be a host to some virus or bacteria that made me quite lethargic and anxious but I am sure I can't mobilize any medic experts to do any extensive test,what I am afraid of is that once i stop the medication whatever disrupted my functioning will hit full force resulting in a mental ward resort.I will take the necessary measures as I have a months supply left,I will take a break for a while as I am not someone who likes to take meds on a long term.


This is huge. There are some major overlapping symptoms in Negative/Cognitive Schizophrenia and DP/DR. There is a theory that Schizophrenia stems from neural inflammation and like this person points out and Minocycline has had a huge impact on people with these disconnection from ones self/reality type problems.


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## chloe_03

Hi !

I am a 22 year old woman that's in the same situation than your son.
I have now been depersonnalized for 9 months, following a minocycline treatment of 3.5 months. In my case, the symptoms of amplified anxiety and dp appeared gradually... Then, I noticed how anxious, depressed and depersonnalized I had become (it was too late) and stopped the treatment.

Since then, I went to a specialist in dissociation, but he was not very familiar with chronic depersonalization itself.
I have tried different medications, and the only one that seemed to bring me back to my normal state was Clonazepam ( a benzodiapezine ), which I had to stop, because it cannot be a long-term treatment to this condition. Other than that medication, I have tried Lamotrigine, citalopram, paxil, seroquel, gabapentin, etc.

I recently have tried hospitalization ( which did not help that much ) because the staff there ( all psychiatrists ) were not familiar with this condition. I even did a presentation of my whole case in front of the department of psychiatry, and nobody had a clue of what could help me.

I am now trying wellbutrin, and it seems to help a bit.

Next week I am going to see a bacteriologist, with documentation on the case ( because we are not alone, other people got this condition from minocycline ) to try to get to the bottom of this. I reported my case to Health Canada, and will call the company of the product to report this.

I will say I know how your son is feeling, and how hard it is.I live it everyday too. He is not alone, and there is still hope.
We should try our best and keep on researching because I see hope in my case and in your son's case too.
I recently had a bit of therapy and I had a moment when I could start to feel my body again which was GREAT.
Also, during the nine months of DP, I experienced comebacks ( moments when I went back to my old self completely ! ) Unfortunately, they only lasted 3 hours each time, but to me that is a sign that our innerselves/personnalities are still there, we just have to find a way to make them come out !

I still have not tried long term therapy, but some specialized therapies might help.

If you are with me on this, I suggest we keep contact on how things are evolving in our cases. I maybe could get some light from the appointment with the bacteriologist. I don't know where you guys are, but I live in montreal, and am actively searching for good therapists that are familiar with the condition (which is important).

If I find anything I will let you know !

Keep strong,

Chloe.


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## FamofDP

Chloe thanks for sharing your condition with us. even though years have passed, it seems like only yesterday that my son collapsed in my arms, in tears trying to explain what he was going through. Imagine a 17 year old kid telling his father that "he just can't take it anymore "

We've been through the gauntlet of doctors and specialist, most seem dumbfounded or bewildered; especially after I present the day by day, minute by minute sufferings that my son went through after ingesting Minocycline.

The first time he took the drug he suffered dizziness, of which we thought it was due to a cold. If only I'd known that we were beginning a spiral into the abyss of a life changing event.

He was only a teen, young energetic, several friends, recently graduated from High school, drivers license, etc.

We've been to:

1. Neurologist

2. Gastroenterologist

3. Forensic psychologist

4. Psychiatrist

5. Psychologists

6. Pulmonologist

7. Medical doctor

8. Acupuncture

The list of test and blood work will dazzle you, but none have, attempted to investigate Minocycline, or verbally tell us that they've took the time to research case studies. This is why I bring up the subject every chance I get, when we encounter a doctor, specialist, or anyone associated with the medical field.

He now see's a psychiatrist and psychologist he's taking Zoloft, but we are very afraid of medication. It's extremely hard to take a drug to fix the problem that another drug has caused, especially when you're talking about psychiatric medications.

My son has gained back the thirty pounds, has girlfriend, and is back in college. However he's still not the same vibrant guy that he used to be, he works out but gets tired fast, doesn't run anymore, shows flashes of his old self. He really likes his psychologist which was a shock to me. Through this entire event, God has been our mainstay, we've had church members to pray for him and kept faith in God, It's made a difference.

I will pray for you Chloe, my heart cries for you and those who are suffering, and have no place to turn, or anyone who understands their plight. I understand completely what you're going through. By the way I submitted the report to the FDA the day my son was released from the hospital.


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## texas2006

Holy crap... I am surprised I just found this article. I was on minocycline for about a year and a half and noticed I started to become depressed over time during the course of the treatment. I ended up smoking pot while on Minocycline and have been in lala land ever since (vivid dreams, dreamlike state, difficulty concentrating). I'm not sure if minocycline had anything to do with it, but based on your post it sounds like I created multiple overlapping opportunities to develop this problem.

I hope your son is doing better although it doesn't sound like he's completely made it back. I have now had this condition for 10 years and successfully managed an engineering degree with the help of dexedrine (which actually helped my DP/DR for some reason).

Anyways, best of luck and god bless.


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## chloe_03

Hi guys ! I just want to say that i am fully recovered from dp that was induced by minocycline. And my dp was SO bad. So don't give up, you can fully recover. I'll be back with more tips on how to recover but most important thing that helped me through this is : live as if you did not have it. this saved me.


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## mallyss

I cannot believe what this drug has done to myself and others. I have been experiencing depression and depersonalization for almost a month now after I took only 20 pills. These symptoms have started months after I stopped taking the pills. Reading all of these stories blows my mind and is making me try to cope. My mother came across this discussion and I about collapsed realizing that I wasn't alone and that I wasn't crazy for feeling this way. To your son, it breaks my heart. It breaks for him and myself because I am really hoping that one day it'll be okay.

I was fine while I was taking it until I had an allergic reaction to it and had hives about two months ago. I stopped taking it soon after, but physical reactions continued when I stopped taking the pills. I was a nanny for a family and I started to notice while I was with the children one day that my joints were hurting. I could not move my wrists and thumbs suddenly. Days pass and I assumed that I was in pain because of working out at the gym, but then one day I sat with the children by the pool and both of my knee joints completely locked along with my right hip and I could not walk. It was excruciating pain. The sun had some effect on me with the medication that at the time I stopped taking two weeks prior. My joint pains last for over a month. I lost the nanny position and could not find work for the summer. Mentally at the time I was fine and felt like myself. The fact that I was feeling physical symptoms for week after I stopped taking it lets me know this can definitely stay in your system for a long time.

A month and a half passes, I meet my current boyfriend and 3 weeks into our relationship I started experiencing these symptoms of depression. I went from head over heels for this person, on cloud nine every single day...and then suddenly I am overwhelmed by feelings of distance from those closest to me. Everything felt dreamlike. We are approaching two months together and I have not felt the same about my life. I am 23, a dedicated college student, hard worker and have always been a vibrant person for the most part. I feel like all of these feelings of depersonalization and depression are unlike me. I want my life back.

Reading all these stories gives me mixed feelings. I wonder if I'll ever be able to feel love and yearn for it again. I am with a wonderful person that I knew the day I met I wanted to be with for a very long time. I went on a three day streak of feeling normal and feeling love again. Last night the world came crumbing down again as I started to feel distant from the world again. I thought it was over, but I was wrong. I hold onto what I felt before for this person. I have to remember that the love I've experienced in my life makes the world go round even when I feel so distant. This is true torture. We have all been undeserving of such a problem. I try to explain my situation to others and no one understands. I have been trying to cope by what I have been actually learning in my a personality psychology class that I am currently taking. When I feel overwhelmed by these feelings I have to not focus on not thinking about them or making sure I keep busy. I marinate in them and have to make the decision that I'm going to do something good for myself. It feels temporary but I am hoping something sticks and I am able to be myself again. My boyfriend is very supportive, but whatever I am feeling conflicts with my authentic self. I keep wondering if truly is myself or something that is going on between us. That is the problem. I feel like my world is mixed and I can't tell the difference from my authentic self and the one that is in a daze all the time because of this drug. I bring my relationship with my boyfriend up because prior to all of this I was fine. As a young adult my life has been finally coming together and now I feel like I'm having it robbed from me. Without this drug in my system I would have everything going my way. It's truly sad to see my family see me suffer as well. They know what kind of person I truly am, but don't understand my situation fully. I have been feeling very alone and it doesn't help my depression.

I went to my general physician and she had heard of these kind of effects, but said that she had never heard of this lasting as long as it has for me. She also said the minocycline is out of my system and I really just thought I was hearing something she wasn't knowledgeable on. It was very irritating and discomforting.

I am trying to cope by understanding that this is a side effect. I have to have faith that I and all of us will find our way to our authentic selves and be fine again.

To those that find their way here trying to understand what is going on with their body, we all have to know that we're not alone. You're not insane, because truly, that's how I felt. This is real.


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## Noooooope

..


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## K6746765

I have been going through something very similar. I am 24 & was prescribed Minocycline (a very evil drug) for my cystic acne back in November. Within just a couple days something terrible happened...and it happened so quick. Something just clicked...and then all of the sudden I started to have the most awful thoughts (obsessive compulsive thoughts) that I have ever had in my entire life. And these thoughts aren't thoughts that I've had before. It's not like I've had them before & the Minocycline is just making them worse...they are terrible, sickening thoughts that literally came out of nowhere. I cried hysterically countless times a day. When I first started taking them, I was also taking birth control at the same time. And when the terrible thoughts & severe depression started, I blamed it on the BC and stopped taking it immediately. However, 2 weeks later, the thoughts, awful sick feeling, and depression were still extremely strong so I knew it wasn't the BC. I just kept hoping & praying that the BC would leave my system completely and I would feel like myself again, but that did not happen. The depression was taking over my life. I didn't get out of bed any earlier than noon for 3 weeks and was afraid to do anything on my own. I would even have my boyfriend (of 8 years) stay upstairs with me while I was showering and using the bathroom. I was terrified to be alone with my thoughts. I was so extremely panicky & my heart would race a mile a minute the second that I opened my eyes every morning. The thoughts started immediately. Just knowing what my day was going to be filled with made me want to curl up in a ball & never open my eyes ever again. I would not wish ANY of this on my worst enemy. My appetite was nonexistent...I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I had awful stomach pains and everything that I ate made me nauseous. And also, while all of these terrible things were going on in my head for 3 weeks, my skin was also unbelievably dry and itchy...from head to toe. The very bottoms of my feet & palms would itch for hours. My back would itch so bad...and when I would scratch it, my whole back would turn bright red and I had welts from scratching because my skin was so sensitive. I really just thought that I was so dry and itchy because the weather was changing. For 3 weeks I never thought that the Minocycline had anything to do with what was happening to me. I was so desperate for my skin to clear up that it had never even occurred to me that I was severely allergic to the Minocycline. Until, I went to stay with my mom for the weekend because the depression was too much for me to handle. I needed to see her. I expalined everything and she saw my skin and how badly I was itching. She's a nurse & said "oh my God, you're allergic to this stuff!!!!" And she flushed it all down the toilet immediately. I had no idea. Those 3 weeks were a living hell. And after that, the thoughts subsided for just a couple days, if that. It is now almost February and the thoughts & feeling of hopelessness will not leave. Minocycline, that awful, life ruining poison, has destroyed my happiness. I have so many amazing things happening in my life right now but this drug has done something so terrible to my mind & emotions. I would do anything to feel like myself again. I just want to feel how I did back in the beginning of November before I ever took that first mind-altering poison. I want to be happy again and feel all the things that I felt before. I want to be "me" again. How do I make it all stop? Please......


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## mikezwil

Hi everyone I started taking minocycline exactly a year ago and a week after taking 100mg twice a day I started feeling like I was just floating around not in my body anymore then the anxiety and obsessive thoughts followed. I couldn't even walk and barely had an appetite for the first few weeks these problems started I sometimes feel better but for the most part I'm miserable everyday worrying about nothing and having crazy irrational thoughts and here I am a year later back at square one I was feeling a little better finally last week and now I feel the exact same way I did a year ago I could really you any information if anyone felt the same way and had overcome these problems yet I would really appreciate it so much and I hope you're son is doing even better from the last time you posted famofDP


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## mikezwil

chloe_03 said:


> Hi guys ! I just want to say that i am fully recovered from dp that was induced by minocycline. And my dp was SO bad. So don't give up, you can fully recover. I'll be back with more tips on how to recover but most important thing that helped me through this is : live as if you did not have it. this saved me.


 can you please help me with some of the ways you have overcome this I'm hopeless and desperate to be back to myself again and I'm so happy for you that you are feeling yourself again


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## Shamle

Hi,

My name is Shamira. I have read your post so many times because I can't believe someone else experienced the same thing as I did. It's been about 6 years since I was given Minocycline. I'm 32 now, I was an actress my whole life, I had the lead in several college performances and was about to receive my BFA in Theatre with a concentration in acting, and then in one day all of that felt like it was erased from my life. I have sworn that drug ruined my body and life. I was given Minocycline for a laser skin procedure to prevent blistering. After taking it I had severe vertigo, I started losing my sense of self. I started feeling depressed. I was told it wasn't the antibiotic, that it can't do that, so I thought ok maybe it's just winter blues or something. But it got much worse. I became so incredibly disoriented, I couldn't leave my house. I just wanted to clear up some acne, I had no idea it would kill my soul.

As an actress I had been trained to be aware of every part of my body. The teachers would tell us we have to be convincing the audience while knowing even what our little pinky toe is doing at the same time. It's a very surreal feeling. I was always a very grounded person physically. I always did body checks to make sure I was aligned because of dance training. But after taking that antibiotic, I couldn't figure out my body anymore.

It was devastating. Not only that, no one knew anything or heard anything about minocycline doing that. Basically I was sent to the emergency room several times but there was no reason for what I was experiencing that they could find based on basically just a blood test. Which led them to believe it was psychological...I was forced to volunteer into a psych ward or else I would be forced as involuntary which would have meant the doctors would have had all the control in how long I stayed there. The nurse in the ER actually told me that. That was the worst night of my life. 
Since then I felt I had to just suck it up and figure it out on my own. I was too scared of the system at that point to trust any doctors.
I quit acting, dancing, I don't even workout anymore. I couldnt even sing normal anymore, my breathing was different, I stopped socializing. I lost all my drive. I lost the best years of my life! The 20s are supposed to be the best years, right? I will never get that time back. That medicine maybe kills bad bacteria in the skin but it also definitely kills something in the body that we actually need.

I really would like to know how you and your son are doing after all these years? Please reach out to me. I want to fight back and get justice for what the drug is doing to people because I know it's not just me.

Thanks,
Shamira


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## Shamle

I can't believe how many of you there are. I thought I was ALL ALONE in this. I don't know how to even feel right now. I gave up looking for answers years ago. I had no family, no friends, no one believed me. No one in my life believes me still. Can someone help me? Have any of you taken part in any class action law suits?


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## Shamle

mallyss said:


> I cannot believe what this drug has done to myself and others. I have been experiencing depression and depersonalization for almost a month now after I took only 20 pills. These symptoms have started months after I stopped taking the pills. Reading all of these stories blows my mind and is making me try to cope. My mother came across this discussion and I about collapsed realizing that I wasn't alone and that I wasn't crazy for feeling this way. To your son, it breaks my heart. It breaks for him and myself because I am really hoping that one day it'll be okay.
> 
> I was fine while I was taking it until I had an allergic reaction to it and had hives about two months ago. I stopped taking it soon after, but physical reactions continued when I stopped taking the pills. I was a nanny for a family and I started to notice while I was with the children one day that my joints were hurting. I could not move my wrists and thumbs suddenly. Days pass and I assumed that I was in pain because of working out at the gym, but then one day I sat with the children by the pool and both of my knee joints completely locked along with my right hip and I could not walk. It was excruciating pain. The sun had some effect on me with the medication that at the time I stopped taking two weeks prior. My joint pains last for over a month. I lost the nanny position and could not find work for the summer. Mentally at the time I was fine and felt like myself. The fact that I was feeling physical symptoms for week after I stopped taking it lets me know this can definitely stay in your system for a long time.
> 
> A month and a half passes, I meet my current boyfriend and 3 weeks into our relationship I started experiencing these symptoms of depression. I went from head over heels for this person, on cloud nine every single day...and then suddenly I am overwhelmed by feelings of distance from those closest to me. Everything felt dreamlike. We are approaching two months together and I have not felt the same about my life. I am 23, a dedicated college student, hard worker and have always been a vibrant person for the most part. I feel like all of these feelings of depersonalization and depression are unlike me. I want my life back.
> 
> Reading all these stories gives me mixed feelings. I wonder if I'll ever be able to feel love and yearn for it again. I am with a wonderful person that I knew the day I met I wanted to be with for a very long time. I went on a three day streak of feeling normal and feeling love again. Last night the world came crumbing down again as I started to feel distant from the world again. I thought it was over, but I was wrong. I hold onto what I felt before for this person. I have to remember that the love I've experienced in my life makes the world go round even when I feel so distant. This is true torture. We have all been undeserving of such a problem. I try to explain my situation to others and no one understands. I have been trying to cope by what I have been actually learning in my a personality psychology class that I am currently taking. When I feel overwhelmed by these feelings I have to not focus on not thinking about them or making sure I keep busy. I marinate in them and have to make the decision that I'm going to do something good for myself. It feels temporary but I am hoping something sticks and I am able to be myself again. My boyfriend is very supportive, but whatever I am feeling conflicts with my authentic self. I keep wondering if truly is myself or something that is going on between us. That is the problem. I feel like my world is mixed and I can't tell the difference from my authentic self and the one that is in a daze all the time because of this drug. I bring my relationship with my boyfriend up because prior to all of this I was fine. As a young adult my life has been finally coming together and now I feel like I'm having it robbed from me. Without this drug in my system I would have everything going my way. It's truly sad to see my family see me suffer as well. They know what kind of person I truly am, but don't understand my situation fully. I have been feeling very alone and it doesn't help my depression.
> 
> I went to my general physician and she had heard of these kind of effects, but said that she had never heard of this lasting as long as it has for me. She also said the minocycline is out of my system and I really just thought I was hearing something she wasn't knowledgeable on. It was very irritating and discomforting.
> 
> I am trying to cope by understanding that this is a side effect. I have to have faith that I and all of us will find our way to our authentic selves and be fine again.
> 
> To those that find their way here trying to understand what is going on with their body, we all have to know that we're not alone. You're not insane, because truly, that's how I felt. This is real.


This is real, girl. You are not alone in this.


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## Shamle

Hi,

My name is Shamira. I have read your post so many times because I can't believe someone else experienced the same thing as I did. It's been about 6 years since I was given Minocycline. I'm 32 now, I was an actress my whole life, I had the lead in several college performances and was about to receive my BFA in Theatre with a concentration in acting, and then in one day all of that felt like it was erased from my life. I have sworn that drug ruined my body and life. I was given Minocycline for a laser skin procedure to prevent blistering. After taking it I had severe vertigo, I started losing my sense of self. I started feeling depressed. I was told it wasn't the antibiotic, that it can't do that, so I thought ok maybe it's just winter blues or something. But it got much worse. I became so incredibly disoriented, I couldn't leave my house. I just wanted to clear up some acne, I had no idea it would kill my soul.

As an actress I had been trained to be aware of every part of my body. The teachers would tell us we have to be convincing the audience while knowing even what our little pinky toe is doing at the same time. It's a very surreal feeling. I was always a very grounded person physically. I always did body checks to make sure I was aligned because of dance training. But after taking that antibiotic, I couldn't figure out my body anymore.

It was devastating. Not only that, no one knew anything or heard anything about minocycline doing that. Basically I was sent to the emergency room several times but there was no reason for what I was experiencing that they could find based on basically just a blood test. Which led them to believe it was psychological...I was forced to volunteer into a psych ward or else I would be forced as involuntary which would have meant the doctors would have had all the control in how long I stayed there. The nurse in the ER actually told me that. That was the worst night of my life. 
Since then I felt I had to just suck it up and figure it out on my own. I was too scared of the system at that point to trust any doctors.
I quit acting, dancing, I don't even workout anymore. I couldnt even sing normal anymore, my breathing was different, I stopped socializing. I lost all my drive. I lost the best years of my life! The 20s are supposed to be the best years, right? I will never get that time back. That medicine maybe kills bad bacteria in the skin but it also definitely kills something in the body that we actually need.

I really would like to know how you and your son are doing after all these years? Please reach out to me. I want to fight back and get justice for what the drug is doing to people because I know it's not just me.

Please email me if anyone is interested in taking part in a class action lawsuit or if you have already done so:

[email protected]


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## Pondererer

FamofDP said:


> We just fired the Psychologist who didnt have a clue and are looking for one who specializes in depersonalization....


Good for you man, so many people just whine and complain about that, without further action.


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## rob35235

Antibiotics in general are known triggers of depersonalization and derealization. The medical community is aloof at best about this. It's almost like a cruel joke. I remember back when I first got DP, some lady on Youtube (when Youtube was brand new) was on there talking about how Tequin (a fluoroquinolone antibiotic) had induced her DP. Tequin was later removed from the market, but Fluoroquinolone's are still widely used... Cipro, Levaquin, etc. Very dangerous drugs, and not just because they cause DP. The only anti-biotic I will take, and only if it's absolutely necessary, is Amoxicillin, which has a minimal impact on my DP. I would rather die than take a cycline or floroquinolone.


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