Please Assist- Has Anyone got Modic Changes in their Spine & tried Dr Hannah's antibiotic protocol (MAST)?

Thanks fantastic news that the antibiotics are working, i was the same and didn't notice any changes until week 13, unfortunately i had stupidly stopped the a/b just before, having given up. My pain then returned after 2 good weeks. My specialist has reluctantly agreed to let me try them again and this time i will complete the whole course. As a matter of interest Maggieolan and gilly46441 what dose were you taking?

Hi Karen , I took Co-Amoxiclav 625mgs three times a day, I think this is what is generally prescribed on this.Study, I think it is also know as Augmentin. Do preserve you have nothing to loose.

Hi there

Maggie- That so good to hear you are feeling little better, am sure it will continue to improve :-)

I am still not feeling any improvement, I have modic type 2 changes, maybe it will take a longer time. Am not sure what to do next because surgery is not an option as they said its not needed. I take pain killers daily. Exercise and physio makes me worse.

Jane MSH- did you start the antibiotics? what does your mri scan say apart from modic changes, does it say anything about annular tears or dessication or any thing else beside degeneration?

Thanks so much

Rosary

I am in the US and my surgeon discovered that I have Modic type 1 changes l5/s1 and wants to try the antibiotics based on a study done in the Netherlands. He wanted me to do research because he has not treated anyone like this before. He wants to give me minocycline; however, the side effects seem horrific!! He also put me on a very high dose of fish oil and although I didn't believe that it would relieve the pain, it has helped some. Has anyone had the minocycline and what reactions has anyone had? I am 39 and not willing to live with this pain for another 40 years!!!

Any advice would be very helpful. Thank you

Hi Kimberly,

I am currently taking co-amoxyclav for type 1 modic changes L5/S1 which is the antibiotic used in the study. I am not aware of any studies using minocyline, but this may because minocycline also has anti inflammatory actions which may distought any studies.

It is used a lot for the treatment of acne caused by p acnes bacteria so it may work. You may find out more about the side effects on forums for acne sufferers using it. Maybe it's worth asking your surgeon why he wishes to use minocycline and not the antibiotic co-amoxyclav used in the study.

I have found the side effects on co-amoxyclav minimal, but i would strongly recommend taking a good pro biotic as well.

Good Luck from England.

Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for the input. He seemed to think that was the bacteria that is in my vertebrae although I'm not sure what makes him come to that conclusion. I will ask about the co-amoxyclav on my next visit. We are doing a facet rhizotomy to see if that clears up a lot of my pain first. If that doesn't work, this is the route that he would like to take; however, I would like to have the modic type 1 treated regardless bc everything that I have read leads me to believe that left untreated, it will advance to type 2. The side effects of minocycline are terrible and that is where I found them is on forums of acne sufferers.

Thank you for your thoughts on this.

Hi,

I have read many articles on the subject before embarking on MAST, this is a link to the site i found most informative.

http://www.necksolutions.com/modic-antibiotic-spinal-therapy.html

Hi all,

Diagnosed with Mobic type 1, and disc Resorption last week after getting an MRI in December.I'm 45 years had back pain for years intermittent, was very involved in competitive sport all my life which a lot of the time was curtailed by the back pain which was at times severe and constant.

This is what I found helped me took up hot yoga about 2 years ago which helped keep the muscles of the lower back stretched and strong which I practice at a studio 3-4 times weekly physical therapy to mobilise the soft tissue and joints. Dry needling of the trigger points which were mainly on the gluteul muscles and lumbar spine. Various other core exercises and specific stretches which I have found beneficial.

Today I'm pretty much asymptomatic, on a VAS scale would be 1 out of 10.

I am a physical therapist which helped with a lot of the treatment being able to perform myself, but I feel yoga and working with a good therapist should reduce the symptoms for anyone going through served pain. Please feel free to ask any questions regarding treatment and if I can help via this site would be glad to do so.

Hello,

I'm very interested in people's out come after taking the Augmentin. I too suffer with Modic type 1 changes

and have started the protocol at 500 mg x 3 a day. I reside in the U.S. and this treatment is virtually unknown (and untested) here in the USA. After trying cortisone injections in my L5 ( which made my pain worse!)

I decided to try the antibiotics next. My spine specialist would not prescribe so I went back to my GP who

thankfully is willing to have me try. I'm about 2 week into the antibiotic and have only some teeth and gum irritation as as side effect.

I am an avid exerciser and find bending at the waist (as in Yoga) is extremely painful for my hips/ lowback.

Interestingly enough in my younger years I suffered from a serious case of acne and even went as far as

taking 3 rounds of accutane to try and "cure" my acne. My back problems started not long after my accutane treatment. Anyone else suffer from acne in their younger years I wonder? Seems the acne bacteria made the way to my spine!

Anyway would love to hear from other back pain sufferers, and how this treatment works for them. I plan

on posting updates to this forum as my treatment progresses.

Cheers to All.

-Johnna

Hi Johnna,

I am in the UK, and am 4 weeks into the antibiotics, augmentin 500mg x 3. So far nothing except an upset stomach !! But sorted this out taking saccharomyces boulardii which has worked wonders for the AAD.

I am 47 years old and suffered from acne a lot, and even have flare ups to this day.

I wish you well and look fwd to hearing how you get on.

Karen

My name is Lee. I live in the USA. I have read the posts and want to convey the sorrow I feel while reading of the suffering and despair expressed here. I have suffered from back pain on and off for 20 years. I read about MAST last Summer and was able to take the treatment - doubled dosage and have experienced great improvement. I have created a website to help others learn about this treatment and if appropriate help them get the help they need. Although the bacteria which caused my bone edema has been removed from the affected disc, I now have the task of discovering how to reverse the damage to the surrounding vertebrae. I hope to do this with a community of people presently or formerly suffering from chronic back pain caused by Modic changes. Perhaps together we can get the word out and change the lives of millions as we help one another. Hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Lee

I posted earlier but it is was held back because I put a link in it. I wanted to post asap so as to give hope for those who are considering antibiotic treatment for low back pain. First, not all back pain will be cured with this treatment. Having said this I want to offer my own experience. I had a herniated disc that had been reinjured several times over a 20 year period. Before MAST I couldn't sleep nor sit at a desk for more than 30 minutes. AN MRI showed degenerative changes at L5-4 and L5-S1 with an anular tear at L4-5. No real evidence of foraminal stenosis or central stenosis. The spinal surgeon said I had Lumbago due to aging and referred me to the pain management clinic. Refusing to give up hope I found MAST in the internet and went to the local teaching hospital's medical spine clinic. I was fortunate to have found an open minded spine specialist who looked at the Journal article and was willing to give MAST a try. She also agreed to double the dosage of Axoxicillin Clavulanate. I completed the antibiotic treatment in Nov. 2013. In the beginning I had minor diarrhea the first couple of weeks but nothing serious. Midway through the 100 day period I had about 50% improvement. At the end I had about 60% improvement. Its been 7 months I believe I at 70%. I only have some stiffness in the morning but it goes away after an hour. The constant sharp stabbing pain is gone. I am able to sit at a desk for long periods without pain. I can lift 40 lb object without pain. I also have had no problems from taking so much antibiotics for 100 days. After the 100 day period I did take probiotics for 60 days to be sure. I truly believe this therapy works for some people but I had the symptoms described in the journal article and diligently followed the prescription without missing a dose as scheduled. See my profile for my website's link. Lee

Hi Lee

Thanks so much for posting your results. That is excellent news, I can imagine how happy and relieved you are. I have finished the 100 days in Dec 2013, but still no improvement. My MRI scan results are very similar to yours with an annular tear at L4 & L5. I am in constant pain-also cannot sit for long, but also cannot stand or walk for long too.

Please can you let us know if you have Modic type 1 or 2 changes?

And what were your symptoms before you started feeling better?

What other medication were you on?

Please can you send your website link again- think this site deletes all links?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks for the hope.

Rosary