(November 1, 2007 - Insidermedicine) Patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, should steer clear of the antibiotic, minocycline, because it may hasten the progress of the disease, according to research published in The Lancet Neurology.

This is what we already know about ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease:
•    It is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and muscle wasting. It affects as many as 30,000 mostly middle-aged Americans, most of whom are white males
•    When the brain cells die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. Patients in the later stages of the disease may become paralyzed
•    While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there is one approved drug and there are others currently in clinical trials, including minocycline

Minocycline, or minocin, is an antibiotic.  It has been shown to protect brain cells in laboratory animals with stroke, trauma, and brain-wasting disorders. Phase II trials have suggested that minocin could be used safely by patients with ALS.

On the basis of these preliminary results, researchers tested minocin as a treatment with ALS in more than 400 patients and compared their progress to patients on placebo.

Compared to the placebo-treated patients, those taking minocin deteriorated at a 25% faster rate according to the ALS functional rating scale. As a result, the researchers are reassessing the trials with minocin in other neurological diseases, such as Huntington’s disease, stroke, dementia, and multiple sclerosis.

While the initial symptoms of ALS can be quite varied common symptoms include muscle weakness in the hands, arms or legs; difficulty with speech, swallowing or breathing; twitching and cramping of muscles;  and difficulty in projecting the voice. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.