I started Rapa last Friday - 5 mg and had a little dry mouth for a few days. None today.
Something happened that I did not expect, but hoped for. I’ve been suffering from back pain for a good year and I’m in extreme pain with lower lumbar and sciatica in my right leg. I could handle the lower lumbar, but the sciatica was extreme pain, especially at night. I couldn’t drive for more than 10-15min at a time due to the sciatica, my leg would go numb. My goal was to try Rapa first, since I’ve tried everything else and was on nerve pain meds and pain meds, then think about having back surgery.
My MRI revealed: Multilevel lumbar degenerative disc disease and facet spondylosis.
Grade 1 anterolisthesis of L3 on L4, Moderate central canal stenosis at L3 and L4, Mild central canal stenosis at L4-L5, Neural foraminal narrowings are detailed above on a level by level basis.
My lack of pain after taking Rapa for this back problem has shocked me after taking it. My pain is seriously almost gone! Even the pain meds didn’t work that well. It still aches a little bit, but I can also sleep at night. One dose of Rapa, and the pain has diminished radically! I’m overall healthy and have no real other issues except history of Carpal Tunnel issues, + tenosynovitis in my hands which has also unbelievably diminished as well. I typically have a nodule on top my right hand and it’s almost gone. I had surgery for it two years ago, synovial issues. In the past 25 years I’ve had 5 CTS surgeries, and there is not much pain at all now. Saturday it was kind of achy, because it seemed to be ‘working’. If that makes sense and today, no pain in my hands.
Anyone else with osteoarthritis issues that worked out like this? It’s kind of blowing my mind!! I may not need to have surgery. I’ve also stopped all pain meds.
Hi Susan, these results are something we are interested in following. The basis for the use of rapamycin for osteoarthritis has a strong underpinning. We’ve written about this subject:
Can you post some updates on how things are progressing as the weeks go on? It’s a very interesting use case that our clinical team would like to follow.
Hi Daniel, Yes, thank you for the article and the feedback.
I thought maybe the rapamycin would wear off over the days, but it hasn’t. If anything it’s getting better! I’m a bit overwhelmed about being pain free, but grateful. It’s like I want to tell my doctor in physical medicine and hand ortho, and the many many other docs I’ve seen - but I’m a bit hesitant because they may know or not know about it, and probably best just to keep it here for now. That’s why I was asking if anyone else may have had the same kind of response.
I’m happy to report my findings and updates and any other info you all need to help others. It’s pretty wild!
Second dose of rapamycin today and wow, I really needed it. 5 mg. I started feeling the old pain coming back on Wednesday, so that was 5 whole days without pain, but Wed and Thurs had the old pain back Wed, so so and Thurs ugh! It definitely showed me that rapamycin was probably slowly going out of my system? I took my dose this am, and already it’s helping. Way less pain!
Such encouraging news ! I tore my meniscus a year ago when my dog pulled me off a curb , and the surgeon recommended surgery. My injury healed very nicely and quickly without surgery, and I feel the low dose weekly Rapamycin assisted with my quickl healing.
Thank you for responding Angie, and so glad you feel better too and all of it is so encouraging! I keep wondering if I’ll ever need surgery, but I definitely have to adjust my rapa so I don’t fall short so quickly.