Can Pentox cause any kind of arthritis?

[mikes]

Hello everyone,

I have been taking Pentox for over a year and a half, twice a day. It has helped in keeping my peyronie's stable.

For the last 2 weeks I have noticed an inflammation between my little finger (on the right hand) knuckles that has not gone away. My doctor initially thought it was from an infection but the antibiotics did not help. In addition a small inflammation appeared on the middle finger as well. On Monday I will have some blood tests to find out what could be causing this. My doctor suspects arthritis (perhaps rheumatoid). I am 40.

Is it possible that Pentox could have been a trigger for this? Side effects mentioned in the drugs details sheet include immune system disorders... Also I have read about very few cases online that say Pentox could trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis. (I have stopped taking Pentox the day before yesterday btw).

What do you guys think? Could Pentox be the culprit? Or some other supplement that I have been taking, Aceyl-L-Carnitine, CoQ10, MgCl, L-Citruline... - although that does seem a little stretched.

Thanks

[james1947]

Could Pentox be the culprit?

YES!!! I am a big fun of Pentox, but I had to stop after 18 months as I was getting severe flue every 6 weeks or so.
Pentox may weaken the immune system.
Stopped Pentox, the flue disappeared, but the benefits regarding Peyronies didn't gone away.

I hope it will be the same for you

James

[mikes]

James, does weakening of the immune system mean an auto-immune disease?

[PeetyPeet]

I always thought an auto-immune disease was when the immune system attacks cells of the body by mistake. In theory a weaker immune system would less likely to cause such a disease.

[Arabia]

It would appear that pentox actually might be useful in treating rheumatoid arthritis so if anything it should help with RA joint pain and not cause the problem you describe.
You could ask your doctor to do the blood tests for inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, and uric acid for gout and see what is going on.

AB0384 The Effects of Pentoxifylline on Rheumatoid Arthritis Activity According To The DAS28 CRP Disease Activity Score -- Bublikov et al. 75 (Suppl 2): 1036 -- Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_pentoxifylline_play_a_role_in_rheumatoid_arthritis_treatment
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9492569

[skunkworks]

Other way round re pentox and any auto immune condition. It is far more likely to help than hurt/cause it.

[james1947]

mikes

No, is not causing auto-immune disease but is weakening the immune system.
In my case, after stopping Pentox, everything was back to normal within one week

James

[NeoV]

I can't see how Pentox could cause autoimmune disorders. Any enlargement or swollen areas sounds like gout. Try avoiding beer or purines and up your water intake. It could also be from repetitive strain from computer use, my fingers often hurt from that.

[vinnylid]

From gov/pubmed'9492569
"Pentoxifylline has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, including suppression of TNF-alpha production by activated marcrophages, Th-1 response of T cells, and fibroblasts' proliferation and metalloproteinase production."
It was developed before Enbrel and Humira for biologics as a TNF-alpha inhibitor for RA. I have an autoimmune disease similar to the arthritis of Psoriasis called Psoriatic Arthritis. The inflammation from this disease affect many joints including the hips and shoulders. My toenail have been destroyed and I think the disease my have contributed to my Peyronies and some hand distortion. I take Pentox twice a day and treat my pain with Minocycline antibiotic. I used Methotrexate for some years, but have dropped that and added Low Dose Naltrexone.  

[Sinuous]

I only tried Pentox for a short time a couple of years ago. But I have also had a knot come up on a knuckle or two and some pain in joints over the past year. Dr thinks it is early RA. I am also a type I diabetic. Both are autoimmune diseases. So do with that what you will. I don't think we can blame the Pentox for that. But I'm not surprised to see an autoimmune disease run parallel with Peyronie's.