ME/CFS/FM recovery story on HR - Famvir, celebrex - Dr. Skip Pridgen

[Mary]

Here's a link to a story on Health Rising about a man who recovered from 26 years of ME/CFS using a protocol designed by Dr. Skip Pridgen and Carol Duffy PhD, the primary components of which were Famvir and Celebrex, and possibly an antidepressant. They believe that FM and perhaps ME/CFS are due to HSV-1.

I'm not making any claims about this story or the efficacy of this treatment, but just wanted to put this out there for consideration.

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2017/12/18/26-years-chronic-fatigue-fibromyalgia-recovery-story/

 

[BadBadBear]

I would be interested to know which antidepressant, and if something like SJW would suffice. I am already on Famvir and Celebrex.

 

[jpcv]

I´ve read some blog entries, his paper and I noticed that the doses were not mentioned either in the paper or his interviews.
So he is using avaiable drugs , mixing them in a new format so it can receive a new patent, and probably wants some profit from it.
As a doctor, I´m not against making some money if one develops a new treatment, but I think he shoul disclose the doses he is using.

 

[Hip]

I´ve read some blog entries, his paper and I noticed that the doses were not mentioned either in the paper or his interviews.

It does seem strange that the actual doses used are not mentioned.


It is interesting that this study found when both COX-1 and COX-2 were inhibited simultaneously, either with a nonspecific COX inhibitor or with a combination of specific COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors, pseudorabies virus yields were dramatically reduced (greater than a 200,000-fold reduction). The pseudorabies virus is similar to herpes simplex. But when either COX-1 or COX-2 were inhibited alone, that only caused a 25-fold to 30-fold reduction of pseudorabies virus growth.

Celecoxib inhibits both COX-1 and COX-2.

 

[Seven7]

8/10 is not recovery, is improvement. I hate this because I have been an 8/10 and is not recovery!!!! because guess what??? u come back down. If you call it recovered, then you loose the accommodations at work and from Drs.
We need to call recovery when you are in remission. This is very bothersome to me It causes issues at work (flexible schedule, disability parking so I can bring in the backpack easier....)

 

[BadBadBear]

In my notes on Pridgen, I wrote his doses were 200 mg BID of both Celebrex and Famvir. No idea where I sourced that info.

I am on 500 mg Famvir, 100 mg Celebrex both BID. My doc is conservative and wanted a lower Celebrex dose to start. I feel the Celebrex wear off mid day with increased pain. Hopefully she'll raise the dose.

I also take propolis as a stop gap as it inhibits COX2, and I guess I could add baby aspirin for COX1.

 

[ljimbo423]

I would like to put this in a broader context. It seems like the patient with his doctors help, used a "shotgun approach".

He states below that "he addresses every physical factor he can find". It also says his gut issues were addressed, which I believe is crucial to recovery. Good for him for not giving up after 26 years of CFS! It just shows that recovery is possible even after 26 years!!

Pridgen’s treatment protocols don’t stop at the viruses, however. Believing the body needs the maximum opportunity to heal, he addresses every physical factor he can find. X’s gut issues, for instance, were addressed.

Tramadol was prescribed to temporarily get his body out of pain – another stressor. X described a friendly, intuitive and sharp doctor.

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2017/12/18/26-years-chronic-fatigue-fibromyalgia-recovery-story/


Jim

 

[Hip]

In my notes on Pridgen, I wrote his doses were 200 mg BID of both Celebrex and Famvir. No idea where I sourced that info.

Seems unlikely that the Famvir dose is as low as 200 mg twice daily, as in Dr Lerner's protocol for ME/CFS, he uses Famvir 1,000 mg four times daily (though that is for EBV).

 

[Sushi]

In my notes on Pridgen, I wrote his doses were 200 mg BID of both Celebrex and Famvir. No idea where I sourced that info.

We have lots of threads here on Pridgen's protocol so you might find the dosing if you do a search for them.

 

[Hip]

I just saw in Pridgen's patent, he says:

the amount of the antiviral component is administered in a total daily dose range from about 250 mg to about 2000 mg, and wherein the amount of the COX-2 inhibitor component is administered in a total daily dose range from about 15 mg to about 800 mg.

But then later in the patent he mentions that for clinical trial usage:

During the first week of treatment, a loading dose of 500 mg famciclovir twice a day (BID) was employed, followed by a maintenance dose of 250 mg famciclovir BID. The celecoxib dosage, 200 mg BID, remained constant throughout treatment.

So it looks like Pridgen is using quite low doses of Famvir, at 250 mg twice daily as a maintenance dose. Plus celecoxib 200 mg twice daily.

 

[JES]

8/10 is not recovery, is improvement. I hate this because I have been an 8/10 and is not recovery!!!! because guess what??? u come back down. If you call it recovered, then you loose the accommodations at work and from Drs.
We need to call recovery when you are in remission. This is very bothersome to me It causes issues at work (flexible schedule, disability parking so I can bring in the backpack easier....)

For someone that is 68 and basically a pensioner, 8/10 is pretty damn impressive, especially for someone who used to be 3/10 last 20+ years. I'm not aware of any documented case where such an old person with such a long history of CFS has improved as much. Besides, I doubt they are that many 68 year olds in the general population that report back without any health issues.

 

[cb2]

I read somewhere that Prozac has antiviral properties so that could be the antidepressant but I don't know
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-researchers-discover-that-236700

 

[cb2]

What is the COX-2 inhibitor?

 

[BadBadBear]

What is the COX-2 inhibitor?

Celebrex aka celecoxib

 

[cb2]

thank you @BadBadBear , that is what i was thinking.
I am trying to get the famvir dose up again,.. last time i increased i had bad stomach issues..so far ok at 125 am 250pm.

anyone having trouble logging in with Chrome? it doesn't work for me. it will work with firefox but nothing with chrome.

thanks

 

[cb2]

I just saw in Pridgen's patent, he says:




But then later in the patent he mentions that for clinical trial usage:


So it looks like Pridgen is using quite low doses of Famvir, at 250 mg twice daily as a maintenance dose. Plus celecoxib 200 mg twice daily.

Did it state what the conclusion of the trail with those doses?

 

[Hip]

Did it state what the conclusion of the trail with those doses?

I did not read the patent fully. Pridgen's phase II trial has been published.

 

[cb2]

thank you. I will see if i can find it.

 

[dreampop]

Is there a PR thread on the paper @ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5328426/?

It's very confusing. If I read it correctly, it's +1-2 points on various point questionnaires, and 36% responded vs 17% for placebo. It's unclear the scale of the questionnaires, as I found different references for them (cort says it's 12 points). You have to wonder just what Celebrex alone might do.

Without "imputation" the primary endpoint of fatigue was not statistically different. From reading the methods section, it looks like the implication is dropout were in part to blame for this, but it's not really clear.

OFC, it should be said Pridgen has a patent and started a company around combination, I would argue cannot therefore be absolutely objective, although the study seems well designed, it's just something that needs to be noted.

Also, iirc, participants were off all pain killers, or anything that woud reduce pain, nsaids, fibro meds. So, placebo recieved nothing like that stuff, but treatment recieved celebrex - a very potent anti-inflammatory. Even if it wasn't treating fibro pain, you'd expect QOL pain improvements.

 

[jpcv]

I´ll read the paper first