AboutRusty Ford Expertise I can answer questions about most types of arthritis and the drugs and procedures used to treat them.
Experience I manage the one of largest arthritis websites on the internet http://arthritis-symptom.com/ I have been involved with publishing artritis research for 15 years and aswering questions related to almost any type of arthitis.
Organizations Arthritis-Symptom.com
Arthritis Foundation
The effectiveness of treatment depends on the type of lupus and the severity of it. There is a link on the page listed above that talks about treatment.
There is not much research to back up the use of antibiotics in the treatment of Lupus. The theory that it is based on lacks credibility. Yet many people find benefits from this type of treatment. It is a fairly safe treatment protocol.
Rituxan is a newer treatment for lupus. This drug was developed for the treatment of some types of cancer. Research was begun about 8 years ago into treating autoimmune diseases with it. There are some studies that show good results. It is still new and a lot of rheumatologists are not prescribing it yet. This is probably because of the side effects. There are many potential side effects some serious.
Antibiotic therapy and Rituxan are hard to compare because they are completely different ways of treating the disease. They are similar in that there is not much research and many people who use them find beneficial results. They are different in the risk factor. Antibiotics are fairly safe in the short term and can have potential problems when taken for years. Rituxan not nearly as safe.
It is best to talk to your rheumatologist about your treatment options.
