Black Bones sounds like something out of a horror movie, but for a small group of people, it’s reality.
The strange phenomenon occurs in patients who have been treated with the drug minocycline. This agent is both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and is therefore used as an antibiotic and against arthritis, acne and other inflammations.
Minocycline does have side effects, however, and patients risk discoloration of tissues and organs, including the skin, lips and eyes, as well as teeth and bones.
The discoloration may be black, gray-black, gray, blue-green, or brownish.
While the discoloration of the skin can disappear, it is permanent in bones and teeth. Researchers estimate that over 20 percent of patients who have taken minocycline for more than four years develop discoloration in the mouth or bones.
