Posted 2/7/2011 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
If the doctor is a good doctor the lyme testing is used as a tool not necessarily as a diagnosis. If it doesn't come back positive any good lyme md will know that this means nothing. My lyme md went over my symptoms, went over previous testing I had done and problems I was diagnosed with. He gave me doxycycline the first day I was there. Two weeks later went over my test results that came back negative and wanted me to continue with the doxy. After 4 months of doxy my 3rd test was 85% positive and I told him I wanted to start I.V. treatment. My lyme md takes insurance so he left it up to me when I wanted to start my I.V. rocephin treatment. I don't think all lyme mds handle lyme in this way. I started on my I.V. and have been feeling pretty good. I suffer from a lot of nerve pain though out my body and it has calmed down quite a bit.
To answer your question about medication for depression and anxiety I am unsure if the lyme doctor will treat this. I want you to be aware that I know you are having difficulties with your anxiety and depression but if I were you I would try and stay away from those medications. When you take those medications it is difficult to know if the symptoms are from the drugs or are from lyme disease. One thing you may want to consider is going to an endocrinologist to have your thyroid levels checked if this is something your lyme md doesn't do. My levels came back high normal with inflammation of the thyroid. She started me on armour thyroid and it has helped greatly with depression. It is something to consider. There are many women at my lyme md's office that are so messed up from taking these medications. There is one women that takes an anti-depressant as well as zoloft for anxiety. She was telling me that she ended up in the hospital due to an extreme rapid heart rate. The doctors there Know she has lymes but didn't think that was the cause. It ended up being the combination of the two medications. They caused her to get to much serotonin, raising her blood pressure and heart rate to 240 beats per minute.
I would definitely start treatment first to see if it helps alleviate any of your lyme symptoms.
I have suffered with pain from fibromyalgia, possible rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, and also suffer with depression. Being on supplements, a good diet, small dose of armour thyroid and antibiotics has helped with these conditions but it doesn't happen over night. I think it is also important to change your diet if you want the antibiotics to work properly.
No simple sugars, no white flour, complex carbs only in small doses, high fiber, drink green tea, drink water with lemon, a lot water, eat lots of raw veggies - especially green ones, 5-6 small meals a day.
This diet will not cause stress to the adrenal glands, it will help get your hormones in balance, keep inflammation in the body low and prevent an overgrowth of yeast in the body. This is very important once you start the antibiotics.
Supplements will be necessary also (Dr. Burrascano's guide lines will show supplement list). All of these changes will help your emotional state. You may not need medication. I hope you consider this and not take the easy way out. You will probably have to suffer a lot of discomfort with out medication for anxiety and depression until these things begin working but, you can suffer far worse complications from taking these medications. I see to many women in the situation at my lyme md's office and in very bad shape. I have not taken anything other than supplements and I have struggled through some bad times. I believe it has helped me with healing faster then the average person with lyme. I also think my diet will probably be permanent because lyme has changed how my body functions with sugar.
Take Care and I wish you the best.