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Really need advice today--please help.

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 2/16/2013 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking herbs for about 41/2 months and doing pretty well. I saw a new LLMD on Tuesday and she thought I should try going on abx again to try to knock down the Bartonella since it's so hard to get rid of. She wants me to take Rifampin 300mg 2x a day and Doxy 100 mg 2x a day and continue with the herbs. I took the script 3 x and started to not feel well and it freaked me out because I've been feeling pretty good. I haven't taken them again. I'm also in the middle of reading Dr. Jernigan's book and I'm thinking the abx aren't such a good idea for me right now.
I'm away from home and forgot my herbs but have my abx and I just don't know what to do. Please any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Posted 2/16/2013 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
It really comes down to what you're personally comfortable with. If you think herbs are better for you that's what you should do. The reaction that you had after your 3rd dose could have been herxing, a side effect or an allergic reaction. Either which way, you don't need to be pressured to do something that you aren't comfortable with. I would call your LLMD and discuss it with her.

Personally, I prefer using antibiotics for my situation but I also use herbs in conjunction. Many LLMD's feel that the herbal protocols for bartonella are not as strong or effective as those used for Lyme and Babesia so often times they will use antibiotics for Bart.

I've been on Rifampin for many months and before I took it I researched it a lot. One thing you don't want to do with Rifampin is stop and restart. It can cause serious complications when pulsed or taken that way.
Posted 2/16/2013 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
Really? Yikes. That was a concern that now that I've stopped, should I continue? It's been about 40 hrs. Since my last dose. Why is it dangerous to do it with Rifampin especially?
Thanks so much Summer!
Posted 2/16/2013 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
There is some evidence that suggests that restarting Rifampin after taking time off can create acute renal failure in a small percentage of people. It's probably nothing to be worried about. Rifampin is probably the safest Bartonella-specific antibiotic. I had to go off it too right in the beginning for 3 days. I restarted without any problems. I would still check with your LLMD though.
Posted 2/17/2013 5:12 AM (GMT 0)
i want rifampin so bad!
Youre probably herxing, then that means your full of that bartonella.
Posted 2/17/2013 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
livefreeordie I'm so sorry you're having this reaction :(

I'm also taking Rifampin 300 mg twice a day, as well as Zithromax (once a day), along with Nystatin and diflucan, several supplements, etc. I'm on day 10 and just started feeling a herx. However, I was feeling really bad before I started the abx, so it's not making me feel too much worse than before I started treatment.

Summer3, so glad you mentioned that about the Rifampin, good to know. Are you feeling any better since you started it?

May I ask what herbs everyone is taking for babs and Lyme?

My LLMD suspects Bart and babs in addition to Lyme, and a couple others. I think he mentioned ehrichiliosis as a main player. I'm still waiting on my Igenex results for confirmation.
Posted 2/17/2013 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
It really is up to you. If you think you were making enough progress with the herbs, you can go back to just those. On the other hand, I'm on rifampin and it's helped give me my life back. I love this drug, even though I had pretty bad herxing when I first started it. Doxy is too much for me though, as it is for a lot of people. Horrible nausea, etc. Have you considered trying just one of the drugs at a time to see which one is having the effect?

Another thing to consider- if it's a herx, do you do any detoxing? I take rifampin, but I also take epsom salt baths and lipo-nano glutathione, which makes me feel much better.
Posted 2/18/2013 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
Munici, how long were you on Rifampin before you noticed improvement? I'm on it too. I do the Epsom salt baths too, but I've never heard of lipo-nano glutathione before. I'm going to look into to that! Thanks for posting, that gives me hope! :)
Posted 2/18/2013 4:08 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I started back on the abx. Since Summer mentioned the issue with pulsing I figured it would be better to get back on them before too much time had passed and in the meantime think about what I want to do. I was on Rifampin before for 2 mos. and tolerated it well. However, this is my first time on Doxy and I'm not liking it.

Minici, in answer to your question, they usually like to give you a cocktail of drugs to keep you from becoming resistant and I believe, in fact, that Rifampin especially has a higher incidence of bacterial resistance. I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow and see if she can switch the doxy to amoxicillin since I tolerate that abx really well.

I've been getting hives on my face since starting the meds but I've also had a laser treatment on my skin and started using a new skin cream so I don't know which of these things is causing the hives. Oh and a heavy duty sunblock because I did the laser treatment. I'm assuming that since nothing is swollen (lips, tongue, face) and I'm not having breathing problems that it's not the abx but something else. We'll find out! Other than initial nausea and feeling kind of gross after taking the meds, I seem to be feeling ok and not herxing or anything. I just hate that initial feeling I get. It has to be the Doxy. Because when I took Rifampin before I think I had to separate it from other stuff and it never made me feel sick. I actually like Rifampin a lot. It's the seemingly benign abx that I have trouble with. Honestly, I can't imagine people taking Doxy for years! It's awful. I think I will stop the Doxy tomorrow to see if the hives stop. I will also check to see what the half-life is so Ill know how long I need to wait to notice improvement.

Thanks so much for your replies everyone!
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