Been taking half the dose of Rifampin I was supposed to take...

I think it shouldn't make much of a difference. I think it is the pulsing of rifampin that is using it on and off often or using it without a support antibiotic that may cause resistance over time.

The main thing is think about your bartonella symptoms, if your bartonella symptoms are relieved while you are treating with the rifampin then you know it is working and won't have to worry about resistance.

I have recently got bartonella as well and my symptoms were mostly resolve immediately upon getting treatment with rifampin + minocycline. Symptoms included burning nerves, insomnia, anxiety, general burning feeling throughout body, also burning shins. These symptoms went away soon after starting treatment for me. Also make sure not to interrupt treatment or you could be right back at square one again!

The method my LLMD did is he recommends the 600 mg be taken all together at one time of the day at the same time each day. This gives a higher blood concentration spike than would giving 300 mg twice daily. I'm not sure what your LLMD has recommended you do with dosing.

LymePickle said...
I think it shouldn't make much of a difference. I think it is the pulsing of rifampin that is using it on and off often or using it without a support antibiotic that may cause resistance over time.

The main thing is think about your bartonella symptoms, if your bartonella symptoms are relieved while you are treating with the rifampin then you know it is working and won't have to worry about resistance.

I have recently got bartonella as well and my symptoms were mostly resolve immediately upon getting treatment with rifampin + minocycline. Symptoms included burning nerves, insomnia, anxiety, general burning feeling throughout body, also burning shins. These symptoms went away soon after starting treatment for me. Also make sure not to interrupt treatment or you could be right back at square one again!

The method my LLMD did is he recommends the 600 mg be taken all together at one time of the day at the same time each day. This gives a higher blood concentration spike than would giving 300 mg twice daily. I'm not sure what your LLMD has recommended you do with dosing.

Thank you! Great info! I'm on Doxy...not Mino, but combining Doxy with enzymes I assume would have a somewhat similar effect to Mino??

Chapelle said...
From what I have read, and what two LLMDs told me - Lyme bacteria is not nearly as common as all the rest - so it has been reported that it does not have resistance factors like the other bacteria. This pretty much makes sense. If you didn't skip any doses, you should be fine. Just like me - I was taking doxy 200mg and now I am on 400mg bc the Dr slowly titrated me up. I was concerned about resistance, like you, and she said it is not a concern at all, bc the doxy was killing off some bacteria and keeping the rest from replicating. Hope this calms you a little!

However, as a pharmacist myself, I am very upset that your pharmacist made this error!!!

Thank you, really feeling happy about these responses

Both minocycline and doxycycline can cause elevated liver enzymes, you had better speak with your doctor!

Opugirl - doxy and mino work the same way and have basically the same side effects. is there something about minocycline that you know about? please do share!

I think rifampin is the drug that will really cause elevated liver enzymes. Pairing it with minocycline rather than doxycycline might be the better choice because the elevated liver enzymes could reduce blood levels of doxycycline. Blood levels of minocycline are less likely to be affected because this medication is more likely to penetrate deeply into the tissues on their first pass through the blood whereas doxy will make more passes through the liver.

Doxy and minocycline both have the same effect on the bacteria but the key difference between the two drugs is tissue solubility. Minocycline is far more fat soluble and penetrates more deeply into tissues than doxycycline does. Doxycycline is more water soluble and better for initial infections and blood infections but I believe minocycline is better for more advanced infections. Mino gets into joints, the inside of the brain, the skin, and places that lyme likes to go more effectively than doxy.