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Is taking Claritin safe while treating Lyme and babesia?

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Posted 10/5/2014 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
I am taking 200 mg of doxycycline , 500 mg azithromycin, and 400 mg of Artemisinin per day. about a week and a half ago, before starting the antibiotic treatment, I broke out in a rash, probably as a result of insect bites. It starts as small round pink inflammations, then gets darker, bigger, with a pustule in the middle. I feel a burning and stinging sensation before they start and now. I started taking Claritin to fight the rash. The dermatologist suggested taking Claritin for a month.

Does Claritin suppress the immune system? Can Claritin interfere with my antibiotic treatment? I would appreciate any input you can provide.

Thank you very much,

Nadezda
Posted 10/5/2014 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
I would imagine it would be ok? Are antihistamines known to suppress the immune system? A lot of people take Benadryl for herxing and other reasons when they have Lyme.

Margaret
Posted 10/6/2014 2:12 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, it is OK to take but I am unsure as to for how long. I have had a few instances where I touched or ate something that I became allergic to so the doctor recommended Benadryl for night or if the allergy is severe and Claritin during the day. I have taken Claritin for 3-4 days until the hives go away and have had no side effects from it. I continued to take my antibiotics while on antihistamines.

And yes, antihistamines do suppress the auto immune system, but sometimes you have to choose the worse of two evils. Suppressing it for a few days is not life threatening but an allergic reaction can be life threatening. I have even taken Prednisolone for a day or two with no ill effects.
Posted 10/6/2014 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
teragram and Healing98, thank you very much for your responses! I really appreciate it. My rashes still come out even with me taking Claritin. And I have had Claritin for 1 week already. I am scared. Don't know what to think of. For more than a year ,since I got Lyme, I haven't done anything outside of the house, because every time I go out someone bites me. But on Wednesday two weeks ago I decided to cut some bush and plant branches from our way on the sidewalk. I was outside for about 15-20 min. And my rashes started coming out the same or next day. There is another thing that coincided with rashes too - I started taking Levothyroxine back on that Wednesday. Three months before that my endocrinologist told me to stop taking it because the dosage I took was "baby dosage"(her words) and my TSH was normal. So, I stopped it. In about a month after that I was very lightheaded, then in another month almost fainted and taken to the hospital. In 3,5 months I asked her to check my thyroid and the results were abnormal , so I started taking medication back. It helped with lightheadedness.
Please forgive me my English (Im not a native speaker). Its very embarrassing for me. My husband is very supportive and helps me with writing when he is at home. Today I do it by myself and I appreciate your patient very much!
What do you think about this situation?
Thanks a lot!
Posted 10/6/2014 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Doxy and the sun do not mix. It is very likely that the rashes are a reaction to the Doxy and you being out in the sun.

Have you discussed the rashes with your doctor to see if they are indeed a reaction to the sun or it it may be a viral infection?
Posted 10/6/2014 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
My regular physician sent me to the dermatologist. He said it is a delayed reaction to some insect bite and suggested Claritin.
The thing is that rashes started before I started taking antibiotics. I have been taking them for only 1 week. I was on Buhner protocol before that.
Thank you.
Posted 10/6/2014 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
personally I could only tolerate 2 antibiotics at once although I believe artemisin is a supplement. I worked my way up to that dose but the first month I was on doxycycline I was also taking Zyrtec (allergy med) and it was fine. It reduces herx reactions but yes, it does lower your immune system so I wouldn't stay on it for too long.

I had a lot of skin issues with lyme and they did go away gradually, I'm sure yours will too. I would avoid using any harsh laundry detergents or soap (go all natural kinds), coconut oil may help also.

I hope you start feeling better soon!
Posted 9/5/2016 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all-I had an abdominal CT scan yesterday and I was given a 50 mg dosage of Benadryl before the scan, in order to prevent a possible allergic reaction from the iodine contrast dye. Fortunately, my results were OK, but I am not feeling so good today. I having been reading this morning about how Benadryl could possibly compromise my immune and exasperate my chronic Lyme symptoms. Does anyone have an opinion about how one dosage of an antihistamine could possibly hinder my Lyme treatment. Any and all responses would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

rjb
Posted 9/5/2016 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
That warning is for people using Benadryl long term - like those that have to use it for anaphylactic issues.

Benadryl is often helpful for over stimulation of the the CNS, which happens at times with Lyme/Bart. But, as you have read, this is not a long term solution.

What you are likely having issues with is the dye that was used. Try increasing your detoxing, and use a binder if you can.
Posted 9/5/2016 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the quick and very helpful response. According to my LLMD, one of my most prevalent and intense Lyme problems stems from my very compromised/overstimulated CNS, as I have Neuro-Lyme/co-infections. Currently, I am shaking badly, and I am having some rapid breathing-I may have to take a benzo to calm down. I was not aware that the iodine itself could cause a Lyme problem-do you no if that is something that will wear off relatively soon. Also, is activated charcoal considered a binder? Again, your input is extremely appreciated.


Thanks,

rjb
Posted 9/5/2016 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, Activated charcoal is a very good and effective binder - just watch out for constipation as that will hinder your ability to detox. Drink plenty of water!!!

I did find this as well:
www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=safety-contrast

Side effects for Iodine-based Contrast Materials

Mild reactions include:

nausea and vomiting
headache
itching
flushing
mild skin rash or hives

Moderate reactions include:

severe skin rash or hives
wheezing
abnormal heart rhythms
high or low blood pressure
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Severe reactions include:

difficulty breathing
cardiac arrest
swelling of the throat or other parts of the body
convulsions
profound low blood pressure
Posted 9/5/2016 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
Nadezda lyme can cause lots of skin issues. It is just another symptom. If the Claritin does not help you need to call the doctor back.

Maybe try Benadryl at night.

Does it itch??

My first thought was it was sun reaction to the Doxy, but since you got the rash prior to the antibiotics that doesn't make sense.
Posted 9/5/2016 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Just to clarify, the OP (original poster) posted nearly 2 years ago and this thread was revived by bonnawanna.
Posted 9/6/2016 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Traveler, I did not notice that and should have.

You are the best!!
Posted 9/6/2016 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
A simple mistake that I think is fairly common. Besides, you may have provided an idea for someone else that only chooses to read (rather than post) on this thread!!
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