Just Got My Abx - Checking In

Alright well I just picked up my antibiotics from the pharmacy. I just read all of the warnings of side-effects and I'm sufficiently freaked out. Maybe I should have gone the herbal route... Or maybe I'll just introduce these one at a time.

Has anybody been on a medication group similar to this?

Metronidazole (Flagyl, I believe) - 250mg, 3x daily
Minocycline - 100mg, 2x daily
Hydoxychloroquine (anti-malarial drug) - 200mg, 2x daily

My doctor says that he prefers me to be on the anti-malarial daily (is this maybe used as a cyst-buster?), but that I can take "off" days with the abx. For instance, he said to take at least 2 days off a week from the abx so that I don't go crazy from the herxing. He said to remember that it's a marathon and not a race. Apparently the LLMD community is shifting from high dose abx every day to "pulsing" like this. I guess I could even start only twice a week with the abx if I wanted.

Additionally, I am being "prescribed" the CBD hemp oil which I just ordered and am very excited for! (See my other thread for more information on that). Also, 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily, a probiotic daily. Also, I'm supposed to buy a multi-vitamin called "Thorn Basic Nutrients". I asked him about detox baths and he said they aren't a bad idea but didn't really emphasize them as much as I thought he would, after reading these forums for a while they seem like a big deal. I bought some Epsom salts and I think I might start with a footbath because I'm a little nervous.

I'm a little worried and am not quite sure why I'm posting this thread. But I think I could just use a little encouragement before I take my first pill.

That looks like a good abx combo. My Dr has me pulse Monday, Wednesday and Friday on abx and I still herx. I don't know how people handle them everyday, but maybe I'm just a baby:/

whoops don't mean to scare you bryguy. I've been treating for about a year and I don't herx much anymore. And yes I'm feeling much better then when I first started.

Everybody is different but I herxed 3 to 5 days after starting a new abx. I would get a wicked bad headache and feel like I'd been hit by a truck. The worst part would last 12-24 hours. What I do to feel better is epsom salt baths (always helped me but some feel worse), drink water, advil for headache. I recently got a sauna which I do 4-5 times a week. I also took chlorella and/or charcoal at night away from abx and supplements.

Remember herxing is a good thing it means you are killing those buggers!

Good luck and be sure and post if you have any questions.

Glad to hear that you are feeling mostly better! And thank you very much for the reassurance, that's very helpful. I really appreciate you and all of the other helpful lymies on this forum! Couldn't do it without you!

I have almost forgotten what it feels like to feel normal I think. I almost don't believe that I'm sick sometimes because I'm so used to it so getting "better" is going to be an interesting experience. I feel like maybe it will feel like waking up from a dream that you didn't realize you were having. Did you experience anything like that?

Alisa - wow, that's quite the combo! I hope that it's doing it's job and that you are getting better! Sounds like you caught it early which is fantastic.

bryguy—

hydroxychloroquine is in the chloroquine family (a "chlorine" away from the fluoro-quinolone family) - rarely it can cause eye damage so you might want to watch that closely and get tested after awhile. I believe my eye damage is either from lyme or levaquin… jury is still out.

-p