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Am I taking too many antibiotics?

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Posted 1/13/2015 9:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I started treatment on the 24th of November 2014. Before that, I took doxy for 6 weeks because I was waiting for my blood results to come back. The gas and bloating is getting quite uncomfortable now and my stomach churns when I get even a little bit hungry. I'm still waking up in the middle of the night with intense nausea, shakes and gnawing feelings in my stomach.
This is what I'm taking right now:

Mon, Wed, Friday: Minomycin (50mg) 4 tablets a day
Tues, Thurs: Clarithromycin Biaxin (250mg) 4 tabs a day; Bactrim (160mg) 2 tablets a day
Sat, Sun: Tinidazole (500mg) 2 tablets a day

The antibiotics are in cycles of 2 weeks on, 1 week off. I'm starting my 3rd cycle and I just started Biaxin today. (used to be on Zinnat). I was feeling pretty good last week when I wasn't taking anything but since I started again, I've been sick. I'm not sure if it's a herx or side effects to Biaxin.

Does anyone know if this combo is too much? It's really hard to get a hold of my LLMD so I haven't asked him yet. I'm also taking probiotics and Nilstat (Nystatin - anti fungal)

Thanks guys :)
Posted 1/13/2015 12:29 PM (GMT 0)
Your regimen looks in line with some of our other member's protocol.

Are you taking a probiotic? You should take it two hours after each dose of antibiotics. You need a probiotic from a cold source (sold out of a fridge). You can also help your gut with kefir, kombucha, and other fermented foods.

You can also help your gut by taking Essential Enzymes with your meal. Both the disease and the antibiotics can interfere with your body's ability to produce the enzymes necessary to digest food.

Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 1/13/2015 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
This looked a lot like a protocol I was on a couple of months ago. Worked really well for me. Are you seeing Dr. J in DC by any chance? This protocol looks a lot like one of his.
Posted 1/13/2015 1:25 PM (GMT 0)

achievinggrace said...
Your regimen looks in line with some of our other member's protocol.

Are you taking a probiotic? You should take it two hours after each dose of antibiotics. You need a probiotic from a cold source (sold out of a fridge). You can also help your gut with kefir, kombucha, and other fermented foods.

You can also help your gut by taking Essential Enzymes with your meal. Both the disease and the antibiotics can interfere with your body's ability to produce the enzymes necessary to digest food.

Hope you feel better soon.

Yes I'm taking a probiotic every day with my morning dose. I'll definitely look into the enzymes :) thanks!


Fronton said...
This looked a lot like a protocol I was on a couple of months ago. Worked really well for me. Are you seeing Dr. J in DC by any chance? This protocol looks a lot like one of his.

Ah okay, that's a relief to hear. Are you feeling much better now? No I'm from australia. There are only a few llmds here
Posted 1/13/2015 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Australia! They don't have Lyme there I thought!? ;)
I lived in Melbourne several years ago. Loved it. Hope to go back again sometime soon.

Yes, I am feeling much better. I have switched my meds/protocols up quite a bit during my treatment. I did make noticeable progress, though, when I was pulsing the same abx that you are now. Just be sure to get your liver enzymes checked every few weeks.
Posted 1/13/2015 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
the two abx that have given me the worst stomach issues are Clarithromycin and Bactrim (not at the same time) and you are taking both together? Yup, I am sure that it is not the amount of abx but the type of abx that you are taking that may be contributing to how your tummy feels.
Posted 1/13/2015 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
^ Yeah I agree. The Biaxin can be rough on your stomach.
Posted 1/13/2015 9:07 PM (GMT 0)

Aria said...
Yes I'm taking a probiotic every day with my morning dose. I'll definitely look into the enzymes :) thanks!

If you are taking your probiotics at the same time as your antibiotics, then you are wasting your time and money. You need to wait at least two hours.

The antibiotics kill off your gut flora, so you introduce the probiotics as soon as the abx have left the gut and before anything else (like yeast) can take hold.
Posted 1/13/2015 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
yes, achieving grace is right, you need to keep probiotics away from abx by at least two hrs. what also happens is, the abx will be too busy breaking down the probiotics and making them useless, and as a result, the abx will then have less time to work on the actual lyme bacteria. so when you take probiotics with abx they sort of cancel eachother out.

Your stomach is definitely feeling that way because of the Biaxin - and this could also be because of the combo of all the meds. But Biaxin is well known to cause stomach pains and issues.

my LLMD always stressed not to overload your body with too many medications, because then it can be an overload to your body and end up being more toxic than beneficial. you still need your immune system to fight the fight. if you take too much, you weaken your immune system to the point that it is not able to do anything. just a thought to run by you. if you are waking up at night with stomach issues due to the meds, that is not a good sign, and I would say its necessary to make some changes.

again, this is only my opinion. many on here have done well on a lot of meds at once, but I for example never tried it because I really didnt want to, my dr was very easy on me and my body, and because I was barely able to handle the little I was on. However, I managed to pretty much beat lyme in 7.5 months on a 2 abx regimen plus herbs and nutritionals.

in the meantime, I know we are not really supposed to eat yogurt, but pick up the healthiest and most sugarless one you can find (greek) and eat 1/2 cup before and after your biaxin dose. This may make a difference. hope you reach your dr soon!
Posted 1/15/2015 1:59 AM (GMT 0)

Chapelle said...
yes, achieving grace is right, you need to keep probiotics away from abx by at least two hrs. what also happens is, the abx will be too busy breaking down the probiotics and making them useless, and as a result, the abx will then have less time to work on the actual lyme bacteria. so when you take probiotics with abx they sort of cancel eachother out.

Your stomach is definitely feeling that way because of the Biaxin - and this could also be because of the combo of all the meds. But Biaxin is well known to cause stomach pains and issues.

my LLMD always stressed not to overload your body with too many medications, because then it can be an overload to your body and end up being more toxic than beneficial. you still need your immune system to fight the fight. if you take too much, you weaken your immune system to the point that it is not able to do anything. just a thought to run by you. if you are waking up at night with stomach issues due to the meds, that is not a good sign, and I would say its necessary to make some changes.

again, this is only my opinion. many on here have done well on a lot of meds at once, but I for example never tried it because I really didnt want to, my dr was very easy on me and my body, and because I was barely able to handle the little I was on. However, I managed to pretty much beat lyme in 7.5 months on a 2 abx regimen plus herbs and nutritionals.

in the meantime, I know we are not really supposed to eat yogurt, but pick up the healthiest and most sugarless one you can find (greek) and eat 1/2 cup before and after your biaxin dose. This may make a difference. hope you reach your dr soon!

Ahh I'm such an idiot. I'll make sure to do that from now on! Waking up in the middle of the night with nausea's always been a symptom of mine..I've had it for a whole year now. It's just that one day of Biaxin was terrible and made it 10x worse! I'm doing well with the other 3 abx though :) Glad you beat it!
Thanks everyone!

Fronton said...
Australia! They don't have Lyme there I thought!? ;)
I lived in Melbourne several years ago. Loved it. Hope to go back again sometime soon.

Yes, I am feeling much better. I have switched my meds/protocols up quite a bit during my treatment. I did make noticeable progress, though, when I was pulsing the same abx that you are now. Just be sure to get your liver enzymes checked every few weeks.

Haha I'm pretty sure I got bitten here and I've heard of other stories of Lyme here. It's just not recognised yet so we have to pay HEAPS for testing (or send it overseas..). Glad you're feeling better!
Posted 1/15/2015 8:55 AM (GMT 0)
I was just going to chime in when I read that you were taking your probiotics with your morning dose of abx, but I see that others have already spotted it! :-) I made the same mistake (since no one told me otherwise . . .) and kept getting thrush, until it was finally pointed out that I should take the probiotics well away from the abx. Easy mistake to make though if you don't know. You really don't want thrush on top of everything else though!! ;-) For me, once the probiotics had had a chance to do their job properly, my thrush cleared up straight away :-). Hope you're feeling better soon
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