Relief on Doxycycline anyone?

Hi Bubsma,

I am sorry that you have lyme. But I am glad you've found this forum - the people here are amazing.

Just in case you haven't already, take a look at the "new to lyme" at the top of the forum, it really has soo much invaluable information.

My son started with doxycyline and azithromycin and from the 2nd week til the 5 th week felt absolutely horrible but had a big improvement from that point. (He had been bedridden at that time) After that it was very gradual improvements.

He is at month five on antibiotics.

I think most people take 6 months to 2 years for treatment, and it usually includes many antibiotic and/or herbal combos.

Doxy should be on a min of 300 mg /day as well to be effective and usually works best when combined with another antibiotic.

More members will jump in to advise.

Do you know about detoxing and the herxing?

Hi Bubsma, welcome to our community!

After 15 years, it will take more than a few months to get well.

...and the doxy alone won't be enough - you will need a higher dose...and another antibiotic added to it.
You will most likely have co-infections (other infections besides Lyme) that will need treatment, as well.

To save money, you can get the Igenex Lyme Western Blot Igm and IgG for total $210.
Is the Dr. wanting you to get the full panel plus coinfections?

I'm glad your Internist isn't dismissing you .... but is helping you.
I don't know if he will be able to treat you, though...if he isn't Lyme Literate.

We can help you find a LL Dr....just ask. You can start a new thread titled: "Looking for LLMD in/near_____" and fill in the blank.

It would be helpful for you to read through the "New to Lyme?.Start Here!" thread that sits at the top of the page.
Lots of useful information in there.

If you haven't started detoxing...I suggest that you do. When the bacteria dies-off, it produces an endotoxin that in turn increases inflammation...resulting in an increase in symptoms...and even new ones appearing.

To start - make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily.
- You can add some fresh squeezed lemon juice into some glasses. (Drink with a straw...so the water bypasses the teeth...it can erode the tooth enamel)
- Take probiotics - daily
- take a liver supplement

Here's a link to some more detox ideas. Start with a few...(see above)...and every few days add in another one until you are doing multiple methods daily.

www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

Hi Bubsma!
Welcome to our community! I"m so glad you found us.

The others have pretty well covered the information at this point, so I just wanted to stop by and say welcome! Please do take a look at our "new to Lyme?" thread!

Hi, welcome to our community!

I just want to underline the importance of detox - it made a huge difference for me.

Lymepilot said...
I would say doxy MAY or MAY NOT work. For the people on this site, 30 days of doxy didn't work. But the folks on the site represent only a small number of the 30,000 - 300,000 people infected each year. 30 days of doxy does work for a lot of them.

Try it and see, hopefully it does. If not your likely looking at an LLMD and at least a second antibiotic added to the mix.

If someone has had Lyme for 15 years - 30 days of doxy will not be enough.
The Dr. (not a Lyme Literate one) might say that more abx won't help and what they now have is Post Lyme Treatment Disease Syndome but this is untrue. 30 days is not enough treatment.

Lymepilot said...

Girlie said...

Lymepilot said...
I would say doxy MAY or MAY NOT work. For the people on this site, 30 days of doxy didn't work. But the folks on the site represent only a small number of the 30,000 - 300,000 people infected each year. 30 days of doxy does work for a lot of them.

Try it and see, hopefully it does. If not your likely looking at an LLMD and at least a second antibiotic added to the mix.

If someone has had Lyme for 15 years - 30 days of doxy will not be enough.
The Dr. (not a Lyme Literate one) might say that more abx won't help and what they now have is Post Lyme Treatment Disease Syndome but this is untrue. 30 days is not enough treatment.

Lyme brain, thought this was early infection. Like girlie said, 30 days prolly won't be enough.

Thanks for posting this, Lymepilot! (phew!)

ChickenArise said...
Hello Bubsma,

Welcome to the best Lyme forum on the internet. I am certain you will find the people here as knowledgeable and awesome as I have found them to be.

pmm73 said...
.... I started out taking it with food but found that taking it on an empty stomach worked better for me. I can't tell you why lol Just something to keep in mind.

GI absorption on an empty stomach is in the 90-95% range. Administration with food may decrease GI absorption of doxycycline by up to 20%.

Really?? Wow. My doc was adamant about taking it with food!! I found I had less stomach issues when I took it on an empty stomach.

Welcome to the forum and believe me you will soon discover the information and support you find here is just incredible. It will help you to navigate and survive this complex disease.

I have been on Doxy(300 mg a day for neuro Lyme) for 4 months and I have improved to around 90%. But I also started part of the Buhner protocol along with it.
(I went from being hospitalized 3 times and unable to work and now back to work)

When taking Doxy , its crucial to take a good probiotic one to two hours before taking meds. I also drink alot of water to wash down the pills thoroughly. I have to take it after I eat or I get sick.
Might be different for you. Just try both ways and see if one works better.
Also my llmd is now switching me to zithromician, so I believe others are correct that we need to hit this with more than one type antibiotic and herbals.
It took me about 2 months on doxy before seeing the biggest improvements. Hope you find some answers and hang in there and keep fighting this. Sincerely, Jo