Fear of new meds

Im doing somewhat ok on mino twice daily right now(little herxing going on yesterday and today) and im looking to next week where ill add Rifampin. Might sound stupid, but im scared to take it. I might be a tough man, but I am a wimp when it comes to new meds. I guess it goes back to my thought that not knowing is the worst thing ever. I dont know how im going to react on Rifampin.

Do I have anything to worry about? Or is this just my anxiety kicking up due to my thought process? I mean, mino finally was a drug that brought out the initial symptoms again after other abx couldnt. Though those symptoms (mostly all nerve pain related) have leveled off some (except today and yesterday) I am afraid Rifampin will REALLY knock my butt in the dirt.

Talk me out of my fear please. I truly believe Rifampin is the next step. But I am not sure I can bring myself to taking it. I know it sounds stupid. I cant explain it any more than what I did so far. Im just scared its going to kick the crap out of me.

Thanks for being here. Sometimes I think I worry too much. I just know sometimes these meds can hit you hard. And im so tired of it all.

I'm starting treatment soon and I'm definitely worried about what abx and herbs will be prescribed, and for how long, and what will the side effects be. I try to remember to take each day at a time as worrying doesn't do any good! I'm trying to eat clean and detox as much as I can to minimize problems.

Part of me still wants to believe the diagnosis is wrong, but then I realize that I do have something, and the only thing I didn't investigate was through a neurologist, which from everything I've read it sounds like many of those illnesses may stem from lyme.

Trader - I was apprehensive about Rifampin, too. I was worried about my liver because just prior to starting Rifampin - i had to take an antibiotic break of 2 1/2 months for my liver enzymes to normalize.

But, I was pleasantly surprised...my liver enzymes did not go back up...and I tolerated Rifampin pretty good.

Rifampin was fine for me too.

Liver enzymes got slightly elevated when I was on 600mg twice a day, but nothing some liver supplements or decreased dosage for a week or two can't handle.

I was on rifampin with amoxy and zithromax, and don't remember having any particular issues (besides regular lyme junk, yeast, etc). It's just really red so it made my urine bright orange

Girlie said...
I wonder about all that red. So is it just food coloring in it? That can't be good

according to wikipedia, "The napthoquinonic chromophore is what gives rifampicin its characteristic red-orange crystalline color."

whatever that means

So napthoquinone has something to do with vitamin K? According to my google search...now what the heck is that doing in Rifampin?

Trader, while my meds will be different, I am extremely anxious about starting them...as I will be taking three abx at once to start, plus over 9 nutraceuticals x day and other meds for nerve pain, etc. With all that plus detox and diet... I am internally freaking out...I can't get it organized, it's like I have a mental block when I try to sort out the timing of everything.

So yeah, I can relate, the anxiety is through the roof...but I guess try to prepare yourself mentally for the experiences and prepare ways to ease through them.

One of my problems is that I am a thinker. I think about every possible outcome when I am faced with a challenge or a "out of the box" situation. I think about a decade worth of consequences in just a few minutes...it just spirals and I get myself worked up. It's been notably worse since dealing with these TBIs. I'm aware of it most of the time, enough to ask someone to talk me through.

In your case I think you might benefit from just reaching out when you have these fears and getting several different perspectives from people who have been there.

I've always been averse to medications, but since I've been prescribed Klonopin as needed, I find that occasionally taking it, even just a small amount, during really tough times kind of helps my mind stop spiraling.

Hang in there, you are doing what has to be done to get better...it might be rocky, but as long as you are confident that you're on the right path...you can get through it.

Thanks a lot for the encouragement. I really appreciate it!

bluelyme said...
Once pirouette shared her schedule ..she was on iv but it was genius...i wonder how she is doing?

I dont know, I really dont know her. But I hope she is doing fine.



After I got off work last night and posted "thanks", I thought to myself whats it going to hurt to take Rifampin a few days early? So, I took one 300mg. Im still here....lol. I did get a bit of a headache about 20 minutes after taking it, but im not sure if it was Rifampin or me just being stressed from work. I do know this...it absorbed VERY well because my urine was really orange this morning!!! Hope thats not a bad thing.

trader758 said...

bluelyme said...
Once pirouette shared her schedule ..she was on iv but it was genius...i wonder how she is doing?

I dont know, I really dont know her. But I hope she is doing fine.



After I got off work last night and posted "thanks", I thought to myself whats it going to hurt to take Rifampin a few days early? So, I took one 300mg. Im still here....lol. I did get a bit of a headache about 20 minutes after taking it, but im not sure if it was Rifampin or me just being stressed from work. I do know this...it absorbed VERY well because my urine was really orange this morning!!! Hope thats not a bad thing.

Sometimes I forgot if I took the Rifampin...until a couple hours later when I went pee...lol
That is supposed to happen.

I think the wait and see approach would be best at this point with the Tindamax.