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minocycline vs doxycycline

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Posted 10/8/2018 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys my doctor originally told me that I’ll be on doxycycline as a part of my first treatment for Lyme however the pharmacist just called me and said since my insurance doesn’t cover dixy they gave me minocycline instead. Is this ok? I know Doxy is the preferred antibiotic for Lyme. It would cost me $200 a month to get the Doxy, is it worth it? I have to call them back to tell them what I have decided to do so please give your advice if possible. Thank you!
Posted 10/8/2018 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, mino should be fine and I don't think you need to spend the extra money on doxy.

Our DS has been on mino since month 2 of treatment and is pretty much in remission now 3 years of pulsing it plus others for different infections.

That's strange they don't cover doxy which is so common.
Posted 10/8/2018 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
OK! Thanks so much! Yeah it stinks they won’t cover the Doxy sad
Posted 10/8/2018 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
You're welcome. Be sure to detox a ton and just keep trying new detox methods because you will feel it when you start it!
Posted 10/9/2018 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the warning! If anyone has any of their favorite detoxing techniques please let me know.
Posted 10/9/2018 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
I would say you lucked out by getting the Minocycline covered. It passes the BBB (blood brain barrier) and it's usually the cheap Doxy that gets covered as a general (antimalarial) I think. Minocycline is a very good if not better substitute than Doxycycline is what I'm thinking, yeah don't spend the extra on Doxy, Mino is better isn't it?...IANAD btw...
Posted 10/9/2018 1:32 AM (GMT 0)

HeartsinPain said...
Hi guys my doctor originally told me that I’ll be on doxycycline as a part of my first treatment for Lyme however the pharmacist just called me and said since my insurance doesn’t cover dixy they gave me minocycline instead. Is this ok? I know Doxy is the preferred antibiotic for Lyme. It would cost me $200 a month to get the Doxy, is it worth it? I have to call them back to tell them what I have decided to do so please give your advice if possible. Thank you!


Did the pharmacist just decide to substitute mino ... or did he contact the Dr.? I would hope a pharmacist wouldn't just do that.

Minocycline is a good antibiotic for lyme.
Posted 10/9/2018 3:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much guys! You’re all so well educated about this & I greatly appreciate the help!
I made sure that she checked with the Dr first!
Posted 10/9/2018 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Mino was way better for me than Doxy. I think you got really lucky smile
Posted 10/9/2018 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much Missouri!! That makes me very happy!!
Posted 10/9/2018 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
I should have said that as well. DS tolerated mino much better than doxy and I'd forgotten but it's great for the brain blood barrier as others have noted.
Posted 10/9/2018 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you yancync! This really make me thankful for this switch up! I’ll be starting treatment tomorrow, I’m so nervous but thankful that I have all of you to help me during this horrific time in my life. So my doctor said I’ll be on this treatment for at least three months, any idea what will happen after that? Btw I just got 26 viles of blood drawn sad is this normal? I honestly don’t even know what they’re testing for, it seemed like a lot of antibody and cell stuff.
Posted 10/9/2018 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I haven't read your story to know if you will be treated for co-infections but if you late stage Lyme meaning it was missed, you probably have several infections that would be treated with various different antibiotics and possibly an anti-malerial.

If you aren't being seen by a Lyme literate doctor I encourage you to switch.

Our DS started a month of daily doxy after a + test but he'd had it for a year. His other infections like babesia, exploded during that month plus the Lyme was dying off. He was so, so sick that it was then I started researching and realized we needed an LLMD to help.

To give you an idea of treatment we pursued, DS was sick 1 year, got tested, did 1 month of daily abx, then switched to an LLMD that uses a pulsing method (3-4 days a week of abx then a week off) and has been doing that now for 3 years but is tapering off after being well now for 16 months. He has taken at least 6 different abx, an anti-malerial, various herbs, supplements and vitamins during that time, also B12 injections and uses an inhaler. At one point had to take a dose of Ativan too. He felt lousy and missed many days of school for the first 2 years of treatment (bed ridden, immobile). It is a rough journey for most but many people do heal from these infections so keep at it!

Learning about detox and trying everything you can is a great first step along with reading up on co-infections plus tracking your symptoms on a spreadsheet over time.
Posted 10/9/2018 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that he is starting to get better! I know it’s going to be a long journey but I’m willing and ready to fight to get back the love I loved. I just started to look at your website, it’s beautiful! Thank you again!
Posted 10/10/2018 7:00 AM (GMT 0)
mino is king. Very few GI side effects compared to doxy, twice brain penetration.

The only side effect i had was skin/teeth staining if u take it for many months (9 months in my case). U can also get headaches and brain pressure from it.

It is permanent, 6m after being off mino i still have stained tooth and a tiny darker skin patch below my eye. Tooth stain cannot be removed by dentist.

But in my opinion it is a small price to pay for how good this thing was for my lyme... It made an immense difference, i am 99% recovered.
Posted 10/10/2018 7:46 AM (GMT 0)

mpost said...
mino is king. Very few GI side effects compared to doxy, twice brain penetration.

The only side effect i had was skin/teeth staining if u take it for many months (9 months in my case). U can also get headaches and brain pressure from it.

It is permanent, 6m after being off mino i still have stained tooth and a tiny darker skin patch below my eye. Tooth stain cannot be removed by dentist.

But in my opinion it is a small price to pay for how good this thing was for my lyme... It made an immense difference, i am 99% recovered.

Yup - the mino staining (greyish) isn’t removed with cleanings like the doxy is. It is under the surface.
Thyroid and bone staining can also happen.
It can fade over time tho.
My teeth aren’t as bad as before when I was taking the mino daily for many months - now that I’m taking it only a few days per month.
Posted 10/10/2018 12:47 PM (GMT 0)
Awesome guys thank you so much!! The staining stinks but like you said it’s a small price to pay. So glad you are doing so well mpost!! How long was your Lyme undiagnosed for? Are you on any treatment now?
Another question I had is how bad do you let a Herx get before you let up on the treatment a little? In the summer when they thought I just had a UTI they gave e Bactrim and I herded really bad (electric shock in back and arms, very high blood pressure, very dizzy...) I thought it was a reaction to the Bactrim since I had no idea what a Herx even was at that point. But if it gets that bad again do I stop treatment for a few days or keep pushing? Thank you guys! You’re keeping me going!

Post Edited (HeartsinPain) : 10/10/2018 9:32:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/10/2018 7:52 PM (GMT 0)

HeartsinPain said...
Awesome guys thank you so much!! The staining stinks but like you said it’s a small price to pay. So glad you are doing so well mpost!! How long was your Lyme undiagnosed for? Are you on any treatment now?
Another question I had is how bad do you let a Herx get before you let up on the treatment a little? In the summer when they thought I just had a UTI they gave e Bactrim and I herded really bad (electric shock in back and arms, very high blood pressure, very dizzy...) I thought it was a reaction to the Bactrim since I had no idea what a Herx even was at that point. But if it gets that bad again do I stop treatment for a few days or keep pushing? Thank you guys! You’re keeping me going!

Re: herx. You should be detoxing and trying to keep the toxin load down. Multiple methods daily....here's some of what I do plus some other ideas:

- Make sure I drink lots of water daily
- Squeeze lemon juice into some glasses of water. (Best to drink with straw - to bypass the teeth. Rinse your mouth out with clear water after...as the lemon can damage your teeth)
- Light exercise
- Warm epsom salt baths (not HOT)
- dry brush your skin prior to bathing/showering
- Take probiotics daily (I like to take different ones...change it up each day)
- Take a liver support supplement
- Take a binder - must be a couple hours away from antibiotics, and anything else you do not want flushed out of your GI tract.


Here's a website with ideas:

/www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html


If you still have a bad herx...which can still happen - then take a day or two off the abx...let it settle down.
You should have a discussion with your LL Dr. about this.
Posted 10/10/2018 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Girlie! Just thought I'd pitch in about one of your comment with probiotic having to be taken away from binder.

Is that info from a LLMD? MY LLND told me that I could take probiotic right before bed with charcoal, that both would not bind and that it was actually the best time of the day to take probiotics since it would be able to "repair" all night.

Curious to hear what you heard on the matter.
Posted 10/10/2018 8:14 PM (GMT 0)

Alxander said...
Hi Girlie! Just thought I'd pitch in about one of your comment with probiotic having to be taken away from binder.

Is that info from a LLMD? MY LLND told me that I could take probiotic right before bed with charcoal, that both would not bind and that it was actually the best time of the day to take probiotics since it would be able to "repair" all night.

Curious to hear what you heard on the matter.

I haven't discussed it with my LLND or LLMD. But, the charcoal sweeps out everything in your digestive tract.
Not sure why it wouldn't eliminate the probiotics....

...and yes taking the probiotics at night before bed is a very good time...as it can populate in the gut all night.

Why not take the binder around 8:00 p.m. and then the probiotics before bed..?
Posted 10/10/2018 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have an answer to your very good question other than to repeat what the LLND ""explained"" me back when we discussed the matter.
From what I understood, binder clean heavy metals and toxins, not bacteria and such provided from probiotics.

Timing is such a puzzle for us. ;-) If I take ABX at dinner at 6:00, 4 hours later I can take charcoal so 10. I suppose I could take probiotic last thing before bed at midnight.
Ugh!
Posted 10/10/2018 9:29 PM (GMT 0)

Alxander said...
I don't have an answer to your very good question other than to repeat what the LLND ""explained"" me back when we discussed the matter.
From what I understood, binder clean heavy metals and toxins, not bacteria and such provided from probiotics.

Timing is such a puzzle for us. ;-) If I take ABX at dinner at 6:00, 4 hours later I can take charcoal so 10. I suppose I could take probiotic last thing before bed at midnight.
Ugh!


"Because binders can bind to nutrients, they should also be taken away from food. It is generally recommended to take them at least 30 minutes before, or 1 hour after eating or taking any supplements or medications. "

/www.sophianutrition.com/blogs/sophia-life-blog/are-you-detoxing-with-the-correct-binders

If you take abx at 6:00 p.m. You could take charcoal at 8:00 p.m. and probiotics at 10:00...if you don't want to stay up til midnight.
Posted 10/11/2018 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
I’ll try that, thanks girlie!
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