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Delayed Side Effects for Doxycycline? And lingering symptoms?

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Posted 10/22/2018 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
Quick background: I had a known tick bite in May, and where I live there was potential for others throughout the summer. I started to have symptoms in August- muscle pain and leg heaviness being the most significant. I also had pain in my ears, tingling, and sharp/shooting nerve-like pain. I started to feel somewhat better on 21 days of doxy, so my doctor extended it one week. Again, I felt somewhat better- but it didn't totally go away. The ear pain is gone. The tingling is mostly gone. I'm still having muscle pain, though generally not as bad. I'm still having nerve pain, though it's less constant. My doctor said it's not uncommon for symptoms to linger as long as 6 months. So my first question is: did any of your symptoms linger after antibiotics and, if so, how long?

I never really experienced any side effects while on the doxy. I tried to be "kind" to my stomach and took probiotics along with it. But about a week after finishing, I started to feel bloated and have stomach pain/cramps. It's now been almost 3 weeks and I still have it pretty consistently. Did anyone experience this even after finishing the antibiotic? I know they can wreak a little havoc on your digestive system, but I'm not sure if it's normal for it to occur after the course is complete.

I appreciate any thoughts/experiences smile

Post Edited (Calduger) : 10/21/2018 6:19:49 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/22/2018 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
It’s hard to say if your tummy problems are from the abx.. or from the infections.

But - you have other symptoms, so that indicates you need more treatment.

Maybe work on your tummy now - while you decide what your next step will be. ie probiotics , bone broth
Posted 10/22/2018 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
It could be the infection lingering. 21 days of doxy really isn't that much. I did that too early on in my illness and took about 20% of my symptoms away and then got worse upon finishing.
Posted 10/23/2018 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
How did you guys pay for the extended antibiotics? Did you pay out of pocket or did your insurance actually cover it? From what I hear, they won't cover beyond the 28 days.

I'm now wondering if I have developed some kind of gluten allergy in addition to everything else. I'm noticing a pattern with my diet and the stomach symptoms. So that might actually be an unrelated, but also unfortunate, issue. Who knows.
Posted 10/23/2018 2:11 AM (GMT 0)

Calduger said...
How did you guys pay for the extended antibiotics? Did you pay out of pocket or did your insurance actually cover it? From what I hear, they won't cover beyond the 28 days.

I'm now wondering if I have developed some kind of gluten allergy in addition to everything else. I'm noticing a pattern with my diet and the stomach symptoms. So that might actually be an unrelated, but also unfortunate, issue. Who knows.

I’m in Canada and my husbands employer provides blue cross for our medications - (well most meds) we get 80% back (after our deductible is met)

Try going gluten free - for a month at least and see how you feel.
Some people get intolerant to gluten when they have Lyme
Posted 10/23/2018 2:23 AM (GMT 0)

Calduger said...


I never really experienced any side effects while on the doxy. I tried to be "kind" to my stomach and took probiotics along with it. But about a week after finishing, I started to feel bloated and have stomach pain/cramps. It's now been almost 3 weeks and I still have it pretty consistently. Did anyone experience this even after finishing the antibiotic? I know they can wreak a little havoc on your digestive system, but I'm not sure if it's normal for it to occur after the course is complete.

I appreciate any thoughts/experiences smile

I’m very similar to you. I did 8 weeks of antibiotics for an acute bite where I had the rash and a few symptoms that accompanied it. I never really had a Herx or any issues while on antibiotics. I ended them two months ago while still having a few symptoms like jaw pain but that passed after a couple more weeks. Like you, I had no stomach issues while on antibiotics and took probiotics the entire time. But around 3 or so weeks after ending, I have started having bloating and similar abdominal pains as you have mentioned. I went to the doctor about it and was put on Prilosec. That has helped a lot with the pain. It’s weird it occurred after a few weeks of ending antibiotics but it definitely could be antibiotic related. Its really the only thing I’m dealing with right now, so I’m hoping it’s not infection related and I’m not treating Lyme. I do watch my diet to see if it helps and I drink lots of green tea to aid with stomach digestion.
Posted 11/10/2018 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
My stomach issues have for the most part gone away- I took probiotics and had Activia yogurt just about every day and it helped so much.

Interestingly, I had a cervical spine MRI this week and it showed arthritis. The neurologist said that could be causing the lingering pain and tingling I have- because those symptoms only involve my neck, arms, and wrists. The pain in the other areas went away when I took the antibiotics. So it may be that I had multiple problems going on at the same time, some of which isn't due to Lyme and thus wouldn't respond to antibiotics. Regardless, I have been feeling so much better and I am grateful for that. I wanted to thank everyone for all of your help and advice!
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