New to Lyme

Hi cammy,

I cannot tell you about the Cowden as I am not familiar with it but many others on this site are. How long have you been on antibiotics for??? Personally, I have neurolyme and just 100 mgs of doxy twice a day took some time to get used to , 3 weeks for me. Most docs start with that then work up to higher doses as your body is able to. Many of those symptoms could be herxes from die-off of bacteria.

The best think I can recommend is detoxing (can be found on the New to Lyme thread start here at the top of the lyme page) and probiotics are ESSENTIAL!

Typically, doxycycline is not supposed to be very active in the brain. However...Rifampin has good brain penetration - so that is probably the reason for whatever new psychological manifestations you are experiencing. When bacteria in the brain die (or parasites) it is very common to have weird anxiety and other things that you typically had not experienced previously. Just keep an eye on it. I started ceftin recently and had pretty bad anxiety thirst for ~3 days and then it became tolerable and now 4 weeks in, I'm doing OK. I like OK...I can't wait for Great though!

cammyn,

I first want to WELCOME you to the forum. We're glad that you are finding us to be helpful. That is what we are here for. We have a lot of knowledgeable, experienced, and friendly people here, and from a variety of perspectives.

I am sorry that you are ill. A lot of the misery stems from the toxins that are created from the die-off of the microbes. I would encourage you to read the thread entitled "New to Lyme....Start Here?" at the top of the thread column. It has some information that is good to know for anyone with this illness. Take particular notice of the detoxification section if you are not currently detoxing. You may find that detoxing helps you a lot.

You are in an interesting situation compared to most people on this forum. Sometimes doctors prescribe too low of a Doxycycline dosage. i.e 100 mg dose/twice a day, and never increase it. Most of the LLMD's will always end up with a 200 mg dose/ twice a day. Many of our members find that dosage to be quite challenging. That dosage can sometimes create quite a herx, and also the stomachs pf some people have a rough time with the antibiotic itself. You are taking twice that dose! I would guess that you may be herxing strongly. In addition that high dosage may be tearing up your stomach. I can't imagine that anybody would be able to handle that high of a dose for very long.

As far as the specific symptoms are concerned, I cannot comment on that. I do know that sometimes people with Lyme can develop "leaky brain". This is a breakdown of the blood/brain barrier,, and allows things to infiltrate into the brain that normally wouldn't. Of course opugirl has already commented about the Rifampin possibly being the cause of the brain symptoms. I'm sure that other members will offer some insight.

I have been to Australia and I loved it! I spent a week in the Sydney area, and a week in the area north of Cairns. I think that the town was Port Douglas. We also took the train from Sydney to a wildlife preserve in the Blue Mountains. We loved it all. I have a question for you. In the U.S. the ticks are often known as "deer ticks" because they often are found on, and are spread by deer. In Austrailia do the ticks attach to the kangaroos?

Please keep in touch with us and let us know of the developments in your treatment and progress.

Don

Hi Tickled Pink

I was wondering how long you were on Doxy for? - my doc says I need to stay on it for about 3 months - I hope I can last that long.
I don't think I will combine Cowden and antibiotics just based on what the Cowden rep told me.

I have started the detoxing suggestions but my doc said only to detox when I am herxing - sometimes it's just too hard to tell when you are feeling bad.

Really glad Cowden's working for you.

Don, she meant to write she's taking 200mg. twice daily. 800mg. would probably kill a person without Lyme let alone with.

Cammy, I'm on Doxy and Rifampin also now and have the same exact problem with the Doxy as you do. At 300mg. I can handle it and herx a bit but 2 days on 400mg. and the nausea is just way too much for me to handle. I disagree with the posters here and don't believe that's a herx but a side-effect to the med as I know people who get nauseous from it at the normal 200mg. dose.

There's a delayed-release version called Doryx but it's quite expensive and comes in only 150mg. tabs but I can't see taking 3 of those to come close to the desired dose of 400mg.

Just found this article on another forum showing how Doxy actually increases the cyst form of Lyme and may not the best choice when it comes to treating it. Keep in mind that it's in-vitro so it doesn't necessarily mean the results would be duplicated in-vivo.

http://www.dovepress.com/evaluation-of-in-vitro-antibiotic-susceptibility-of-different-morpholo-peer-reviewed-article-IDR

No I haven't noticed anything from the Rifampin. I'm getting itchy bumps and itchy rashes which could be Bartonella but I was getting those before I started treatment.

My chills also intensify on doxy which I believe is a herx though I still feel the nausea is just a side-effect at least for me. I'm stuck at 300 mg. but may try 400 again in a different way (after food instead of right before).

I wonder if I have Babesia but my chills normally aren't that bad and the night sweats are not the drenching kind.

I too get headaches though less than a year ago and they're mild. My legs tingle and burn and feel heavy and tight.

It's good you caught it early as you'll have a better chance of knocking out your symptoms as some have been you mentioned. Good luck!