My mother was also recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease. She had been having joint pain for years, and was eventually put on medications for rheumatoid arthritis (Enbrel - an immune suppressant, and Methotrexate, which inhibits folic acid absorption). She never actually had RA that they could tell, but they said she had the markers for it.
She also quite possibly (tests are not in yet) has the same MTHFR gene mutation that I have, which also inhibits folic acid absorption.
So, she finally got to a Lyme Literate Naturopath who was able to diagnose her with an IGENEX test. Since then, she has gone off of the Enbrel & Methotrexate.
She had been taking Ceftin (not sure the dose) for about
a month, and was feeling ok. Her ND then added Minocycline, and about
a week after that, she started, what I think, is her first real herx reaction.
She is observing fatigue, increased joint achiness, soreness on the soles of her feet. Sounds like a herx to me.
She is, understandably, concerned, and worried that she may have done the wrong thing with going off of the drugs for RA. When she called her RA doctor, he seemed to think that she should just go back on the Methotrexate. This concerns me, since this could be further blocking her detox pathways, and could actually make her feel much worse, since she's still taking the ABX.
What do you guys think? I tried to be reassuring and tell her that (unfortunately) this period of feeling completely awful, is very common in Lyme treatment.
I gave her some useful tips for detoxing, so I hope that helps. Do any of you have contrary or validating experiences?
Thank you in advance.