Rifampin make anyone else tired?

Yes, I had some pretty profound fatigue when I took the rifampin treatment, so much that it pretty much knocks me out and I just lay there or sit in a chair. Fatigue is actually a side effect of the drug. But it makes for a nice bartonella treatment because it takes away the anxiety, insomnia, but also makes you tired.

I took it in the morning but then found myself just sitting doing nothing with my eyes closed, so I took it in the evenings and that helped out. I found that it would be the first few hours after taking the dosage that I had the most effect of fatigue.

Are you taking it twice daily or once daily? I did once daily 600 mg right after getting home from work.

Oh ya it would knock me out for 2-3 hours after. Well kind of sleepy, kind of lazy, kind of just exhausted kind of feeling. That's why I took it in the evening. Maybe it was just the high dose I took? Caused a huge blood spike in the concentration of the drug.

Ya I took mine on an empty stomach too. I am taking most of my antibiotics on an empty stomach except the tinidazole. It says on my pill bottle to take that one with food.

I would caution anyone going on antibiotics long term to talk about this with their doctor and look at potential risks vs effectiveness.

My dr absolutely said to take all antibiotics with food b/c otherwise it would destroy my stomach. I did have some gut issues towards the end but overall I was ok.

Just be careful, gut issues are no fun I hear!

Yes, yes, yes. Made me really tired and always hungry for carbs. I hated taking that med.

Rifampin up regulates liver enzymes which then effect cortisol levels(lowering them) causing fatigue.. Well documented side effect.

check your thyroid (start with TSH).

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16957414
"After the administration of rifampin, TSH increased to 21.3 mU/l. After its administration, Patients 1, 2 and 3 developed hypothyroidism, and received T4. When rifampin was discontinued, the hypothyroidism resolved. After the course of rifampin-therapy had been completed, T4 was discontinued. At-risk patients who receive rifampin may become hypothyroid."

not so much anymore. I was a little scared for my first antibiotic Ceftin, but it was fine. Then I was a little scared of Flagyl because of the warnings there, but it was fine. I was very uneasy about Babesia meds Clindamycin, Quinine, clarithromycin, plaquenil and the warnings they carry; but has been great so far.

I am pretty sure I will be okay, prob 99% confident I will have no probs with Rifampin, but we will see.

As of right now I am about 3 weeks basically symptom free. I am going to take an antibiotics break after i finish my babesia meds to see if I fall apart. I suspect my symptoms will come back. At that point I will start Rifampin.

I'm not sure I know what a herx is. Flagyl made me feel pretty tired about 2 hours after I took it. I don't know if I would call that a herx. Maybe it was a die-off reaction, maybe it was a side effect.

I was never a sick as some of the others that are around here; or as sick as those I see in wheelchairs or bed bound writhing in pain in documentaries or the news. So I may never herx like those that are super sick.

I also was kind of treating before I actually knew it. When my health was mysteriously degrading a few years ago I cleaned up my diet, quit gluten, quit smoking, quit sugar, quit drinking alcohol, started taking black seed oil, magnesium and other supplements every day. I had actually started treatment without knowing it. By the time I figured out what was actually wrong with my body and started antibiotics, I suspect my microbial load had already been lowered substantially.