Taking abx break....ok or not?

I feel like I need to do an abx break. What is the downside to this? I have in the past taken a day or two off -usually when I'm herxing...but I was thinking maybe 4 or 5 days off.

Is the worst that could happen - is a backslide as the lyme bacteria starts to flourish...or is there another reason?

I had some wonky lab work - liver enzymes and wbc. And, I just want to give my organs a break.

From my experience I think taking a break is a good thing.
I would highly suggest that you take advantage of the break.
And do a liver detox, "Core restore" has a 7 day kit. You can buy it on Amazon.
I have done this kit twice in the past 5 months.
I felt great afterwards!

Good luck.....

Taking a break is good.

You have other bodily systems that are taxed from antibiotics like your gut and nerves.

When these do not function, getting better is near impossible.

My LLMD had me take a week break every month and I was off Pharma ANX on the weekends but stayed on the A-L complex all the time. I think it's good to take a break.

I think if you have been on antibiotics for some time you are okay. But you will know for sure based on your symptoms in about 3 weeks time.

There is a 3 week rule with lyme. If you have been treating well and knocked down most of the lyme. You will know exactly how far your treatment got in 3 weeks. By 3 weeks time off the antibiotics most of the cysts will re-open, and lyme will feel it's safe to go back into a growth phase. It might not be exactly 3 weeks but that is just a general rough estimate.

I would say pay attention to your body. And if symptoms come back you can always nail it. It will seem like a backslide but if you resume antibiotics in 3 weeks after cysts open and it resumes it's growth phase it will actually be progress. But you May herx again!

Also I think your issue now is more bartonella. For my bartonella treatment at least... I am not taking any breaks! It is gonna be a long haul.

Girlie what I mean... is if symptoms come back... You got 3 week to get back on antibiotics otherwise you may start losing your progress.

I think your prime issue at this point is Bartonella. Just saying!

Believe me I have been confusing bartonella and lyme symptoms the whole time!!! What I realized is that a good 90% of my symptoms the whole time can be attributed to bart! Not even kidding about that number!

Girlie,

Last week, I woke up with a tongue that looked like a cotton ball which continued down my throat and made swallowing difficult. I pulled myself off my ABX and doubled up on my probiotics etc and eventually had to get another prescription from my LLMD to clear things up. I was off my ABX (with his approval) for about a week and a half and my body felt so much better by the end that it was very very very very (yep, 4 verys) hard to get back into my routine of taking all my medication. My wife was threatening to shove them in my face while I slept if I didn't get back to it. She can be quite a motivator :)

I really don't think we lose ground after everything was broken down for me by my Doc. Its certainly not something I plan on doing again soon, but I think a small break was exactly what I needed. It was so nice to not be a slave to the big basket of meds on the counter. Consider it a vacation :)

Girlie,

I had gotten a nasty case of oral thrush from all the antibiotics and me not being diligent in taking my probiotics.

Yeah, I'm back on my meds now. Feeling like my normal crappy self but in a slightly better mood :p

Im actually going on a year of treatment next month. I think I finally have babs beat which is great. Finally getting a good nights sleep without waking up 15 times a night soaked or from nightmares but my other symptoms seem to be stubbornly hanging out untouched . Thanks for asking Girlie.

No bart that I know of, but I plan on bringing it up at my next appointment just to run through symptoms now that babs is out of the picture.

Yep lol, that song is one of the ones thats always stuck in my head. Thanks

Chapelle - I won't go off for 3 weeks - just a week at the most. I am definitely taking probiotics...in fact I can take more now since I don't have to worry about the timing with the abx.
I'm not on any antifungals. My Dr. doesn't treat prophylactically - if there isn't already an issue, he doesn't treat....or at least in my case.

So far, I'm okay yeast wise...as far as I know, anyway.

Yes, I'm on vits and other nutritionals. I am still taking some of it - none of the Buhner tinctures for now though, I want a break from the alcohol. But, I am still taking my adrenal support - Rhodiola,ashwaganda, eleutheros, as well as Vit.D, Vit C,Calcium/magnesium, CoQ10, ALA (sometimes), B complex, three types of probiotics, milk thistle and Gaba.

Also, still drinking lots of water, and having epsom salt baths, in addition to light exercise almost every day.

I pause zithro for a month and start to feel better! Then back on for a month and feel worse, It seems like it would be a good thing?

Must be what happened to me. I was off after having bad rash in October till basically Feb 1 I started on Rifampin and herxed for 15 days straight. I did continue A-L complex the whole time, took Coartum 4 days for 2 months, maybe LLD was trying to provoke a reaction or something.

I have this weird almost constant back pain plus it's always really sore or feels bruised the tissue. I guess that's the fibromyalgia. Maybe this new protocol is getting to that bacteria.