Aggressive Antibiotics for Lyme

I went to a LLMD who is prescribing aggressive antibiotic therapy (3-4 antibiotics at a time for 3-6 months) for Lyme and co-infections. However, I am wondering about the risks to the body such as liver damage. Has anyone undergone only antibiotic therapy (no supplements/herbs) and survived or was cured?

Post Edited (outunderthestars) : 2/3/2016 5:14:15 AM (GMT-7)

I was on a similar therapy for 5 months.

My prescription (which for lyme treatment is considered pretty aggressive):

28 days - Azithromycin 1000mg + Tinidazole 1500mg
7 days break
28 days - Doxycycline 300mg + Cipro 1500mg+Tinidazole 1500mg
7 days break
21 days - Levofloxacin 1000mg + Rifampin 600mg
7 days break
28 days - Minocycline 300mg + Cipro 1500mg + Tinidazole 1500mg
7 days break
23 days - Septra DS + Clindamycin 600mg (managed to take only 7 days)

So after this, 3 weeks after last medication some of my symptoms started to come back, so i switched to herbs.

If you have the bacteria for years, chances to get well on just antibiotics are very limited, see this discussion www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3577020 that guy that wrote the book has treated 30,000+ people, so his statistics are sound, i think.

On the other hand, antibiotics are necessary in the beginning of the treatment, i believe. When they are destroyed by antibiotics the spirochetes lose some plasmids, which makes them grow much slower than before treatment, and that is why culture or antigen tests after antibiotic treatment are usually negative (and why the entire controversy about chronic lyme has emerged). Nevertheless, after several months, they re-emerge
aac.asm.org/content/52/5/1728.short

You should try protect your liver, milk thistle is good, also detox often, see the "new to lyme" post (first post on this forum) on detox methods. If you feel you cannot take it, i would temporarily lower the dose until you can resume the full.

I think this is fairly common. When I first started treatment, my LLNP did a mix of 3. So for example I did Biaxin for 7 days and 4 of those days would add Plaquenil and 3 days Flagyl. I was also taking Diflucan 2x a week. Another combo she had me on was Doxy for 7 days with Ceftin on 4 and Flagyl on 3.

My newest doctor is doing Azith and Plaq together for 21 days followed by 14 days of Tinidazole. I also take the full Buhner Lyme herb protocol with that as well as other herbs that hit Bartonella/Babesia just in case. After this "round" I will switch to another antibiotic mix, but keep the herbal protocol as is.

If you are concerned about this being too hard on your body, I would talk to your doctor about having an off period or possibly pulsing the 3rd & 4th med. I do think taking 3 or 4 all at once, every day, may be a bit much.

Also make sure your doctor is monitoring your liver monthly.

as others have said, sometimes it is necessary, but I would sure as heck not start them all the same week! if you overload your body with too many antibiotics, that is not a good thing either. My dr believed in supporting the immune system in order for the immune system to play a role against lyme as well. If you take too much at once, it can knock out the immune system and then you are dealing with that problem as well

see if you and your Dr can devise a plan of how to start off slow and introduce one antibiotic at a time. Get the first antibiotic up to the right dose, then add the next one, and so on.

I got lyme in remission with two antibiotics and herbals and nutritionals.

and also as everyone has said, detoxing and taking probiotics are a must = 50 billion units and up!