Posted 7/6/2021 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
I made a "cheat sheet" listing the meds commonly mentioned on this forum. Anyone have more to add?
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Amoxicillin - a common penicillin-derived antibiotic. One of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, but many bacteria are resistant to it.
Artemether/lumefantrine (Coartem) - Combination of artemether (artemisinin derivative) with another anti-malarial drug, lumefantrine
Artemisinin - Anti-malarial extracted from the plant artemisia annua.
Atovaquone (Mepron) - Anti-malarial drug commonly used for treatment of babesia. Also known to have antiviral activity against several types of flavivirus and coronavirus.
Atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone) - Combination of two anti-malarial drugs. Proguanil, via its metabolite cycloguanil, inhibits dihydrofolate reductase.
Azithromycin (Zithromax, Z-Pak) - Macrolide antibiotic, inhibits protein synthesis in bacteria. Frequently used against bartonella, however resistance has been reported.
Carvacrol - a chemical found in oil of oregano, which has anti-bacterial effects
Cefdinir (Omnicef) - cephalosporin antibiotic, which has a similar mechanism of action to penicillin, but a somewhat different chemical structure, which may be more effective against certain bacteria
Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) - cephalosporin antibiotic given intravenously. Often cefdinir or cefuroxime, which can be given orally, are used instead
Cefuroxime (Ceftin) - cephalosporin antibiotic, which has a similar mechanism of action to penicillin, but a somewhat different chemical structure, which may be more effective against certain bacteria
Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) - Fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Although effective against bartonella, has a risk of severe side effects including tendon rupture and neuropathy.
Clarithromycin (Biaxin) - Macrolide antibiotic, an alternative to azithromycin. Inhibits protein synthesis in bacteria. Often recommended for treating bartonella, however resistance has been reported.
Cryptolepine - An antibiotic found in the plant cryptolepis sanguinolenta
Dapsone - Anti-folate drug. Although considered a highly effective treatment for borrelia, many patients are unable to tolerate the side effects.
Daptomycin (Cubicin) - This antibiotic was shown to be effective against borrelia burgdorferi in vitro, however it is seldom used as a treatment because it must be administered intravenously.
Disulfiram (Antabuse) - Drug used in the treatment of alcoholism which was found to kill borrelia and babesia. Adverse effects include a risk of severe reactions to alcohol, effects on dopamine, neuropathy, and risk of toxicity due to acting as a carrier to redistribute copper atoms. Effect on bartonella is poorly understood, but has been reported to cause a flaring of bartonella symptoms.
Doxycycline - Tetracycline antibiotic, commonly used for treatment of borrelia and bartonella. As with all tetracyclines, it has immunosuppressive side effects, which may be undesirable.
Fluconazole (Diflucan) - Anti-fungal medication
Hydrocortisone (Cortef) - Chemically identical to cortisol produced by the adrenal glands, this is used to replace cortisol when adrenals are stressed due to infection or cortisol is depleted due to CYP3A4 activity
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) - Anti-malarial with immunosuppressant effects. Due to the side effects of hydroxychloroquine, alternatives such as atovaquone/proguanil are often used instead for treatment of malaria or babesia. Hydroxychloroquine is used for treatment of autoimmune disease due to its immunosuppressive effect.
Ivermectin - Traditionally used for the treatment of lice and scabies, this has more recently become a popular treatment for coronavirus infections.
Leucovorin (Folinic acid) - Given as a nutritional supplement to make up for the deficiency caused by drugs which inhibit dihydrofolate reductase.
Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) - HIV protease inhibitors, which affects bartonella via an unknown mechanism. Shown to inhibit stationary phase bartonella in vitro, but reported to cause activation of bartonella and flaring of symptoms in vivo.
Methylene blue - A blue dye originally used as a treatment for malaria, now more commonly used to treat bartonella. Risk of neurologic side effects due to inhibiting monoamine oxidase.
Metronidazole (Flagyl) - Nitroimidazole antibiotic
Minocycline - Tetracycline antibiotic, commonly used for treatment of borrelia and bartonella. Minocycline crosses the blood-brain barrier somewhat more readily than doxycycline. As with all tetracyclines, it has immunosuppressive side effects, which may be undesirable.
Naltrexone - Opioid antagonist traditionally used for treatment of addiction. Often used at low doses for various neurologic conditions.
Nitazoxanide (Alinia) - Antiparasitic and antiviral medication, traditionally used for treatment of intestinal infections cryptosporidium parvum and giardia lamblia. More recently used as an antiviral.
Nitroxoline - An antibiotic which was found to have activity against bartonella henselae in vitro, and to inhibit biofilm formation of various other bacteria.
Nystatin - Antifungal medicine, used to treat gut infections, has minimal absorbtion from the intestines
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) - Antiviral medicine used to treat influenza. Resistant strains of influenza have been reported.
Pyrimethamine (Daraprim) - Anti-folate drug
Rifabutin - Antibiotic similar to rifampin
Rifampin - Antibiotic known for its distinctive red-orange color. Often used as a treatment for bartonella, however resistance has been reported. A significant side effect is its stimulation of CYP3A4 which can interfere with other drugs and affect steroid hormones.
Rifaximin (Xifaxan) - an antibiotic used to treat gut infections. It has minimal absorbtion from the intestines.
Tinidazole (Tindamax) - Nitroimidazole antibiotic, similar to metronidazole.
Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra) - combination of two antifolate antibiotics, often used as a treatment for bartonella
Valaciclovir (Valtrex) - Anti-viral medicine, typically used for herpes viruses
Valproate (Depakote, Epilim) - An anti-epileptic drug which was serendipitously found to have anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic effects. Has documented activity against toxoplasma gondii, and has been investigated against other infections. Theoretically has a risk of copper toxicity similar to disulfiram, and this mechanism has been suspected in cases of hair loss as a side effect.
Xylitol - A sugar substitute used as an anti-biofilm agent