WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
I have been trying a very low dose of Lexapro to deal with low mood/difficulty dealing with stress/anxiety/irritability.
I am having a lot of trouble tolerating it. It either causes insomnia or sleepiness - it's odd that it switches back and forth. I've tried taking it at different times of the day and I've tried a very low dose.
I'm ready to give up on it, and I'm wondering if I should perhaps focus on treatment rather than going the SSRI route? I don't have major depression or anything at this point, so I would think this might be a viable option.
I have suspected for a while that bart is causing a lot of my remaining symptoms, and so I'm wondering if this is tied in. Maybe the SSRI isn't working because the sx are due to bart and not "true" anxiety/depression?
Or is this maybe just the wrong drug? (FWIW, I had one episode of major depression many years ago pre-Lyme, I tolerated Lexapro then fine and it worked wonders).
Thanks for your thoughts!
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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surprise
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34987
posted
It's really hard to say- did you do Bart tx?
How about some herbs for Bart, or tincture, see if that helps/ reaction...
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Yes, I did several months of Rifampin during the first year or two of treatment which I recall really helping with emotional regulation/decreasing those feelings of detachment.
Took Bactrim for a while until I developed an allergy to it.
Lately I have been taking Ceftin.
So the bart has definitely been knocked down but I don't think it's gone.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
For me, the symptoms you describe are definitely bartonella.
I did the rifampin route with other abx also, and felt great while on it.
Relapsed about 6 months later.
Do you still see an LL?
My LL and I are trying/tried the A-Bart and CSA route this time around.
It just seems to be stirring it up...not doing much killing.
Do you have any other bart symptoms?
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Yes - I felt great on Rifampin too but it didn't last afterwards.
I do still have other symptoms that seem like Bart - pain on bottom of feet, fatigue, emotional detachment, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, headaches...
A-bart is a good suggestion. I haven't tried that yet and I will ask my LLMD about it. What is CSA?
Complicating this is that I have recently developed a lot of new food and drug allergies so I'm also very reluctant to try new things.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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momintexas
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23391
posted
This may sound strange but check for mycoplasma.
It caused severe anxiety for a family member.
Posts: 1408 | From Tx | Registered: Nov 2009
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
CSA is cryptolepsis, sida acuta and alchornea (sp?) tincture blend from Woodland Essence. It is based on Buhner.
The cryptolepsis I found very helpful before.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Wow, I think it could be mycoplasma. I just read up on it and I have a lot of other symptoms too. The abx I have been on *should* have gotten it, but we all know how that goes. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the reminder on CSA. I have done crypto alone but not the CSA, Recall discussing it with LLMD at one point but never actually tried it. I thought it was for babs though? Does it hit bart too?
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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surprise
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34987
posted
You can easily get a Myco P IgG and IgM pulled through labcorp- if IgG is really high, most Lyme people then actually have a Myco issue.
CSA tincture's Sida and Alchornea yes can hit Bart.
-------------------- Lyme positive PCR blood, and positive Bartonella henselae Igenex, 2011. low positive Fry biofilm test, 2012. Update 7/16- After extensive treatments, doing okay! Posts: 2518 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2011
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
Thanks, surprise, I don't think I've ever had those tests, so I will bring that up at my next appt. I definitely think I need to learn more about mycoplasma so I just started a new post. Thanks again. I'm really struck by how many of the symptoms I seem to have that I had been attributing to lingering bart and babs.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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nefferdun
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 20157
posted
The pain in the soles of your feet is a classic bart symptom but one of the tell tell signs Dr. S uses is skin changes. You could have pea size brown spots (can be confused with age or liver spots), loss of pigment, broken veins, spider veins, crusty moles,
skin tags, streaks, bruising, nodules under the skin on your outer thighs that hurt when you find them and press them (about the size of marbles), swelling that is not true edema because it does not leave a dent and other strange markings.
I got frontal headaches and occasionally a stabbing pain like an ice pick into the center of my brain. It makes the eyes dry and irritated. You might get muscle twitches - I had them the first time but not the second. It can cause bladder irritation and frequent urination making it difficult to sleep.
Bart is very difficult to get rid of. The first time I had it I took Bacrim DS and a macrolide for 9 months before it went away. This time 6 months. Whenever I skip a day I have symptoms return almost immediately.
I don't think herbs are powerful enough to take a bad case of bartonella out. I floxed on Levaquin and could not tolerate drugs for 8 months during which time I used massive amounts of herbs including HH2 but i got worse.
Finally I got up in the middle of one of my sleepless miserable nights and took left over Rifampin. I was ok with it and continued for 3 months but it didn't help. That is when I switched to the Bactrim.
Even starting with a small dose of a drug just once a day is better than nothing. I only take bactrim and roxythromycin once a day.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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