TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I took flagyl for 60 days straight. I herxed by day 3. It lasted almost a week.
Then, I herxed again 28 days later. And again 28 days later. That is what Burrascano says will happen. It is a 4 week pattern. You can expect to herx every 4 weeks. I marked it on my calendar in advance. "Bad Day" Then, when you feel lousy on that day, you know what it is. Don't plan anything on those days.
I hope you are taking another antibiotic with the flagyl--one that kills the spirochete form of lyme. I took amoxicillin
See this quote regarding herxes:
"Several days after the onset of appropriate antibiotic therapy, symptoms often flare due to lysis of the spirochetes with release of increased amount of antigenic material and possibly bacterial toxins. This is referred to as a Jarisch Herxheimer-like reaction. Because it takes 48 to 72 hours of therapy to initiate bacterial killing the Herxheimer reaction is therefore delayed. . . .
It has been observed that symptoms will flare in cycles every four weeks. It is thought that this reflects the organism’s cell cycle, with the growth phase occurring once per month (intermittent growth is common in Borrelia species). As antibiotics will only kill bacteria during their growth phase, therapy is designed to bracket at least one whole generation cycle. This is why the minimum treatment duration should be at least four weeks.
If the antibiotics are working, over time these flares will lessen in severity and duration. The very occurrence of ongoing monthly cycles indicates that living organisms are still present and that antibiotics should be continued.
With treatment, these monthly symptom flares are exaggerated and presumably represent recurrent Herxheimer-like reactions as Bb enters its vulnerable growth phase and then are lysed. For unknown reasons, the worst occurs at the fourth week of treatment. Observation suggest that the more severe this reaction, the higher the germ load, and the more ill the patient." (Page 17 of Burrascano)
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
Thanks for the reply! After a couple of pulses (3 days on, 4 days off) I have noticed that I start to herx a bit on day 2 and then 3 and then after stopping the medicine it stops. I'm going to try to get on a daily regimen next week. I'm also taking tetracycline at the same time but may switch to something else. I'm not exactly sure about the cell wall medicines it seems like some sources say not to combine them and others say it doesn't matter?
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