My friend and I both have LD. It's kind of a complicated "friendship" b/c we used to date. We still stay close and care for one another a great deal.
This past Saturday we saw our LLMD. We always go in the room together b/c we are both comfortable talking about our Lyme in front of one another.
I went and told the LLMD how I was doing and then it was his turn. He is on Bicillan shots 3x's a week Diflucan, Xanax and Paxil for anxiety. Along with all the necessary vitamins and supplements. He suffers from the co-infection Babesia in addition to the LD. He gets really bad night sweats and he takes artemensin and cats claw 2x's a day. Dr E. told him to stay on the same regimen that he is currently on and that she felt he was doing well on it. He agreed. I had mentioned to Dr E. that he has become very moody, easily irrabitable and has bad lyme rage at times. The day after the Bicillan shot he suffers from a real bad herx. She explained why spoke to us about coping mechanism. She gave him a sample packet and script for SEROQUEL.
I research everything...so, today when I woke up I researched this medicine, SEROQUEL. The medicine is prescribed for bi-polar mania. I read a lot on it and I do not feel that he suffers from this. I just think he has a real tough time after the shot and he gets his *** kicked from herxing.
I was just wondering if anyone on the forums is on this medicine with LD, knows anyone who has taken it or has any feedback on it.
Thanks,
A
Posts: 16 | From Long Island, NY, Nassau | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Hubby took this for maybe a week once -- that was when he had a mercury problem and before he contracted Lyme and coinfections.
He did not do well at all on this. It is a serotonin antagonist (works the opposite of SSRI's) and also a dopamine antagonist and antagonist of histamine as well.
Supposedly it is the mildest of the atypical antipsychotics -- hubby was also prescribed the other 2 -- Risperadal (very bad news) and Zyprexa (not much better) during his Lyme illness.
Noticed that your friend is already taking Zanax and Paxil. I would be very hesitant to add a 3rd psychotropic to the mix, in my opinion.
Hubby has no psychiatric problems other than those initially caused by mercury toxicity and then Lyme plus coinfections. Is now off all such meds except IV Ativan for seizure-like episodes.
By taking Resveratrol (Japanese knotweed source) he is able to take 5-HTP for sleep and has balanced his serotonin levels that way. Also takes SAM-e for depression/anxiety and that works pretty well at 400mg. Much less worry over additional drug toxicity and side-effects this way.
One of the Lyme psychiatrists who is very big on prescribing psychotropic drugs does recommend Seroquel for paranoia and insomnia (the histamine effect).
Read "The Psychotropic Management of Late-Stage Lyme"
Note: Low serotonin levels can cause anger and possibly aggressive behavior. Also this is frequently mentioned as a symptom of Bartonella.
From info you provided I do not feel that your friend is treating his Babesia adequately -- don't think Artemesinin by itself will do much in my opinion.
This is not medical advice, but just my opinion based on hubby's experiences.
Hope this info has been of help.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
My daughter has been taking Seroquel for several years. We think it may be contributing to weight gain, but it has been the best drug for anxiety and insomnia.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
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tabbytamer
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Seroquel has made a significant improvement for a member of our family as well.
posted
We had the most horiffic experience with Seroquil in our family, after only taking one dose.
Severe dystonic reaction, which then needed medication to stop that horrible reaction, and then had a very severe reaction to the med to stop the reaction, which needed another med to stop that reaction, and so on. Also experienced extreme reaction from all other 'milder' anti-anxiety meds tried. Seroquil is heavy duty stuff. I believe the brain especially vulnerable to these chemicals when there is an infectious/circulatory root to the problems. It's playing with fire.
I firmly believe you should not mess with these drugs.
Also - Xanex and Paxil are difficult to get off of - all the SSRO's and Benzo's are.
-- you should look ahead to how to safely withdraw from those when you are able to, and find help through someone knowledgeable with safe withdrawal. Watch out for his liver.
I wouldn't touch anti-psychotics with a ten foot poll knowing what I know now.
Most of the Docs prescribing them rarely fully consider the potential negative outcomes in using these drugs, and how poorly they are understood - and that we have no idea the effects of them because they are never sufficiently studied before coming on the market.
Most of these drugs end up being removed from the market after a few years - after what can only be called 'trials on the public' IMO. Then they come up with a new one to 'trial'.
Some people do OK on them, but even if you don't have a reaction to them, then what? What effect are they having on the body?
There are effective natural supplements for psych disorders.
High dose, sublingual or IV Magnesium is one of them,
a natural lithium is another -- high dose Kava-Kava can be used to treat anxiety attack. and I have been told by a couple of MD's that when soemthing synthetic is necessary - good old fashioned Valium (the brand name, not the generic) is effective and does the least damage to the body and immune system. I don't know if that's true, just a conversation I have had with a couple Docs tuned into immune health.
It is a relative of Xanex, but not as difficult to get off of, and not required to be on a steady dose.
Also - if you are both relatively sure this is a Herx reaction (which it could be) .. there could be effective means in relieving it with detox or ways to ease the herxing itself.
I suggest doing allot of homework on these drugs as well as potential alternatives. When one has physiological/organic brain disorders (such as in Lyme) .. these drugs can be a very dangerous mix.
And no Doc can predict whether that will be so or not.
That's M.O. from experience. I know some will disagree, but I feel strongly enough about this to share these thoughts.
Be careful.
Mo
[ 05. June 2006, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: Mo ]
Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
Two different llmds pescribed seroquel when I mentionned what it took me to get to sleep....after one dose of seroquel I felt I finally knew how all those 'crazies' on thorazine felt!!!!
Never again - when the next llmd suggested it, I said no way...evidently some do very well on it, some do not.... deb
Posts: 122 | From richmond, ca, usa | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I was recently diagnosed w/Lyme, Babesia and Bartonella by a llmd.
A few years ago (when every doctor I went to said I needed antianxiety drugs as well as antidepressants because I had major depression and anxiety)I went on a med that caused me to go into a drug induced psychosis (made me paranoid and crazy).
I went to the ER and they gave me Seroquel . I had a BAD reaction to it. I have been on EVERY medication for depression and anxiety that is out there and all of this time I have been treating the WRONG thing. Seroquel, Xanax and Paxil are the absolute WORST meds I have ever been on.
I am just telling you the truth so you and your friend know what to expect when he tries to go OFF of those meds.
I had severe withdrawal from all three meds. The worst med I have ever taken in my entire life was Paxil. It is a dangerous drug and please tell your friend to be extra careful when he tries to go off of it. He needs to reduce it VERY SLOWLY.
It caused me to be so suicidal I had to go into the hospital for 2 weeks. I had debilitating headaches and "brain shocks" (felt like little electric currents were going up my spine and into my brain when I was trying to reduce the Paxil).
It was the scariest time in my life. My best advise to your friend is to try and get OFF of those drugs ASAP and try a natural approach. There is a natural antianxiety powder called INOSITOL. Google it or go to the following vitamin company and you can check it out. It has helped me immensly with my anxiety!
The vitamin company I have been working with is called TRUEHOPE(it's free to talk to the support people, except you pay for the vitamins). They helped me get off of all 8 of the antidepressants, antipsychotics, antianxiety meds and mood stablizers I was forced into taking in the hospital. I urge you to check their site: www.truehope.com
Good luck and I'm sorry for the long post...just trying to help out.
-------------------- "...Celebrate the bitter, the tart, the sweet of the here and now, all before it succumbs to the pull of what was and vanishes into a fog of what might have been." ~Susan R. Norton Posts: 21 | From Northern California | Registered: Jun 2006
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lymeHerx001
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posted
I took my first dose of Seroquil last night, I think it really helped.
The Zyprexa just made me feel drunk the next day and made me put on 20 pounds
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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lymeHerx001
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zyprexa stays in your body 50 hours, seroquil 6-8
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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