LymeNet Flash: bizarre head symptom

This is topic bizarre head symptom in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by WildCondor on :

I am on Rifampin + Biaxin and the past week have this really weird and annoying woozy feeling in my head whenever I move my head or eyes my head feels weird like I am being put under anesthesia or something. Movement is really weird annoying feeling and brain fog too. Maybe its the drug? Its not the biaxin I know that because I have been on it for a long time. I am on 300 mg Rifampin and it is constant even when trying to sleep or being still.
help!

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[This message has been edited by WildCondor (edited 15 September 2004).]

Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :

In my honest opinion, its the Rifampin. I was on it for four months, and it did me a world of excellence AFTER I STOPPED TAKING IT! But I got the same thing you are having.

I couldnt ride elevators or nothing, I was so woozy in my head. I got alot of neck and head pain and alot of eye pain on it while it did its job, but the movement stuff was amazing.

Hang in there. What dosage are you on? I was on 600 and had to back down to 300 cause I was constantly on an elevator in my head.

Jodie

Posted by lymes be gone (Member # 6199) on :

I have that too! I am not on treatment yet, but sometimes during a BIG flare-up that is the first symptom I notice. I get pressure in the right side of my head, by my eye. Then I get the dizzy/woozy feeling. I have had it so bad that I could not look up or even reach for things up high. Also, if I hit a bump in my car it would make me dizzy. I cannot even swing with my kids. I have also noticed that if anyone puts something close to my face I get that feeling.

I guess my point is I am not yet on treatment and feel this. Boy, I wonder what treatment will do!!!

Hang in there!!!!

Posted by WildCondor on :

Jodie baby!

We are always so alike in our health saga.
Thank you for making me feel sane again by saying its probably the Rifampin. Its making me so weird in the head. I hate this!
I feel like I have been hit by a 2 X 4 and seeing stars except I am walking around. Its not really a dizzy feeling, more like mentally warped and woozy, like I am on some narcotic.
I hope it calms down. I am only on 300 mg of this stuff! I see my doc in a few days thank god.

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Posted by WildCondor on :

I have this bizarre head thing lying totaly still, lying in bed, sitting here at the computer, all the time, it is constant and it has not let up at all. I also am getting some weird chills and some sweats, just feel weak. Rifampin or herx or something else, I hate this!

The worst is I just pretty much snorted and entire capsule of Rifampin accidentally. I swallowed it without food 300 mg as normal. Then I had reflux and the capsule came back up into my esophagus and popped open and the powder choked me and went up my sinus cavity, holy panic! I blew out orange powder and junk out my mouth and nose for 1/2 hour and it still hurts.

Please tell me this bizarre brain symptom will go away. Anyone else have this?

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Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :

Yes ma'am, it will go away! After it killed me for like a month, it really really helped me.

The first two weeks were actually alot worse than the third and fourth then it calmed down alot. IT came to the point that taking it was like taking water for me but it still helped.

I loved my rifampin.

After the brian crap, I got ALOT of lung herxing, which didnt feel good at all but was a huge relief in tradeoff.

Posted by kam (Member # 3410) on :

Wild Condor....I hope you are doing better soon. Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time of it right now.

Posted by Corgilla (Member # 4066) on :

Wild Condor,

You've helped me so many times.

I feel bad making light of what you're going through but maybe you've found the answer to our problems.

Instead of swallowing our meds, maybe we should be grinding them up and snorting them. 8)

I hope your treatment with rifampin ends up being as positive as Jodie's.

BTW, I think I've gotten that same feeling whenever I get overheated. It's happened for years. It's almost as if I'm going to pass out but don't.

Take care,

Corgilla

Posted by lymemomtooo (Member # 5396) on :

W.C. I do not have any experience about the meds that you are taking, but just a thought..Could it be something less serious, ie. allergies or sinus infection?..I have most of the same symptoms when mine flare-up. Especially possible since you snorted them...

Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :

Wildcondor,

Thanks for describing that so well - I have had a symptom like that on and off since about 1988 - like a whoooooosh in my head similar to a very fast elevator right.

It only lasts a second or two for me, but during that time I feel like I'm about to lose consciousness.

I have tried to tell docs in the past, but could never describe it beyond headrush, which wasn't quite describing it well.

When this happens, if I'm sitting (only has happened sitting and lying down so far - I have to sort of grab my head (not sure why, but it's like a reflex).

I know you've been getting this (or a similar sx) on Rifampin, this is just part of my sx list regardless of abx.

DLL

Posted by islandgirl (Member # 5914) on :

Hi WildCondor:

I combined 2 descriptions of peoples'symptoms on this thread. They are so alike....and exactly what the neuro stuff has been and is all about with me. Was life stopping for the first seven months, but now easing up with antibiotics.

I think this is a real and common lyme neuro symtom, not caused by the antibiotic, but relieved by the antibiotic.

Quotes: 1. "Really weird and annoying woozy feeling in my head whenever I move my head or eyes my head feels weird like I am being put under anesthesia or something. Movement is really weird annoying feeling and brain fog too."

"2." Sometimes during a BIG flare-up that is the first symptom I notice. I get pressure in the right side of my head, by my eye. Then I get the dizzy/woozy feeling. I have had it so bad that I could not look up or even reach for things up high. Also, if I hit a bump in my car it would make me dizzy. I cannot even swing with my kids. I have also noticed that if anyone puts something close to my face I get that feeling.Its not really a dizzy feeling, more like mentally warped and woozy, like I am on some narcotic.

Does this describe the neuro symptoms of other lymes out there? It is so exactly right on with what I experience, but said more accurately than I could have. I wonder if it is typical of most neuro lymies?
Peggy

Posted by WildCondor on :

Thank you for the replies.
I dotn know what this is but is really annoying me. I feel like I am floating today and this feeling is still constant.
I dont know if its the Rifampin, a neuro herx from it or what.
thanks for the help.
Wild One

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Posted by Kookie on :

Hey, I call mine "the wooshies."
But mine don't happen upon movement, but instead upon hearing water run, waking up, certain smells, lights, and especially around sundown.

It's like a painless pressure in one area of my head that will sometimes travel across my head and leave me disoriented. It can get "stuck" like that though for hours.

I usually have difficulty concentrating and major short term memory at the same time. I also have difficulty with left/right orientation at the same time sometimes.

TOTAL WEIRDNESS! "Wooshies" has become a "household" word now I've had this before and during meds.

Well, mine may be different from what you're experiencing, but at least you know you're not alone in weird, hard-to-explain brain symptoms!

Kookie

Posted by SunRa (Member # 3559) on :

I was just doing a search on something else and came across this post: http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/022930.html

I'm not sure if it's anything like what youre describing, but I thought of your post when I read it.

I often have a similar sensation of brain wooziness, especially with any movement. I hope you feel better soon

Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :

Wild,

I forgot to mention that Rifampin crosses the BBB very easily. Im sure you know that, but if you dont, that may be why its hitting you so hard. Its
used for a certain type of meningitis, so it definately gets up there.

I hope you start to feel better soon

Posted by BJG (Member # 4723) on :

HEY
I TOO HAVE THIS SENSATION.
DIZZY AND LIGHT HEADED ARE TOO STRONG A TERM. IT IS AS THO MY EYES AND HEAD ARE IN SLOW MOTION AND THEY ARE NOT QUITE CONNECTED.
I HAD THIS ON NEUROTIN, WHICH WAS DC IN DEC.
THE ONLY ANIBIOTIC I AM ON IS RIFQMPIN, WHICH I DID NOT START UNTIL MARCH. SO, THIS SENSASTION WAS THERE BEFORE RIFMPIN AND NOW WITH IT, ALTHOUGH NOT SERIOUS.
MY HERXES BEGIN WITH EAR PRESSURE.
RIFAMPIN HAS BEEN THE ONLY ANTIBIOTIC THAT I KNOW HAS HELPED MY SKIN BURNING AND TWITCHING.
PEACE,
BJG

Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :

YULK...

That "party in your head" feeling.. without the party... STINKS!

The work I do with the chiropractic neurologist seems to help that quite a bit.

I don't know if this will help... but.. maybe try it?

Look straight out in front of you.

Put the tip of your finger directly out in front of you.. about a foot or so from your face.

Slowly move the finger to the right and watch it with both eyes.

Repeat 3 times.

If that makes it better.. fine. If that makes it worse... try going to the left instead.

You may get some relief.

If that doesn't help....

Stand upright...

Turn your head gently to the right. (You want to have your chin lined up with the center of your right breast.)

Gently lean your head back from that position so your chin is pointing upward.

Hold that position for about 10-15 seconds.

GENTLY lower your head down and bring it slowly back to facing forward.

Again.. if that makes it worse.. do it on the opposite side instead.

This opens up the ventricles in the front of the brain and makes them do better.

My guess is the Rifampin triggered it... like others have said.

Not that I've taken it... but I have seen lots of folks here with "head" problems like you describe from using Rifampin.

Hope it settles down soon!!!!

Posted by alexisjade715 on :

I am on Doxy. and I also get the elevator feeling. When I first started my med. it was alot worse. My whole body was twitching every 5 minutes because I felt like I was falling.

I still get these sensations but not as much. Next to extreme fatigue it is my worst symtom.

Just thought I would let you knoe and maybe its just not the actual med. that is causing it maybe its just a stronger med causing the stronger reaction?

I am not a Dr. I am very new at all of this but just I just thought I would let you know that I am on a different med and expereince this as well.

Hope you feel better!

Posted by WildCondor on :

This miserable symptom just wont quit. I really cant even drive my car without really feeling woozy. This is also very exhausting, I feel like I could sleep for a year. I am on Biaxin and Rifampin and I really dont think its yeast because I have no thrush, no vaginal yeast, no skin irritation, and even no nausea. Maybe ite the Rifampin, maybe its a nasty neuro herx but this not knowing what it is stinks. Moving my eyeballs from side to side, looking over my shoulder, blinking all of that triggers the spins. Been achey too, and just irritable and wiped out and brain foggin big time.
Condor needs fresh wings!!!

:-(

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Posted by WildCondor on :

Hello everyone.
I think it is important of me to post that I found an answer to this symptom.
The Rifampin was interacting with the other meds I was taking (Zoloft, Xanax, Atenolol, and Biaxin) and making them stronger.
I went off Rifampin and within a week, the syomptom disappeared. That was really scary and disturbing, as I thought I had Babesia again, or was having some sort of neuro-herx. Nope!

I also added in N-acetyl carnitine 1500 mg combined with SAM-2 400 mg taken together once daily and the improvement came overnight. Just a note to all that not everything is a herx, and these drugs can increase the effects of each other.
Be careful and good luck, and thank you for all the help and advice.

WildCondor

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