Is that for really sick people, or is it prescribed for other reasons? For people with certain symptoms??

Are they safe?

Do they work faster?

Are they better?

Would a doc who is not an LLMD prescribe them?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
 

There prescribed for a multitude of bacterial infections including lyme. It delivers a strong flood of abx directly into the bloodstream, thereby providing a quicker, and more potent attack on bacteria.

Is that for really sick people, or is it prescribed for other reasons? For people with certain symptoms??

You're definitely sick if you've been ordered an IV. They're attempting to eradicate your particular affliction as quickly as possible. Many pneumonia sufferers use them now.

Are they safe?
For the most part they're safe. I would think the majority handle them well. It's a fairly simple procedure to insert, utilizing a local anesthetic.

They thread the PICC line through a vein on the underside of your bicep. The line is threaded to above the heart, so abx is directed through the body quickly. You don't have nerve/pain cells on the inside of your veins, so you don't feel it, except for the initial shot of anesthetic.

You must not get the dressing wet, and keep an eye out for redness or discomfort when IVing to make sure bacteria hasn't entered.

Do they work faster?
In many people they do, but not all. Everyone's metabolism is different.

Are they better?
Again, many gain quicker and more effective relief, but there are exceptions.

Would a doc who is not an LLMD prescribe them?
All the time.

Do all lyme patients use one?

Are there certain symptoms of lyme that make it more likely that you will use one?

Have you ever had one for lyme?

Do all lyme patients use one?

No, but many do.

Are there certain symptoms of lyme that make it more likely that you will use one?

In my son's case he wasn't responding well to oral doxy, and due to his large bacterial load, our LLMD went IV. He's going on his third month and we're starting to see a little improvement.

My son's symptoms were fairly severe, pain, vertigo, insomnia, so I believe the LLMD went IV to help reduce the bacterial load quicker.

Have you ever had one for lyme?

Personally, I don't have lyme, but my 14 year old does. He tolertaes it very well, and never complains about it. He does the IV's himself, because he's watched Mom and Dad do it so often.

IV's are prescribed for different reasons.

Sometimes it is because someone is really sick with something and they need a very high dose of a med that can't be taken orally.

In other cases someone might just have too many stomach upset issues taking oral, and IV is another way to get the med into them.

Sometimes a particular med a Dr. wants to use is only available in IV form. No choice but IV if one wants that particular med.

Different Doctors have different treatment approaches for Lyme. Some seem to like IV's and large doses of really strong antibiotics. Others use gentler approaches to deal with the infection without doing as much harm to our bodies in the process.

The Dr. we are going to for instance does not even OFFER IV treatment. She uses mostly orals and tries to work on improving one's overall health so the body can fight some of its own battles again.

I personnally prefer that approach, but different people have different needs and preferences.

If your questions are about:

"If I have Lyme am I going to have to be on an IV? I don't want to be on an IV!"

... The answer is no, unless that is the ONLY treatment you respond to... OR you for some reason want to go the IV route.

I personally would only do IV's as a last resort. I'm actually having some good results with just some modest amounts of orals and an occasional IM injection or two.

Treatment does not have to be brutal to be effective.

[This message has been edited by James H (edited 27 February 2005).]