LymeNet Flash: Babesia/Malarone

This is topic Babesia/Malarone in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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https://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/1/32953

Posted by Bacteria Bess (Member # 5923) on :

I was treated for babs in Sept. 04. Malarone 4
tablets, 250mg. once a day for three days, then
again four weeks later. The herx was horrible. About six weeks later symptoms seemed to go away.
I now feel the babs is back, constant chills,
low grade temp. crawling feeling at base of neck
and so on. Is this possible?

I do have lyme, positive West/Blot IGG I think
it was 6 bands, I know 41 was one of them.

Has the Malarone worked for anyone else?

Thanks so much!
Bess

Posted by NP40 (Member # 6711) on :

Seems as if you didn't take it long enough. Often mepron is given daily for a three week period, a week off, then the cycle is repeated 2 or 3 times after that.

Malarone has the same ingredient as mepron, it's not as potent as mep, but many have good luck with it, and it's far cheaper.

Posted by patdetweiler (Member # 7030) on :

I have Lyme and had Babesia. I had a positive Babesia titer and also malaria-like fever/chill cycle. When I woke up temp was normal, then from 4-6pm big time chills, then fever up rapidly to 101 or so. I felt so hot I took off clothing and stood outside in winter. Then around midnite temp went back to normal. Went on for 5 days, then local duck gave me doxy and cycle stopped. My LLMD is one of the higher ups at ILADS and I actually have faith in her (faith in a doctor???). My treatment for Babesia was: Zithromax-250 mg with breakfasr and dinner (500 mg total per day)and Mepron, one teaspoon with lunch( 1 tsp =750 mg). You must continue for 6 weeks. At the end of 5 weeks I went to LLMD and asked if I could stop cause I felt so rotten and was told I'd have to do it all over again if i stopped. But I now have a negative PCR and titer for Babesia and I feel like I'm making progress with the Lyme for which I am now taking ketek. Pat

Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :

I took Malarone and Artemesinin for half a year every day. I seemed good for a half year after I stopped. Now I feel as if I need to go back on it again. The all over antsy feeling (especially in the legs) and shortness of breath are coming back

Posted by liz28 on :

This is one of those subjects that brings out high emotions in people. So please, just take this post as a presentation of another side.

There is a growing contingent in the alternative Lyme community that believes you cannot make headway against Lyme until you get rid of co-infections. A person in Dr. B's office said that in some cases, he may choose to treat the co-infections first before hammering the Lyme. But remember, this person was not a doctor, and does not officially speak for Dr. B.

There are many, many debates on Lymenet over the best treatment for babesia. I have had it almost five years, and have been treating it for five months on the following protocol:

Mepron 10ml/2x day
Artemisinin 300-400 mg/day
Ketek 400mg/2x day

If you google artemisinin, you will see that the World Health Organization recently adopted it as the best malaria treatment, because malaria is becoming resistant to most other drugs.

While researching babesia on Lymenet, I was surprised to see many ILADS doctors require a minimum 4-6 month treatment, and that many go up to a year. My current doctor is much more establishment than the ILADS guys, and quite skeptical of them, and he wrote out a 7-month prescription for mepron as a matter of course.

Posted by cmichaelo (Member # 5873) on :

I just started taking Malarone and Art.

First 3 days I take 4 tablets (250/100mg each), then 1 tablets/day thereafter.

My doctor informed that it is at this point an open-ended treatment.

I also take 200mg Art twice a day for 3 weeks then 1 week off.

Some doctors say it's important to take a break when taking Art. I've heard as low as 3 weeks on, one week off to as high as 3 months on, one month off.

From what I can tell, based on the feedback here on LymeNet, malarone is as effective as mepron in treating babs. Also, malarone does not need to be taken with a macrolide like mepron does.

Malarone has a secondary component in it (proguanil hydrochloride), aside from atovaquone. I don't know what its purpose is. But I'm guessing that one purpose is to prevent the body from becoming resistant to the atovaquone, i.e., the same role the macrolide has when taking mepron.

Malarone is like ~12 times cheaper than mepron. I think one reason for this is that there's significantly less atovaquone in malarone (250mg in daily dose of one 250/100mg tablet) than in mepron (1500mg in daily dose of 10ml).

So frankly I don't understand what it is that really kills babs, cause it sure looks like it is not atovaquone alone, as this would render malarone inefficient. There must be more to this than atovaquone.

Does anyone know what the purpose of the proguanil hydrochloride is and how does it work in conjunction with the atovaquone against babesia?

Michael

Posted by liz28 on :

As you can see, there are differing opinions on this.

What I have experienced, is that malarone is significantly weaker than mepron. So if you also have Lyme, and this argument proves true, then you are taking a drug that will suppress the babesia symptoms, but will not kill the bug, which could make your Lyme treatment open-ended and permanent. This is one reason why the babesia treatment argument is so serious.

I had chronic Lyme for four years before starting mepron. I had taken malarone in the past. Hence my strong opinion on this issue--I could have used the past four years for something more interesting than being disabled with a curable illness.

Therefore, please do as much research as you can on this.

Posted by laserred (Member # 6796) on :

I don't know if this is an answer to your question, but here is a link to article about mepron and malarone treatments for malaria-type organisms, like babesia.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/news/001004-01.html

Posted by Bacteria Bess (Member # 5923) on :

Thanks everyone for the great info, you guys here are great, I no longer feel as if I am alone dealing with this mess.

Bess

Posted by Bacteria Bess (Member # 5923) on :

Thanks everyone for the great info, you guys here are great, I no longer feel as if I am alone dealing with this mess.

Bess

Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :

My LLMD gave me the option of Malarone or Mepron, with Artemisinin or Artemesia. I chose Mepron and Artemesia.

Malarone, at least in my neck of the woods, was NOT really cheaper than Mepron, it was pretty much going to cost the same as Mepron.

I have only just finished the Babs treatment, so it's too early to tell if I'm done with it forever.

My LLMD did say though that one should NOT take breaks from it (i.e. 3 weeks on one week off) or the Babs becomes resistant. Also, not to take just Mepron or Artemesia, again Babs will become resistant.

Anyway, I did the routine for 8 months.

About afternoon temps and chills. I understand this can ALSO be a Lyme symptom.

Posted by cmichaelo (Member # 5873) on :

quote:
Originally posted by dontlikeliver:
Malarone, at least in my neck of the woods, was NOT really cheaper than Mepron, it was pretty much going to cost the same as Mepron.

Interesting. Let's share costs, if you don't mind:

In my case one month dose of Malarone was $125 and one month dose of Mepron (two bottles) was $1500.

What were your cost? (Not asking about your copay, but actual total cost of each drug.)

quote:

My LLMD did say though that one should NOT take breaks from it (i.e. 3 weeks on one week off) or the Babs becomes resistant. Also, not to take just Mepron or Artemesia, again Babs will become resistant.

I was only referring to take a break from Artemisinin. Did you dr tell you NOT to take a break from Art?

Michael

(edited three times to get the formatting right)
[This message has been edited by cmichaelo (edited 03 April 2005).]

[This message has been edited by cmichaelo (edited 03 April 2005).]