LymeNet Flash: anyone done intramuscular antibiotics?

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Posted by pippy (Member # 6005) on :

has anyone tried intramuscular antibiotics? they are supposedly as good as IV? good tissue penetration?
thanks

Posted by Lenny777 (Member # 5452) on :

I did Bicillin for a few months. It was pretty good. Only had to mess with it twice a week and not everyday like a lot of other abx. Better than IV? It depends on who you ask. I haven't heard much good about IV. I hear a lot about relapse with it. But Lyme tends to do that. Just my opinion...don't lynch me IV people. They, IM abx, are not that bad but they are not the most fun thing I've ever done(ouch)...but then again neither is Lyme. Bicillin is better on your gut and yeast as well.

Posted by Ann in CA (Member # 97) on :

Just finished 24th week of bicillin once a week. The part I lilke best is that my stomach and mouth are so much better without the orals. I am also doing better with most symptoms, but I am at the lowest dose (one 1.2 injection per week) and I don't think it is going to get rid of my remaining most persistent problem--blurry vision and vibration in head and eyes. The dose will probably have to be raised.

However, my terrible knee, jaw, and shoulder pain have not come back while on bicillin. I have never tried IV, and while the shots are not my favorite event of the week, it could be alot worse, and as my husband got more confident about giving them to me, they hurt less. Now they are no big deal.

Best of luck to you!

Ann

Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :

I was on Bicillin 3x week since December. Mostly, I seemed to tolerate it well, but I did not really notice a tangible change.

By coincidence (maybe) I also developed sciatica in both legs about a month after starting the injections. I assumed it was a separate issue and it probably is.

But, after having the flu at the beginning of March I got worse in a big way and pretty much back to square one. This is after having seen a noticeable improvement in Nov/Dec, just before adding the Bicillin in to the mix - I was on Biaxin already.

So, it is very hard to unpick what went on there but my LLMD surprised me when I saw him and he told me to stop the Bicillin becuase it might have been causing or adding to the sciatica (although we both kind of doubt it) but also he thought I mnight have serum sickness and has tested me for that - I am still awaiting results.

So, in the meantime I am off it. If blood is OK I guess it means I can return to it later again. For now though, I am to start Ketek in 2 weeks, which he said does botgh the jobs of Biaxin and Bicillin together.

So many people seem to have a great improvement on Bicillin and I still hold out hope it could work for me later on.

DLL

Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :

IV abx will certainly get to the "heart" of the problem more directly, literally. IM is a slow release med and is usually a lower dosage overall than it's equivalent in IV.

I did IV Rocephin twice and saw great improvement both times.

Due to crappy veins I was switched to IM Bicillin and have seen even more improvement, albeit slow.

IM is a dream to deal with compared to IV, so it has my vote. I did 2.4 mils/week for 8 months & just started pulsing it - on 2 weeks off 2 weeks. Don't know if it will work to clear up the remaining symptoms. But, my MD and another here are trying this. The other LLMD is having good success with his patient. I am the guinea pig with my MD. so, we'll see.

DLL: I would bet my unopened bottle of nice red wine (which I can't drink) that your sciatica is related to the injections. One nurse, not my usual one, nicked my sciatic nerve when she pulled the needle out too fast and I fell to my knees. I could barely walk for a couple of days. The pain was excrutiating. We couldn't shoot into that side of my body for weeks. I still feel it on occassion.

Posted by achey (Member # 6284) on :

Hi Pippy

I can't comment on IM abx, but I've been doing IV's since Nov, and had huge improvement. My LLMD basically said it was my only reasonable option because of the severity of my damage. I'm glad I was too sick to argue....

As far as choosing what to take...Educate yourself, and ask questions of your dr. then as long as you trust him/her, go with that recomendation and continue to ask question report symptoms and communicate problems and changes.

Good Luck!