LymeNet Flash: Babesia/quinine and clindamycin rotated with quinine and biaxin

This is topic Babesia/quinine and clindamycin rotated with quinine and biaxin in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by Linda LD (Member # 6663) on :

I was justing reading Mary's thread and wanted to start a new one.

My doc will only give me zith. I start flagyl next month.

How much quinine should I take and will that and the zith get rid of the babesia?

Will Cat's claw do it?

Every time I ask about mepron he says we are sticking with the zith.

Any other herbal things?

If I could find some scientific articles on the rif machine i would investigate that...any links to that?

thanks,
L

Posted by riversinger (Member # 4851) on :

Linda, Dr. S out in SF uses Zithromax and Flagyl as one treatment protocol for babesia, so maybe it will be a good one for you. I am currently using Tinidazole and Zith because I just could not keep doing Mepron.

I don't think cat's claw is used for babesia. Here is the list of what Dr. S recommended at the recent Orthomolecular conference in San Francisco:

Mepron/ Zithromax
Clindamycin/ Quinine
Flagyl/ Zithromax
Larium/ Doxycycline
Artemesia or Artemesinin

I think Dr. Burrascanno has doseages for all of these in his treament recommendations. I am taking 250mg Zithromax and 500mg Tinidazole twice a day.

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Sonoma County Lyme Support

Posted by Linda LD (Member # 6663) on :

Riversinger,

I start the zith and flagyl next month--I just wanted to be sure we are on the right track...

Thanks you!

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

Zith for babesia???????????????????????

I never heard of using only that for babesia. Is this something new? It's usually combined with mepron.

I used clindamycin and quinine to clear my babesia. I've also taken artemisinin.

Cat's claw won't do anything for babesia.

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oops!
Lymetutu

Posted by zipzip (Member # 6226) on :

studies have shown that atavaquone (mepron) must be employed with a macrolide (e.g. zithromax, biaxin) to be effective against babesia.

if using quinine then clindamycin must be used as an adjunct.

the use of flaygl, or plaquenil for that matter, against babesia is anecdotal and not published.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Atovaquone and azithromycin for the treatment of babesiosis."

Krause PJ, Lepore T, Sikand VK, Gadbaw J Jr, Burke G, Telford SR 3rd, Brassard P, Pearl D, Azlanzadeh J, Christianson D, McGrath D, Spielman A.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford 06106, USA. [email protected]

BACKGROUND: Babesiosis is a tick-borne, malaria-like illness known to be enzootic in southern New England.

A course of clindamycin and quinine is the standard treatment, but this regimen frequently causes adverse reactions and occasionally fails.

A promising alternative treatment is atovaquone plus azithromycin.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective, nonblinded, randomized trial of the two regimens in 58 subjects with non-life-threatening babesiosis on Nantucket, on Block Island, and in southern Connecticut.

The subjects were assigned to receive either atovaquone (750 mg every 12 hours) and azithromycin (500 mg on day 1 and 250 mg per day thereafter) for seven days (40 subjects) or clindamycin (600 mg every 8 hours) and quinine (650 mg every 8 hours) for seven days (18 subjects).

RESULTS: Adverse effects were reported by 15 percent of the subjects who received atovaquone and azithromycin, as compared with 72 percent of those who received clindamycin and quinine (P<0.001).

The most common adverse effects with atovaquone and azithromycin were diarrhea and rash (each in 8 percent of the subjects); with clindamycin and quinine the most common adverse effects were tinnitus (39 percent), diarrhea (33 percent), and decreased hearing (28 percent).

Symptoms had resolved three months after the start of therapy in 65 percent of those who received atovaquone and azithromycin and 73 percent of those who received clindamycin and quinine (P=0.66), and after six months no patient in either group had symptoms.

Three months after the completion of the assigned regimen, no parasites could be seen on microscopy, and no Babesia microti DNA was detected in the blood of any subject.

CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of babesiosis, a regimen of atovaquone and azithromycin is as effective as a regimen of clindamycin and quinine and is associated with fewer adverse reactions.

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"Life is wasted on the living."

Posted by riversinger (Member # 4851) on :

zip, you're right that flagyl for babesia is anectdotal, as is the use of artemesinin (the studies are on malaria.) For that matter, sero-negative babesia is anectdotal!

We don't really know what all we are dealing with in these chronic illnesses. Most likely we are treating much more than the identified infections when giving antibiotics and antiprotozoals.

Dr. S, however, has a very good reputation out here on the west coast. We may very well be dealing with different critters out here, but meanwhile, he is certainly someone to respect when looking for answers.

And the bottom line is, does the patient improve? At least, that is the bottom line for me.

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Sonoma County Lyme Support