LymeNet Flash: Abx for Bartonella? -- Which of these?

This is topic Abx for Bartonella? -- Which of these? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by broguearcher (Member # 5905) on :

I contracted Bartonella/Lyme/Erlichia almost 5 years ago but was not treated (entirely) for them until about 2 years ago.

Of the following Abx I've taken, which is the most effective for handling Bartonella?

Some or all of the following were taken together.

-Ceftin (1+ years)
-Biaxin (1+ years)
-Doxy (1 year)
-Plaquenil (approx. 1 year)
-Rifampin (2 months)

My most troublesome Sx have remained similar the past several months.... head fog, feeling of disorientation/dissociation, shortness of breath and occasional dizziness (used to be frequent).

My energy levels have increased a good deal so that's not as much of a problem as it once was (it was a BIG problem).

Are these Sx consistent with Bart?

Posted by suki444 (Member # 18960) on :

Hi
I had the same symptoms and my LLMD said it could be co-infections Babesia,Bartonella which I've been treated for,or could be just Lyme - hard to tell.

What he does is uses combinations to target the Lyme and any resistant bugs e.g. Doxy and Rifampin for Bartonella, Ketek and Cipro, Ketek and Atovaquone for Babesia etc.

His approach is to cover all bases when in doubt.

BW
Emma

Posted by broguearcher (Member # 5905) on :

His approach is to cover all bases when in doubt.

BW
Emma

this was my doc's approach as well...... one problem though..... I don't think he really considered how my past bacterial infection (and subsequent IV treatment in the hospital) factored in..... didn't even really seem interested in it.... as it turns out, that appears to have been when I acquired Bartonella. fortunately, he did attempt to cover all angles with the abx he gave me.

Posted by liz28 on :

Rifampin, hands down.

Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :

At first glance I thought your symptoms sounded more like Babesia than Bartonella -- you don't always have really bad sweats with babs.

Second glance I reread your med list and I am pretty sure none of the meds you have taken were for Babesia.

It is so hard to figure out which symptom is caused by which bug, but you probably should try some meds for Babs to see if that is the missing piece of the puzzle.

Bea Seibert