I'm wondering if anyone has done all three of these at once. If I can tolerate rifampin I really really want to stick to this. But if my menengitis starts up again I'm tempted to add doxy in an emergency if it won't kill me...

I suppose if I have menengitis rifampin would cross anyway, but I'd really rather not go there again...

So... anyone done all three and survived? er... uhmmm... was it somewhat less than fun?
 

Hubby had an extremely bad herx reaction to 150 mg Rifampin one time daily -- his only antibiotic. He lasted 10 days and then after about 10 days off antibiotics took Cipro for 30 days at a low dose. Waited 1 month with no antibiotics to finally get straightened out before retrying Rifampin.

Is currently on Rifampin 75mgs and Doxycycline 100mgs -- both once daily. Has survived the 1st week. Will wait a week or two more before trying to up dose.

By surviving I mean that his tremors did not increase significantly this time (last time increased from 20% of the time to 80% of the time plus significant increase in seizure-like activity). However he does spend all afternoon in bed every day. It is way to early to say if the meds are really helping or not.

Bea Seibert
 

yes, I will definitely start slow and only after 4 days of zith. but uhmmm... how do you interpret meningitis? Many people think it's a severe acute thing, but it's symptoms can be mild...

Can be as mild as a pressure headache or just a little confusion for some. Basically it just means swelling of the membrane surrounding the brain or swelling of the fluid in the CNS. Many degrees of it.

Niki,

I've kept the meningitis at bay with 400mg doxycycline for 3 years. 200mg will NOT cross the blood brain barrier!! Have done other protocols but still have meningitis when I stop antibiotics. Doxy has only held it at bay, but that's a whole lot better than meningitis.

It took 2 days for the ataxia to stop and about 2 weeks for my reading level to come back up and about 5 months for the meningitis to resolve *while on abx*.

It took me a long time but I had it bad and probley have had lyme & co-infections for more than 10 years.

You will probley herx if the treatment works. That means some of your symptoms will feel worse for a while because as the bacteria die they produce or expel toxins. But- it's definitely worth it.

Yes it stinks and it's scarey. I finally saved money to see an llmd and will be treated for bart and possibly babesia as well as lyme.

ouch. I am really not looking forward to rifampin....
 

If there is any indication some of it is a viral source then it is possible that olive leaf would help the symptoms.

I recently was told of an herb I'm looking up tonight too, called Isatis. Seems people are experimenting with it with western nile and B menegitis. If you do try it **go to an experienced herbalist**- it looks like it can be dangerous used the wrong.

If it's lyme though, until an herb is found that definitely works I'd go with antibiotics... for sure. Absolutely for sure. think about co-infections too.
 

Was researching some old threads on Rifampin last night and came across one that might interest the 2 of you -- this uses the 3 drug combo mentioned here to treat another possible Lyme coinfection -- Brucellosis. http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/014128.html

Bea Seibert

[This message has been edited by seibertneurolyme (edited 24 August 2005).]
 

Good. Another 200mg doxy to that would not be a drastic step in an emergency....

Brucellosis; ""The traditional treatment is Doxy, Rifampin and IM streptomycin shots but we replaced the IM with oral Zithromax. I took Doxy 100mg twice a day, Zith 250mg twice a day and Rifampin 600mg once a day for 8 weeks.""

"Thanks for the link and all the info. I felt like I was reading my discription of my symptoms of meningitis. "

Problem is a LOT of these diseases have VERY simular symptoms. And simular meningitis'. Hmmm... meningitisis? meningiti?

"Worth checking out as i grew up in Greece and ate sheep brain. As well as helped causterate pigs in Iowa. Definitly two of my most lovely childhood memories. "

ROTFLMAO !!! You are a riot Niki... Well, I never ate brains and never really castrated anything in my life (only in my dreams...)but I've butchered sheep and deer. And cleaned many stalls and ate raw butter... and drank from streams and lived a fun life in a port city... probley been exposed to every germ there is... I guess doxy is a good idea...

>>>If I go on that drug combo will it also knock out the lyme at the same time.

Might, but probley not if you've had it a while. Would definitely put a big dent in it though.

>>Is it better to work up to the Pifampin.

Because some people have a very hard time with it. Rifampin is an ornery drug I'm told- has a lot of interactions with other drugs too.

>>>Why i it so powerful versus some of the other combos?

It really isn't- it's just what *bart* is usually more susceptable to.

>>>If you do all three together please post and let me know how you handel it and if it works.

Oh, be sure I will. But it may or may not help- some people have bad reactions to certain drugs- some have good. And, it's possible we both have bart or brucella, but who knows really? the tests are so bad...

Did you get tested for bart and brucelosis Niki? I bet if you walk in and give a vivid description of castrating pigs (blood got all over my EYES doctor!!) they'd certainly test you for free in a free clinic.

caat
 

The ID doc about keeled over when I told him I lived in East Africa until I was six. That and the discription of the tiki fly that laid eggs in my foot. Who's magets had to be scooped out. And the visits to the Kenyan buruea of Health for Yellow fever shots. I think I may just keep the sheep brain and casterating for the next visit!

His only reply was why on earth would someone take a child there of all places! I don't think he wanted to hear about the beaches, wildlife or cutural experience I gained
 

Big Eeeewwww!!!! all around...

Thanks Lyme Ed. I'll probley have to bite the bullet though- about 4 days to ramp up if I can. I only have 3 months and my bones are effected.
 

PMID: 11075904, journal version may differ from the book version i have.

 

thanks, yes. Going after bart not lyme. And it's nice this should wack brucelliosis and chlamedia as well.

Just hope I can tolerate it.... fingers crossed for next week....
 

Here's an old post from someone that took all 3 at the same time for brucella.

AJ
Frequent Contributor
Posts: 905
From: San Antonio, TX
Registered: Sep 2001
posted 22 January 2003 00:05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, lots of questions! I'm glad.
Okay, treatment length is different for each case. I did 8 weeks and tests showed up neg at that point. We will continue testing at different intervals.

I'm not really sure of test result accuracy but I'm pretty sure it isn't a hider like Lyme. The lab my test was done at was Labcorp. I would not reccommend this lab for Lyme tests though.

The traditional treatment is Doxy, Rifampin and IM streptomycin shots but we replaced the IM with oral Zithromax. I took Doxy 100mg twice a day, Zith 250mg twice a day and Rifampin 600mg once a day for 8 weeks.

Siz, about the climate... Pretty sure it doesn't matter but may be more likely to be around states bordering Mexico as the disease is prominent there. Does that make sense? It is actually a cow, sheep, goat and dog carried disease so can be found anywhere.

Did I herx??? HUGE. I started the treatment in the middle of a big Lyme herx. The next week I felt pretty good. Then I got slammed again, real bad. I was happy to feel bad at that point.

I'm posting a long abstract now but a very good one.
XO, AJ