I am 55 days of mepron/zith and have all sx of adrenal exhaustion. I have horrendous heat waves/exhaustion, fatigue, chills and very weak..lower back pain, red palms and feet..and I find anything at all to be stressful. Can anyone share their mepron journey with me? This is starting to scare me. Thanks kt
Posted by NP40 (Member # 6711) on :
Hi Kt,
My son didn't tolerate mepron very well at all. You could use malarone in it's place. My son ultimately ended up with zith/plaquenil/artemisinin which cleared up the babs. I'd definitely use artemisinin along with anything else you decide on.
In addition, the mepron/malarone/art/plaquenil/etc. should be pulsed. We did 3 weeks on, one week off. Do not pulse the zith though.
Posted by Corgilla (Member # 4066) on :
Hi KrazyKT,
Yeah. I agree with NP. Most of the literature you read with Mepron says that you should take breaks after being on for 3 weeks.
That said, I didn't and I did very well on Mepron.
I'd talk to your LLMD about it. If you think your system is shutting down, that can't be a good thing. You need to consult with a trained professional.
Hope this helps,
Corgilla
Posted by krazykt1 (Member # 3739) on :
Thanks you guys. Is it common with babs to have adrenal depletion symptoms I wonder..Maybe 3 yrs of abx doesn't agree with me..I guess it's gotta do something to the system. Maybe a week off is a good idea..thanks again, kt
Posted by NP40 (Member # 6711) on :
KT, the pulsing helps to avoid developing resistent strains. I truly believe the artemisinin helped more than anything, however, do not take it by itself. You must combine it with the zith and malarone/plaquenil/mepron, etc.
What supplements are you taking ? Anything to enhance the adrenals ?
Posted by HaplyCarlessdave (Member # 413) on :
I had 'malarone' for 2 months-total with a break in the middle - 'malarone' is mainly atovaquone, same as mepron, but in solid tabs. I was also taking artimesia anua, and artimisin, with as much raw garlic and garlic concentrate as I could "choke down" (after a while I didn't mind eating the garlic, but I was probably pretty aromatic!) I also took breaks with artimesia, but was taking that on and off for at least around 6 months to be sure to nail all the babs. Unlike with abx, I had no herx or initial reaction to the atovaquone or artimesia. My doc had me start artimesia slow, though.- 500 md 2/day raw herb, then 1 gram twice a day, after a week. I really started getting better fast, shortly after I began attacking babesia. Good luck with it! DaveS
Posted by krazykt1 (Member # 3739) on :
Np and dave...I just got some health suppliments for adrenals today (Dr B's guidelines) and garlinase dave. I have horrible NMH and pituitary -hypothalmus involvement it seems. I have some DHEA and pregnolone but afraid to try it without tests, but most docs don't know how to read the tests/or understand these aspects of lyme/babs..so frustrated
Posted by breathwork (Member # 567) on :
This group is all about endocrine function and supplements. My endo is on the board. They can refer you to one of their member docs in your area most likely.
I started seeing my endo last April and my quality of life has improved greatly with his tweaking of my hormones and supplements.
I hope this is helpful.
Carol Ann
Posted by lymelady (Member # 6207) on :
I always thought that lyme was the culprit in adrenal exhaustion. Is it babs then? lymelady
Posted by david1097 (Member # 3662) on :
I have been on mepron for 2 years now. No problems. When I stop (tried 2 times), babesia comes back very agressively within 3 weeks (pathology confirmed), Start again, and in about 5 days it gets knocked back zero (but obviously still there). First 3 months was difficult with a lot of vestibular symptoms, after that there was significant improvement.
Long term effects of note: none that I have seen and hope.
Posted by krazykt1 (Member # 3739) on :
Thanks everyone for the info. Carol, I'll be going to that link immediately. LL, don't know if these issues are lyme or babs as I've had them since the beginning of tx.They've gotten worse over time..altho One of my sx in 2003 was the right hip going out on me and this happens with adrenal problems, I've read. Off to read, thanks again. It's so appreciated, kt