I have Bart and have tried a few different combo's to treat but no luck so far. Now I am on Levaquin, my sixth day. On my fifth and sixth day I have noticed an increase in some of my sypmtoms - anxiety, facial tingling (like bugs under the skin or pin prickles), tiredness when I wake up in the morning and swollen lymph glands. My concern is that I'm not sure if this is a herx or just that the Levaquin is not working. I went right from taking Biaxin to taking the Levaquin and I'm thinking the Biaxin may have just worn off and that the Levaquin is not working. Thoughts? And please, don't respond with any horror stories about Levaquin - I've heard them all and resisted taking this drug because of it. I don't want to scare myself silly now that I'm on it!! :-)
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Sounds like a Herx!!! And Bartonella rashes often itch!!!!!!!!!!! I know many people who have taken quinolines without problems- and my current LLMD is a great believer in Levaquin!!! Good luck on it!!!
Posted by Aniek (Member # 5374) on :
My personal experience, it takes longer for me to see an impact of stopping an abx. The timing really sounds like a herx. And, if you have Bartonella, then Levaquin will cause a herx.
My Bart herxes have all been pain, but that's my largest symptom. I had my best progress on Levaquin.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
I started Levaquin a couple weeks ago. My GI symptoms have always been the first to appear when Lyme has made me ill (prior to diagnosis). Starting the Levaquin has made the GI symptoms and the itchy rash come back.
I'm just starting to have some energy again. The first two weeks were brutal, the past two days have been okay.
I also went directly from Biaxin to Levaquin.
Posted by Paula Carnes (Member # 10912) on :
You should be afraid. Take the Levaquin, but watch out for any tendon pain and also anxiety.
Paula Carnes
Posted by DolphinLady (Member # 6275) on :
Paula,
Can you say more about why anxiety is something we need to be afraid of while on levaquin? Thx
Posted by PinchotGail (Member # 5066) on :
Ditto what Paula said
I had terrible gastro pain in the middle of the night because I was told to take on an empty stomach......IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!
Then took with food, and was better, BUT
Posted by PinchotGail (Member # 5066) on :
Ditto what Paula said
I had terrible gastro pain in the middle of the nightthe very first time. I was told to take on an empty stomach......IT WAS HORRIBLE!!! Looking back now we think it was a herx from my stomach....killing off bugs there
Then took with food, and was better, BUT I developed the tendon pain on both sides of my knees after only 2 weeks. I called the lyme doc and was taken off right away!!!
Gail
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Ugh, my knees are starting to hurt ... it has to be the Levaquin because the "Lyme knees" feel different than this ... I have a call into my doctor and have stopped taking the Levaquin.
Posted by BartonFink (Member # 10818) on :
quote:Originally posted by Paula Carnes: You should be afraid. Take the Levaquin, but watch out for any tendon pain and also anxiety.
Paula Carnes
I agree 100%.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
My LLMD called me back ... he said tendonitis is unlikely to start in the knees, but it's something we'll keep and eye on. He said it's more likely to be a flare.
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