Just curious...if I was negative for Bb would I still herx on Doxy? or anything for that matter?
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
Hokay, then. I've always heard that herxes are not spirochete
specific, and can happen when your treating pretty much any
systemic infection.
Certainly a lot of people here claim to get them from
bart and babs tx-ment...
[ 09. February 2008, 06:34 PM: Message edited by: adamm ]
Posted by cjnelson (Member # 12928) on :
Thats not the question....
If someone was never exposed to Bb would they herx or could they herx on abx???? Or is herxing on the abx that we take specific to spirochete type bacterias?
I know we can herx from yeast die off, but specific to abx - is it only to spirochetes???
Posted by onthemend (Member # 13454) on :
Hey CJ, I got so sick on abx for a couple of months after beginning doxy treatment for LD. I'm no spring chicken (!) & have taken abx throughout my life for various conditions, but never experienced any reaction whatsoever(other than getting well!!) before.
Sorry, not a medical answer, just an anecdotal one - I never had any reaction to abx prior to Lyme dx, and after Lyme dx & taking doxy, I was much worse for a few months (which I assume was a 'herx'). Then, better, better, better.
I hope you improve soon. Doxy started really getting to me about 1 month ago and I switched to Doryx. I do find it much easier to tolerate in the GI area - but doesn't affect 'herxes' per se.
otm
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Remember....not everybody has a herx.
My husband doesn't for a couple of weeks after he's started a new med.
Lucky me. Usually between day two and five.....
Also the dose is important. 200mg may not cause a herx reaction.
Or......maybe there are other TBD's without the Lyme.
I hope I helped.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by cjnelson (Member # 12928) on :
I test positive was only wondering if "normal" people did herx on abx.
May have been a useless thread but was really wondering about this, thats all! Thanks for the responses!
Posted by Michelle M (Member # 7200) on :
CJ, I don't think "normal" people herx on antibiotics.
Before lyme, I on many occasions took 2- to 3-week courses of abx for bronchitis or other reasons I can't recall now. I NEVER had any reaction to them other than to get better from whatever condition I was treating. I think this is true for most people, unless they're allergic/intolerant of that particular antibiotic.
:-)
Michelle
Posted by lymebytes (Member # 11830) on :
I have taken abx for all different reasons throughout my life and always by day 3-4 I was well and felt great.
I never EVER knew there was any such thing as "hurting or symptoms increase to kill a bacteria", I would have never dreamed it.
Before I knew I had LD I insisted a doctor give me abx, I was convinced I had an infection. I was sure by day 3-4 I'd be well...NOPE..by day 3 I was in the worst shape ever and could not for the life me understand why antibiotics would increase or aggrivate my symptoms.
Not just spirochete bacteria cause herxing, Bart, babs & Ehrlichia are not spirochete and yet we herx to kill them.
One person told me they had no idea they had Lyme until they "herxed" on antibiotics. I wonder how many people who don't know they have Lyme think they are experiencing side effects and really they have Lyme.
Posted by kman543210 (Member # 14009) on :
To answer the originally question, no you cannot have a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction if you are a healthy person no matter how many antibiotics you take. YES, other infections besides Lyme can cause this when treated with antibiotics such as syphilis, tick-borne relapsing fever, brucellosis, typhoid fever, trichinellosis, and Q fever.
Just my personal opinion, but I think people overuse the term herx when they start to feel worse on treatment. You can get worse from herxing, but you can also feel worse just from a flare-up of symptoms that coincides with treatment, side effects from the antibiotics, or allergy or intollerance as well. Many times it may be a combination of the above, so it can be difficult to know for sure.
For example, if you had no infection and took Flagyl, you would most likely feel the many possible side effects from this medication such as weakness, abdominal pain, peripheral neuropathy, numbness,... These are side effects and not caused by toxins from the die off.
From personal experience, I have had sinus infections, strep throat, and many unknown bacterial infections while I was on chemotherapy, and I always felt better with the antibiotics from those rather than worse. So I did not experience any herx from those particular infections with treatment.
Posted by JasonK (Member # 14071) on :
I agree healthy people don't herx. Hence why when LLMD's provide a clinical diagnoses amongst others things they also like to know if taking antibiotics has caused any increased symptoms or pain.