My Dr. currently has me on a Bicillin dosage of 1.2M units once a week. He is suggesting the dose be increased to 2.4M units once a week, given in a single injection each time. I have not had many problems with the 1.2M dose, except that my hips are sore after each shot. Does anyone have experience receiving this larger dosage?
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Welcome Jana!
Ouch, ouch, ouch on your bee-hind! Sorry to hear it is being shot full of holes.
I am posting here to bring this question to the top for the early birds. I don't do the Bicillin so would rather leave the answers to those who do.
Hope you and "yours" stop hurting real soon!
Posted by Hartlygrl (Member # 14666) on :
Jana,
The pain at the injection site will be the same 1.2 vs 2.4, however the coverage is twice as strong. You'll be stuck either way.
I personally have not had this med for lymes but is a great antibodic that's been around for a long time and is cheap as dirt. We use it in the ER all the time.... great for strep throat, etc.
How painful is the disease untreated? How expensive is it with "newer" (non-generic)meds. If it were me, and I thought it had even a minimum chance at working I'd go for it.
Good Luck and let me know if it helps. Posted by njgirl14 (Member # 14174) on :
I did 2 - 1.2 shots at the same time (1 ea side of the butt) every 5 days. My LLMD said the surge in meds was good to get the bacteria. They hurt but if you can take one stick you can take two.
Posted by psano2 (Member # 11711) on :
Hartly girl,
You said it's "cheap as dirt". Where can I get it at this price? I found it to be very expensive, and my insurance didn't cover it. At 3 shots a week, I was spending around $600/month on it, not including what I paid to have a nurse inject me.
If I could find it "cheap as dirt", I wouldn't have any problem staying on it. As it is, I asked my LLMD to take me off of it the last time I saw him.
Patti
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
You can do it either way, 1.2 MU every other day -3 days or 2.4 MU once per week.
Posted by Dawn in VA (Member # 9693) on :
Although it smarts like all heck to do so, you might want to try rubbing/massaging your injection sites as soon as you can after getting the shots. It hurts hurts hurts, but doc said this does two things: 1) gets the bicillin deeper into the tissue 2) helps prevent the lumps afterwards
I only have had 3 injections of it in the past, but never got the lumps. Don't know if it was b/c I didn't do very many injections or if it was the massaging.
Just a sugg.
Hope your bottom feels better! Posted by JanaT (Member # 14748) on :
Thanks for all who have written to me.
I had my first of the larger dose shots yesterday. It really hurt going in, and my left hip is very sore today. The nurse told me that the 2.4M dose is a large volume injection that has to be given with a large needle which is why it hurts more. She said even though it hurts more, having only one shot per week gives the hip muscle more time to recover before the next shot.
We'll see how it is next week, but right now it is not very comfortable.
Thanks again to those who wrote to me.
Posted by minimonkey (Member # 8693) on :
OOh, those 2.4 doses, done with one large shot, DO hurt! I had to do those for a while when the 1.2 shots were unavailable about a year or so ago.
The large needles look rather more like a garden tool than a medical device. I have a high, high pain tolerance, but those were truly tough on me (I was self-injecting).
I'd much rather do 2 of the 1.2 shots with the little needle -- that's what I'm doing now, and it isn't too bad -- just a bit of residual soreness for a day or two after each shot.
Posted by Got Lyme? (Member # 11109) on :
Why do some doctors use the higher dose of bicillin? Is there a greater herx with the larger dose? I have been on the 1.2 once a week for 3 months now and also started fluconazole 1 month ago.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[spinning smile]](graemlins/spinsmile.gif)