One of my 4 year old twin boys just tested positive for babesia and now is taking Mepron along with zith and bactrim for his lyme and bart.
He started 2 days ago and now he complains of headaches more and says he doesn't feel well. Could this be a herx already?
Did you herx on Mepron? If so, how long after starting it did you herx? What symptoms did you have when you herxed?
Thanks,
tickbattler
[ 05. September 2008, 09:14 PM: Message edited by: tickbattler ]
Posted by lymemommy (Member # 12495) on :
tickbattler,
My son felt like his heart was hurting/pounding super fast when he first started mepron. As per LLMD, his dose was cut in half.
He stayed at half dose for a couple months with no problem, then moved up to full dose no problem.
hope that helps, kp
Posted by tickbattler (Member # 14873) on :
THanks lymemommy. How old is your son? How long has he been on treatment? Are you seeing improvement? I hope he is feeling better.
Did your LLMD give you an estimate of how long he might need to be treated?
So it sounds like he herxed immediately when you gave him the med?
What dose is he on? My son is taking 1/2 teasp twice a day, which seems like a lot considering my husband takes 1 teasp twice a day.
Thanks for the info.
tickbattler
Posted by iluvcarpinteria (Member # 17104) on :
Tickbattler-that does seem like a lot of Mepron given his age plus I'm sure he's a little guy at 4.
I'm much, much older than he and take 1 teaspoon twice a day.
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
It could be a Herx already, I would think. Where does his head hurt? Have him point or put his hand on it.
If it is back of the head, or where the head meets the top of the neck, that is a DEFINITE babesia Herx. (according to what i've heard)
If it is on top of the head......harder to tell at that point. Could be either Lyme, Bartonella, or Babesia.
Was he diagnosed with bartonella too? If so, the Zithromax could be giving him a Bartonella Herx. (or a lyme herx).
My point is you may not even know which infection he is killing at this very moment, though on that protocol the majority of the Herx symptoms may just be babesia symptoms.
I have taken Mepron twice now. First time, I think it took about 4 days before it hit me......really bad headaches (I think they were all over the head.....top, front, back, etc) and I also started getting nausea and vomiting at times. I believe it was because the infection was flaring so badly, not from the medicine itself. Eating ice cream with the Mepron helps the desire to vomit go away. Some people don't experience this....so I don't want to scare you.
I was really really fatigued and started having bizzare memory issues (if he forgets where something really common is always kept, like where the cereal is, he is being serious and not dramatic). But these things faded probably 2 months or so in and I went off at 3 months, then was able to see real differences. I would recommend treating at least 4 though; I think I went off too soon.
Hopefully his experiences won't be as bad as mine and he will just slowly heal, but know that if he has a rough time, I felt better once I went off it. BUT, maybe the best bet is going until you feel you have taken it as far as it can go......then stay on an extra month.
Keep in mind, he needs lots of fat with each dose, and no Vit E supplements, Alpha Lipoic Acid, or Milk Thistle (check labels of supplements).
These are all my personal opinions, so please keep that in mind. I may not have included everything or there may be errors. Hope it helped some though. Good luck!!!
Also, if he can tolerate it, and when he can tolerte it, some recommend the herb artemisiae........don't know if this is okay for children though. I take very small doses b/c it gives me ear ringing, so be cautious. Some swear it helps the babesia treatment though.
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
I felt like that when starting mepron in about 24 hours!
Then it lasted for five weeks straight.
Hope your little one gets past this soon.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by lymemommy (Member # 12495) on :
Tickbattler,
I agree, the mepron dose is mighty high for a little one. It's twice as much as what my son, age 6 was prescribed.
Also, if you child has trouble choking it down, try giving it with chocolate milk, or ice cream.
Best of luck, kp
Posted by tickbattler (Member # 14873) on :
Thank you all so much for your replies. My son did feel a bit better today than yesterday. I have heard that day 3 of Mepron can be a bad herx day, so perhaps that's what it was.
I called the pharmacist to learn about the dose and he said in the human studies with Mepron, 3 month old babies were give the same dose that my son is on, so it appears to be in the middle range of the dosage. Besides, we go to Dr. J in CT, so he should know what he is doing!
This is all so scary. Thanks again for your info; it really helps.
tickbattler
Posted by catskillmamala (Member # 12536) on :
We did not notice a herx w/ our five year old dd. She also sees dr. J and he has her on 1/4 tsp twice per day. I think this means that he tailors dosage to each patient based on their symptoms and his clinical experience.
Posted by tdtid (Member # 10276) on :
I've learned that just about anything is possible with this disease.
I've been on mepron and can't recall how long it was before I started herxing but will be starting it again next week with my IV treatments, so it's hard to know what is doing what.
I do know that on many meds, I have been herxing within three days and some pretty severely so, yes, I surely wouldn't dismiss the possibility your son is herxing.
Hope it's a shorter herx. Try to hang in there and let him know you love him.
Cathy
Posted by psano2 (Member # 11711) on :
I start herxing 1-3 hours after taking the dose.
Posted by shazdancer (Member # 1436) on :
I herxed on day 4, then again on week 4. Felt like I was hit by a car (and I've been hit by a car, so I know whereof I speak!).
Posted by llelnino (Member # 16067) on :
I'm on day 3 of Zith/Mepron but I dont think I've had any herxes so I'm starting to worry. The only thing I've had was insomnia.