My cousin is being tested for lyme or rocky mountain. She has pain in her feet and red spots on her hands and feet. They gave her prednisone and effexor (no idea what that is). She says she feels worse now.
Does anyone know if taking that medicine, IF she has Lyme, would make her sick? I didn't ask what her symptoms were but she updated that the medicine is making her feel so ill.
Posted by lymeinhell (Member # 4622) on :
Heck yes. Steroids and an antidepressent (Effexor). Steroids shut down your immune system, so if you have an infection (such as Lyme or RMSF), the infection gets to run rampant in your body and cause even more damage.
I'm guessing they gave her Effexor because she had anxiety (which goes hand in hand with Lyme, typically caused by magnesium deficiency).
Be sure someone is monitoring her blood pressure, as both will increase her pressure. High blood pressure will make you feel even worse. (been there). If you don't have a cuff, get her to check it at a local drug store.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Yes, prednisone will make her feel worse. It will also suppress her immune system and allow the infection to get worse.
D^%$ doctors should be punished for prescribing immuno-suppressants to people who have infections.
Excuse my blatant anger at this but my son had horrible sickness after his old doctor put him on prednisone for what is recorded in his chart as 'normal gout.' Phooey. Gout is not normal in any child or adult.
Posted by nellers78 (Member # 26774) on :
Thanks ladies. I knew steroids mess with the immune system but she literally just went on this medicine yesterday.. I wasn't sure if you could react to it so quickly.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Directly following prednisone:
My son started falling down and falling out of chairs... full body convulsions that would only last a second or two... so not what I would call a full blown seizure. He also started getting shoulder shrugs, eye tics and involuntary arm movements.
He was very noticeably worse immediately.
Posted by nellers78 (Member # 26774) on :
Scary! Thanks so much for these warnings. Her doctors nurse called her back and said to get off the meds right now. I've been sending her these responses so she could have a heads up on these meds and her possible infection.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Effexor made me feel horrible immediately. It made me feel very ill. It is what actually triggered my lyme symptoms to come out. I have read that antidepressants can also act as immune suppressors.
Posted by lymeinhell (Member # 4622) on :
Glad you were looking out for her.
Make sure she checks her blood pressure.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
I really hate it when doctors throw steroids and antidepressants at a patient when they (the doctor) cannot figure out what's wrong!!!! So, so lame!!!! I really wish medical school would train doctors better on what to do when they cannot figure out what's going on with a patient...namely, they should train the doctor to admit their inability to diagnose the patient, and refer the patient to another doctor who may be able to figure it out. But noooooo, the doctors get so caught up in their own ego that they refuse to admit when they don't know the answer. Arrrrrrrrrgh!!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by Razzle: I really hate it when doctors throw steroids and antidepressants at a patient when they (the doctor) cannot figure out what's wrong!!!! So, so lame!!!! I really wish medical school would train doctors better on what to do when they cannot figure out what's going on with a patient...namely, they should train the doctor to admit their inability to diagnose the patient, and refer the patient to another doctor who may be able to figure it out. But noooooo, the doctors get so caught up in their own ego that they refuse to admit when they don't know the answer. Arrrrrrrrrgh!!!
- They hand out steroids like candy, but won't prescribe antibiotics to get rid of infections.
Ridiculous
Posted by nellybean (Member # 26774) on :
Tell me about it! It's such a head scratcher, it really is.
![[cussing]](graemlins/cussing.gif)