I began taking ABX on July 25, so about 3 1/2 months ago. I take:
-Cefuroxime(generic for Ceftin)-twice daily
-Metronidazol(generic for Flagyl)-twice daily
-Azithromycin(generic for Zithromax)-once a day
I feel WORSE than I did before I began taking ABX. I am a person who has not gotten restorative sleep for about 12 yrs. I am chronically fatigued. My brain is swollen. My ear canals/lymph nodes are swollen. I never knew what was wrong w/ me. FINALLY, I was diagnosed in April w/ 7 positive IgM Bb (Lyme) bands & 2 positive IgG Bb bands on my IGeneX blood tests.
I now am MORE EXHAUSTED, MORE chronically fatigued, huge bags under my eyes, & my entire musculature (all of my muscles in my whole body) are sore & achy, especially when I wake up). My left hip is super sore all the time. I am WORSE than I have ever been w/ Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue symptoms.
So, my question is >> IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL "HERXING"? Is this a good thing that 3 1/2 months after I began my ABX I actually feel WORSE? Does this mean the ABX are working?
**edited dosages**
[ 11-06-2011, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: Lymetoo ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Yes, that is herxing. I did that for nearly two years straight. (one yr really bad.. then only slightly bad for the second year) It can get VERY discouraging, so hang in there!!
I would say it's working. (too well, right!?)
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
I am sorry you feel so bad but it is actually good news that your abx is working. THe first couple of months I was pretty much bed ridden. After that I had 28 day flairs which continued for over two years.
The second year I started treating bart and then the next, babesia. It is tough but it gets better. I was told in the beginning that treatment is a marathon, not a sprint. So true.
Posted by RC1 (Member # 31923) on :
I herxed for like 8 months constantly before it went in a monthly cycle. I felt so much better before I started abx. It was worth it though. I am at about 85% now, I've been in treatment going on 14 months.
I found out my body had a hard time detoxing, when I started taking activated charcoal (8000 mg) divided into 2 doses 3 hours away from abx, I started feeling a lot better.
I wish I had started the charcoal sooner. Hope you feel better soon.
Posted by JenniferMN (Member # 29920) on :
Lymetoo, nefferdun, RC1...
Ok guys, thank you so much for your quick & helpful answers!!
It's just so antithetical to everything else you experience in life, ya know?! Like w/ strep throat, you start taking penicillin & begin to rapidly get better, NOT worse! I guess this whole "herxing" thing (getting worse, before you get better) is just more of the extremely freakish nature of this entire insane Lyme experience!
As long as I know that I am making progress toward eventually getting better by taking all of these ABX.
LYMETOO... What happened after the 2 years of ABX & herxing? Are you all better? ==================================== NEFFERDUN... What happened after the more than 2 years of ABX & herxing? Are you all better from your Lyme now? (I tested negative on my IGeneX labs for Bart & Babesia, so I don't think I have those. I don't have the symptoms for those. I just have massive chronic fatigue & fibromyalgia symptoms because I have not slept in a decade & my body is exhausted & deteriorating from no sleep.) ================================== RC1... I am so happy to hear that after 14 months of ABX, you think you may be back to 85%! THAT IS SO FREAKING GREAT!! Even if I have to suffer these worst symptoms for a year, if I can get better, that is what I want!!! I am going to look into the activated charcoal to help my body detox the shedding Borrelia Bacteria that the ABX is killing. Thank you so much for the suggestion.
THANK ALL YOU GUYS SO MUCH!! ============================
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
OH yes... been well for 7 yrs now. Took me 4 yrs to get here!!