I know a lot of lyme patients on a personal level from many different parts of the country. One thing that most all of us have in common is:
We all take some form of anti-anxiety medication that helps us physically and mentally. For me, it helps my tight muscles, my nausea, my insomnia, and relaxes me when I am going through a rough spell.
I was wondering, what is it about lyme that causes us to need to take these medications? What is going on in the body?
Posted by lyme in Putnam (Member # 11561) on :
The anxiety of having the disease, treatment of the disease and die off. Especially neuro Lyme that so many have.
Posted by Larae30 (Member # 35220) on :
I just started taking a very light amt of xanax and it realllly helps. I am wondering if I should somehow ask for a refill when this is gone, or if the dr. will not do refills for more than short term?
Posted by outerspace1226 (Member # 34274) on :
larae, normally you'd need to see a psych (yes that stinks) for that longer term and let him know how beneficial it is.
Posted by Larae30 (Member # 35220) on :
Yeah, that's what I was thinking and of course I don't have that coverage in my insurance!
Posted by Buster (Member # 19472) on :
I was wondering if lyme creates some mechanism that causes anxiety (drop in GABA). What is that mechanism?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Q: What is going on that we need these Rx?
I don't think we do need them, per se. We need relief but that is not necessarily obtained only through anti-anxiety meds.
Sometimes, anti-anxiety meds have the opposite effect than what is intended. Called paradoxical reaction, this is rather common with lyme patients because the liver has been clobbered.
Of course, we do need to address what is causing the symptoms and then correct that as best possible, with the least side effects while treating for lyme.
Just a couple of the things that are causing the anxiety, irritability, insomnia, twitches, seizures, etc:
1) Magnesium Deficiency is often very pronounced with lyme. Spirochetes tend to steal it from us.
Magnesium is the number one calming agent we have.
Magnesium (acting like GABA) calms the NMDA excito-toxicity nerve reactions caused by toxins from the spirochetes and from stress to the liver from infections and Rx (most Rx is very hard on the liver - that is why liver support is vital.)
2) a stressed or overwhelmed liver will cause all kinds of agitation to all body systems.
3) lyme attacks nerve fibers and the myelin sheath that protects them. When that is compromised, it doesn't take much to set the nerves on edge.
FISH OIL also helps calm & protect nerves.
4) ADRENAL dysfunction is a serious problem for most lyme patients. Again, support methods can help.
5) lyme damages MITOCHONDRIA - we must feed our mitochondria with specific nutrients and then they won't "weird out" on us so much and leave us for near dead. When we are exhausted, those NMDA nerve receptors start getting very agitated. And we just spiral.
Etc. - lots of other stuff is going on.
Now, in no way at all do I intend to discount pain and suffering.
If Rx help, great. But for so many, the psych drugs are a triple edged sword that can cause liver or kidney stress (or damage)and prevent our livers from making enough glutathione that is needed to help the liver detox.
These drugs are not without side-effects and can be addictive. They can also mess with REM sleep.
There are so many nutritional & herbal supplements that are usually far safer.
If the problem is magnesium deficiency, that must be corrected. Only a good quality of magnesium and magnesium rich foods can do that.
If Omega oils are needed, only Omega oils can correct that.
If toxicity is the problem that is zooming the hyper NMDA nerve receptors over the top, then supporting the liver is the first step.
That often means eliminating all drugs (or OTC like acetaminophen which is also hard on the liver) that are not absolutely necessary to treat infection -- and adding full liver support so that our bodies can move out the toxins.
Remember that most processed foods also are just too much for us. Really, they are too much for anyone but most just don't pay attention.
Additives like MSG (Google for all its names) and Aspartame (also Google for all its names) are very toxic to our nerve cells.
Google for the book and website: The Taste that Kills (by Russell Blaylock, MD, a neurosurgeon).
Dyes, preservatives, etc. also send our NMDA excitatory nerve reactions on Red Alert.
Heavy Metals are also common with lyme. Highly toxic and will set nerves on fire in more than one way.
Parasites are also common with lyme - and they also spew toxins and diminish the effect of nutrients on our cells, so we have to do better with rich nutrients that matter the most while addressing the parasites.
Add to that indoor toxins, etc. It's no surprise that when lyme toxins are added, we're like a chemistry set ready to blow.
The toxic load must be addressed. Anxiety is so often toxicity overload. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Detail about support methods are in this thread, along with articles & book links from the kinds of doctors who are educated in complementary or herbal nutrients, etc:
Links to many articles and books by holistic-minded LL doctors of various degrees who all have this basic approach in common:
Understanding of the importance of addressing the infection(s) fully head-on with specific measures;
Knowing that support supplements are important, but NEVER enough alone. And knowing which supplements have direct impact, which are only support and which are both.
You can compare and contrast many approaches.
BASIC HERBAL EDUCATIONAL links, and
BODY WORK links with safety tailored to lyme patients,
RIFE links,
BIONIC 880 links, and
LOW HEAT INFRARED SAUNA detail. -
Posted by Cass A (Member # 11134) on :
Psychotropic drugs--drugs that make you "think" or "feel" differently--are very dangerous and can be physiologically addicting--meaning that people can't get off them, once they start, due to overwhelming physical pains, aches, emotional upheavals, etc. This happened to people who were convinced by advertising to take Xanax after the 9/11 disaster, for example.
These drugs are also known to cause homicidal rages and suicidal thinking (and action).
Note that pharmaceutical drugs are now the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS in the U.S. Psychiatric drugs are near the top of the list of "perpetrators," only exceeded by opiate-derived pain killers.
Please look into and try non-pharma approaches to dealing with your specific problems, as detailed in the previous posts on this thread.
Best,
Cass A
Posted by lymetwister (Member # 19590) on :
Not just Lyme, but the Co-infections appear to screw up the HPA axis in the brain. It's often not a true anxiety, but a Physiological one.
This is why many meds used to treat anxiety have a Paradoxical effect.
You will see what is low: Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepi, etc. It may just be that your Histamine levels are high, thus the reason Benadryl helps some. Glutamate can also be high and is an excitatory neurotransmitter, thus the need for Lamictal.
The anxiety and depression we get should be treated different then your average joe going through a breakup and just being thrown on Lexapro. Major problems can come from this type of approach.
I started with this very symptom, have researched it as much as I can, continue to deal with it as I treat. It isn't easy, but I have ways to dampen it to tolerable. During Herx's it's relentless and nothing I can do but ride it out.