I started on Mepron two weeks ago. I was on it for only 1.5 days and then I developed severe nausea along with other babesia herx symptoms. Now the other symptoms have subsided, but severe nausea continues on. I can only take liquid and in small amount. I have lost 8 pounds down to 105 pounds during this time. I have been off all meds since 12 days ago except for the anti-nausea meds. The meds I am on include bonine,ondansetron, phosfood.
I really need help and advice from this community! Has anyone experience this kind nausea even after stoping the meds? What did you do?
Also my doctor wants to switch me to malarone after I get better with nausea. I am very concerned about it because malarone contains the same ingredient as Mepron. Is nausea any better on Malarone?
Thank you so much! I desperately need help!
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
I forgot to mention that early on I had severe nausea and vomitting. I vomitted for 8 hours in a row one night. Now it is just nausea and can eat food.
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
can't eat solid food at all, can only drink liquid.
Posted by Lymedin2010 (Member # 34322) on :
Wish I could help more, but here are my experiences with nausea.
My sister when she first got sick, had bad nausea and vomiting and this was weeks after a tick bite. She was bed bound for 4 months and decided to eat well and to fight it.
She ate only veggies, organic meats, nuts and nothing bad. You could blend all of those foods mentioned. She had so many more symptoms, from eyesight blurring and turning all white, to sever noise sensitivity, pin like needles pricking her, painful and cracking and swelled up joints, and muscle twitching and vibrations/tremors.
She went from doc to doc, but all her tests were normal. Eventually she was suspicious of Lyme and self diagnose, although all her tests came back normal and only 2 bands on Lyme test. She tried to get ABX, but was denied. She did get them right after she starting feeling better and her symptoms resolved, one month of Doxy and that's it.
To this day she only has occasional muscle twitches.
I never had nausea until catching a stomach bug this past winter. Then diarrhea, neck and head pressure set back in, and then major nausea. I had nausea for 2-3 weeks and also fevers that I had not had in a few years. I reached 102 on one day and was happy about it.
Oddly enough the fevers help resolve most of my before low body temp, that would go into 96's at times. My nausea resolved and my body temp remained in the 98's thereafter with rare occurrences in the 97's and I check just about every day.
My wife also had the same illness but she did not get nausea. The past month she developed stomach pains and had a biopsy. They found H. pylori and she had a 10 day course of ABX. She developed nausea while on it and post ABX. She has nausea now and it is severe from what she describes.
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
Have you tried taking omeprazole first thing in the morning when you wake before eating or drinking anything at all? It may help.
Also, you could try cutting out all dairy. I know my sister had awful nausea every day until she stopped all dairy.
There are various teas that also help with nausea as well.
Posted by imagine2 (Member # 3136) on :
I have had terrible nausea too. Recently my llmd gave me Zofran that comes in a pill that dissolves in your mouth so that you don't have to swollow a tablet. (I would always throw up a tablet.)
Hope you find something that helps!
Posted by AuntyLynn (Member # 35938) on :
For nausea - keep electrolytes as balanced as possible.
But don't treat nausea with gatorade, which artificial and sugary contents might make anyone want to hurl.
Instead try Green Coconut Water, as when taken in sips, it can help control nausea, even when regular water won't stay down.
Supplying the necessary electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, esp.), will help get nausea under control - but then you should seek to regain energy.
Adelle Davis told women suffering with pregnancy nausea to keep dry crackers by the bed and eat some before getting up - so as to keep a nighttime fasting blood sugar level from taking an extra dive.
Some light fruit, like watermelon, might also help.
If it's a run-of-the mill tummy queeze, try ginger root or comfrey leaf tea - either warm or iced, with lemon or not. Honey, sparingly if desired, is optional.
After that - bring on the PROBIOTICS!
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
Mepron is notorious for causing GERD, ask your doc if you can try omeprazole. Some people only have nausea and vomiting as the symptom.
If this doesn't help, you may ask your doctor to try reglan. This helps your stomach empty faster. It would reduce nausea and prevent vomiting. They will only use this medicine if you have tried all other options because it can rarely cause side effects in some people. It works well though.
Make sure you are eating enough food when taking Mepron. And try eating small frequent meals instead of 3 large meals. This will keep your blood sugar up and help your body digest it easier.
I had to eat some carbs with Mepron or else I felt sick. You may want to try adding some with your meals to see if that helps.
Hope you feel better.
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
My friend did ginger everything when she went through chemo.
I'd try to get or make fresh ginger juice (I found better results with this than tea). Mix a small bit (like 1/4 teaspoon full) in a glass of warm water. Sip it slowly. If it helps, increase the ginger juice a little more everyday up to 1 teaspoon. Some of the better health food stores with juicers can sell you fresh ginger shots at the juice bar. Again, I'd dilute it and take it very slowly.
You can also mix fresh ginger in the blender with some water, but the fibers might be irritating. That's why I suggest the juice.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Ginger CAPSULES, in therapeutic dose, not just a tea -- though a tea might help, the capsules, on a regular basis can help prevent the waves of nausea.
The dose needs to be high enough and there's just no way to get that much with fresh ginger or tea. But the fresh, grated, is better than a tea bag.
You can boil a piece of ginger in a little water and make a concentrated bit to store in a jar in the fridge.
A "microplane" grater is very handy, too. -
Posted by Life+Lyme (Member # 33568) on :
I had the same problem on Mepron. Make sure to eat fat when you take your dose...regardless if you feel like eating. If I didn't, I would always feel a lot worse.
Try Peanut butter with your dose.
Sorry you feel so bad!
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
Thanks you all so much for your comments/advice here!
I had to go to ER today. They gave me IV Zofran and feeling much better now. The sad thing that I found out that AST and ALT are both very high, 5-6 times higher than normal. Only 3 doses of mepron caused this much damage to my liver. That explains the nausea and vomiting. Dr said I can only wait for the index to go back to normal, hopefully
There is just no end to my bad luck. I feel Merpon did help with my babesia symptoms, but obviously I am not going to take mepron or malarone.
What is the alternatives?
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote:Originally posted by rainbowriver: ...AST and ALT are both very high, 5-6 times higher than normal. Only 3 doses of mepron caused this much damage to my liver. That explains the nausea and vomiting. Dr said I can only wait for the index to go back to normal, hopefully
If your liver enzymes are elevated, you can do liver support to help reduce them.
You can also do castor oil packs...several people here have posted that this helped their liver enzymes. There is something in the castor oil that absorbs through the skin.
Ask if you need directions, or if you have questions about the liver support supplements.
It's a blend that includes a couple of the things listed above, plus others. Look for it at iHerb.com and at Amazon.com.
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
Manybites, my heart goes out to you. I can't image what you have gone through all these years. I was only nauseated for 12 days, I was about to shoot myself! Good to hear that liver will heal.
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
An *ultrasound* of your liver (fasting) and gallbladder (and ducts) may indicate a problem/no problem. Need to know the status.
P.S. Did you take the Mepron WITH something fatty - as directed?
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
Marnie,
You just brought up an interesting question! My glucose level was at 130, very high given I was in a fasting state due to nausea. Mepron certain did its numbers on AST and ALT. I am just hoping they are going back to normal soon. I had an ultrasound done only one month ago, everything was normal. Then this happened. I really don't want to get another one. I will wait for two weeks and get another blood test. I did take mepron with fatty food.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Rainbowriver, are you taking any of the supplements I listed?
Have you tried castor oil packs?
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
New problem now: swollen, puffy and bleeding gums.I am sure it isn't oral hygiene issues. it developed within two days. Could it indicate further liver damage from Mepron? Cirrhosis?
Any further blood test to find out what is wrong with me?
Carol, I haven't. My llmd is sending me liver herbs, I am waiting for that. Thanks.
Posted by AuntyLynn (Member # 35938) on :
Dr. H. said Cryptolepis (an African herb used for Malaria), worked better than anything else for some of his Babesia patients.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
i didnt read all of above but nausea was my only gall baldder sx...went away as soon as i had the surg
Posted by rainbowriver (Member # 24772) on :
In my case, I found out that Mepron caused liver damage which caused nausea. It went away after a couple of weeks. Lost 10 pounds though. Liver eventually recovered. No more nausea.
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Glad to hear that your nausea is now better,Rainbowdriver. I know how miserable it can be.
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Rainbowriver,
Not sure if your doc explained the relationship between babesia and nausea and elevated liver enzymes.
The elevated liver enzymes are a temporary symptom -- does not mean permanent liver damage. What it does indicate is a very high babesia load. When babesia is killed it bursts red blood cells -- the same thing also happens when babesia multiplies. A very large dieoff or replication can cause elevated liver enzymes because the liver and spleen must clean up all the cellular debris from the dead red blood cells and the dead babesia. The liver and spleen are working overtime basically.
Malarone has much less mepron in it plus it has a 2nd ingredient which is an antiparasite med. It can be more effective than malarone for some people.
Whatever you take for babesia you need to start low and slow and gradually increase your doses. You should have less of a dieoff next time if you go back to treating relatively quickly.
The bleeding gums are frequently a sign of vitamin c deficiency.