After starting this medication, i feel the same if not worse. It's been 3 weeks taking it, few more weeks til i see the doctor again. I feel nauseous a lot more, like sometimes i have to burp a lot and feel sick which i had before, and i feel so much more exhausted. I wonder if i am herxing at all or not?
I'm only on 100 mg doxy twice a day and bactrim ds twice day.
I hate this constant fatigue and lightheaded feeling i know the doctor could be just wanting to increase the dose slowly, but what if the bacteria hide and form into cysts?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
That's a pretty low dose. Are you taking the doxy in the MIDDLE of full meal and making sure not to lie down afterward for 30-60 minutes?
If not, you will run the risk of burning your esophagus.
We do herx every 3-5 wks when on abx .. so that would make you feel worse right about now.
Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
lately i have no appetite and it's hard to eat, but i try to. I hope when i see him next, he ups the dose..? On a paper listing all the medications for lyme and tips, i saw something about how some patients cannot reach the highest dose. So hopefully he has that planned
Posted by gz (Member # 43818) on :
Hey Kaseyy, sometimes I think it can hard to tell a herx or not until we get a feel for how our body reacts to meds and what the nuances of our infections do to us.
When I started bactrim, I experienced a similar herx-like reaction for an entire month. I was exhausted, in severe pain, and totally lost my appetite. Once the month had passed it was like I woke up, and could look back and see that it was a herx-like reaction. I write my daily sx on a calendar, so it is easy to see the patterns after a while.
You are just getting started with meds, and the first couple months are often quite rough. I was about 10 weeks into abx before I noticed much change. Then I felt improvement, added bactrim, and felt terrible again for a little while. I'm having another rough time now, just into my 3rd month of bactrim.
I think good detox is extremely helpful. Taking the doxy in the middle of a meal is essential for preventing gut irritation.
There are good lyme docs that wait to use cystbusters. If you are reacting like this now, a concurrent cystbuster could push you into unbearable herxing. Not so good.
You will probably feel a little better once some of the infection load decreases. You may also experience new symptoms! If you are seeing you LL doc soon, I would ask about adding a cystbuster once you know you can tolerate the doxy and bactrim pretty well.
Posted by surprise (Member # 34987) on :
And sometimes adding a binder, like charcoal or apple pectin, 2-3 hours after antibx can 'capture' the toxins. But need to make sure the bowels are moving regularly.
And take a binder away from any other supplements. Sweating for detox, supplements for liver support, clean non inflammatory diet, can also make a difference.
But there are def. periods of treatment where it's just HARD. I remember month 4 I posted on here quite depressed, wondering when I'd feel better.
Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
Lightheadedness and in a dream state was so bad for me a few months ago.. I either got used to it or it went away a little.
I do take a refrigerated probiotic he says to take one a day before bed. I had burping and nausea before starting abx too.
What i have noticed actually is an annoying burning in my urethra sometimes when peeing, and sometimes stays a while after.... I dont remember having that before really, can lyme cause any of thar? I have no itchiness, and tested myself for uti. Negative.
Ugh Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
Also what are your opinions on starting off on doxy that is such a low dose? I hope the bacteria doesnt become resistant.
Posted by dali (Member # 24458) on :
Doxy and bactrim, especially together, are hard on the digestive system. Side effects can be nausea and lack of appetite. It is very important to take with food and also you might want to increase probiotics. Alka seltzer gold is good for the stomach upset.
As for the dose, staring out lower is not a bad idea. Talk to your doctor about this. Good luck
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Bactrim DS (meaning double strength) twice per day is the full dose. It will attack babesiosis and bartonella.
So, since you are taking that much Bactrim, I would not worry about the doxy dose at all.
Posted by Maia_Azure (Member # 44330) on :
There is a difference between symptom flares and a true herx.
I had a herx my third day of treatment. I think most people report they get one within 3-5 days of starting a new treatment.
4.5 weeks into my treatment, I came down with aches, body pains, low grade fever and fatigue that lasted days.
Your best bet is to keep a daily log of your symptoms, to see what patterns there are.
Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
I always feel bleh haha but i did notic feeling more exhausted after starting abx. I feel the worst in the morning it seems. I still always have a headache too, usually tension headache, sore eyes and jaw.. Just a yuck feeling
Would bactrim kill borellia at all though?
Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
I always feel bleh haha but i did notic feeling more exhausted after starting abx. I feel the worst in the morning it seems. I still always have a headache too, usually tension headache, sore eyes and jaw.. Just a yuck feeling
Would bactrim kill borellia at all though?
Posted by Kaseyyy (Member # 43797) on :
Also.. Something weird i've noticed. One day i randomly got a foot that hurt, not on the bottom but the side. I woke up and it felt like i almost had to limp at first to walk on it but then it got better. Weird because i dont remember hurting my foot at all
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
i know the doctor could be just wanting to increase the dose slowly, but what if the bacteria hide and form into cysts?