My LLMD told me to try up to 3000mg of Magnesium per day for my severe muscle aches and pains. Doc said no Mag. Sterate...does anyone know what kind of Magnesium is best to take and how much helps with the pain?
I am in severe pain (even worse than normal) since I started on Levaquin...I am also on Omnicef.
I feel like I am dying a slow and painful death. I cannot function at all and I have been on treatment for approx 8 months. My LLMD has changed all my antibiotics several times.
I had a severe breathing difficulty on Malarone and a bad, bad JH reaction on Plaquenil and Ketek.
The Levaquin is unbearably painful...I called my LLMD but he is too busy to get back to me right now...my vision has gotten worse (more blurry and more floaters). I am not sure what to do.
I am very suicidal (all of a sudden after starting Levaquin). Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, ~LF
-------------------- "...Celebrate the bitter, the tart, the sweet of the here and now, all before it succumbs to the pull of what was and vanishes into a fog of what might have been." ~Susan R. Norton Posts: 21 | From Northern California | Registered: Jun 2006
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
LymeFighter, I don't take antibiotics, but.... If this antibiotic makes you think about killing yourself, please STOP taking it.
I think your doctor would advise this as a short term solution, if you could reach him.
I mean, he's NOT going to say, "Oh, you feel like killing yourself? Sure, take more of it."
Having said that, you might need to call a suicide hotline.
It will take me a couple minutes to get there, as I'll probably have to reboot before I can get in.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Hi LymeFighter, I have no medical training or anything like that but have taken Levaquin for a bit.
I was in a lot of pain from it and not the normal tendon type pain. I may be wrong but think it does deplete magnesium. Someone will be around to correct me shortly, I'm sure.
I'm working with half a brain here, so bear with me, ok?
What my first instinct would be if it were me. Would be to stop the Levaquin until after you speak to the Doc. Especially since you see a clear cause and effect and are in so much pain both physically and emotionally.
I had to stop Levaquin for 2 weeks to get enough of it out of my sysem to try it again at a lower dosage and even then it was a tough thing.
I had lots of pain and headaches and tons of eye problems on it. I even went to the opthamologist because I was seeing lightening flashes on to of the blurry, floater, increased eye pain.
So my gut instinct would be to stop until you can get in touch and perhaps there's a better med for you to try. There are plenty out there to choose from.
In the meantime, hang in there! The Levaquin has stirred up the bugs in your brain and is making you feel this way. Hold on, ok?
(I haven't got any experience with magnesium, well, none that would be helpful.)
again for a disclaimer... not a medical professional, blah, blah, blah...
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
If you feel suicidal from the medication, I'd stop the medication. I'd also continue to put in urgent calls to the LLMD--if you have access to a fax machine, I'd fax something to his office as well, in large point type that says SUICIDE ALERT. Do you by any chance have a therapist or clergyperson you could call? If you live alone, do you have a friend that could stay with you? This is a miserable, miserable disease you have, and the treatment can make it seem even more miserable. Please heed the warnings, and get yourself some help. I'm holding good thoughts for you. D.
Posts: 991 | From California | Registered: Feb 2006
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
LymeFighter, We have several people in the chat room now, who have experience with herxes from antibiotics.
If you cannot type your name in and enter, then reboot and try again.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by LymeFighter:
I feel like I am dying a slow and painful death. I cannot function at all and I have been on treatment for approx 8 months. My LLMD has changed all my antibiotics several times.
I had a severe breathing difficulty on Malarone and a bad, bad JH reaction on Plaquenil and Ketek.
The Levaquin is unbearably painful...I called my LLMD but he is too busy to get back to me right now...my vision has gotten worse (more blurry and more floaters). I am not sure what to do.
I am very suicidal (all of a sudden after starting Levaquin). Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, ~LF
I'm so sorry to read of all the pain & discomfort you are having.
Since you are feeling suicidal, please call the
SUICIDE HOTLINE 1.800.784.2433 now please! ****************************************** We are very concerned about you, your extent of the herxing, and how it has effected your mental state.
I'm not a doctor/nurse, etc ... just one lymie to another lymie WHO CARE ABOUT YOU! Please seek help now!
I'll check to see you are logged on as I type this. Bettyg
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Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200
posted
Hi Lymefighter.
I'm so sorry you're going through this.
Please hang on; clear that Levaquin out of your system and things will be better. I hate how this stuff messes with your head. But I know it really can. Know that tomorrow will be the start of a new and MODIFIED treatment regimen.
If you're feeling like this don't wait for permission to stop the drug, fer sure!
Looks like you will have my same doc (saw your HBO thread). They DO call people back; please let me know if I can help. I can roust people like you wouldn't believe and make a fine nuisance of myself!
We are worried about you and don't want you to go through this feeling alone. PM'ing you my home and work numbers to call me anytime. Please hang on and KNOW things will be better, even if it doesn't feel like it right now..
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
HI lymefigher
I know you are a fighter so don't give up, it's the herx and the ketes in your brain right now.
It will pass. After the herx clears you will feel better
Hang in there.
I would call your doctor first thing and let him know how you feel and how much pain your are in.
Just wanted to say again hang in there it does get better.
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
I just sent her a private message to her home with the suicide hotline no. on it, and asked her to report back here tomorrow letting us know she is OK! She was NOT logged on anymore when I got here tonight. Bettyg
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Levaquin can cause all kinds of neurological/psychiatric side effects as well as the tendon problems (I have Achilles Tendon problems for months and I stopped months ago).
So please consider stopping the medication.
Please call the suicide prevention hotline that Betty listed, call your LLMD, call a friend.
I am up at 2:00 a.m. worrying because my elderly father recently contracted Lyme and he is now symptomatic despite my putting him on antibiotics. I already have Chronic Lyme and he was caring for me. So I have made the decision that I must push through and I must get well to care for him and my mom.
Please keep in mind that others care about you and count on you. It can seem overwhelming dealing with our own illnesses, but don't break a loved one's heart by doing anything to yourself.
We care about you.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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char
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8315
posted
Levaquin can cause permanent damage in some people. Others do fine.
I agree you should stop all abx til you can get some direction from dr. Our dr. has us take a break when we are in too much pain or getting depressed.
posted
I have similar reactions to Quinolones(sp?)like Levaquin. I refuse to take them...there are other options.
Your doctor should have no problem with you requesting to go a different route.
-------------------- Bill
**Question everything...it may save your life!!!** Posts: 80 | From ATLantic Seaboard | Registered: Aug 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
LF,
How are you doing today?
Magnesium does reduce muscle pain, but it doesn't work right away. It's not like taking a pain killer. If you have that much pain, then I would ask your doctor about real pain management.
Also, if you start with 3000 mgs of Magnesium you will not be happy. You are supposed to start low and slowly increase until your stools get very loose. If you start with an extremely high dose, it is likely to give you diarhea.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
up...please let us know how you are today, and that you will seek additional help today ok! please ... We care about you. Bettyg
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
I dont know anything about levaquin but I wanted to respond and say how nasty this disease is to us and our families.
I DO take 2 magnessium (Sunmart brand 250 mg. OTC at my pharmacy), 2 Citrical, and 2 Glucosomine Clondrition(sp) which is (Osteo-Bi-Flex) from any pharmacy or wally world or wherever you can find it.
IF I dont get this combo daily in 2 days I am miserable as miserable can be, it helps me that much.
Have tried switching to different brands of Glu/Clon and calcium and also magnesium and always come back when pain esculates. THATS how important it is for me!!!
My reason I really wanted to post is DONT buy your Magnesium at Wally world!!! They DONT have ANY you can use. Cheap worthless junk there. I even tried doubling the dose and tripling there brand(to get rid of it to go to better brand) and got NO effect, hence worthless!!
Hope this helps some small way. Pain management for everybody is a hit and miss crap shoot,,, trying this combo, then that, and then another to try to get the best you can feel. I am going to stick with this awhile, unless I decide to up by one,,, another time of day and 'see' if it helps, or hinders, or stays even!!
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Thank you to everyone here for caring SO much!
You all have no idea how much your e-mails mean to me! I am SO thankful to all of you who responded and who care so much about me!
Thank you for all the advice and I will do my best to stay in touch with all of you, as it helps SO much to have others around (even through e-mail) who know what this disease is like and how it can ruin your life and drag the lives of your loved ones down too.
The following is a "brief" (yeah right) history of the past 10 yrs of my struggle to survive, if any of you are interested in reading...sojme might be able to relate to it?...
I have had Lyme, Babesia and Bartonella for (LLMD thinks) about 6-8 years and I am now 20 years old. SO I have been misdiagnosed with every possible thing out there until March of this year.
I was even hospitalized two times because my psychiatrist(s) told me I was insane and gave me all of the wrong medications. Until I was so doped up that I was a zombie. I was on 8 psych meds when I was released from the hospital 2 weeks later.
I had withdrawal after withdrawal and I went through my teenage years going from psychiatrist to psychiatrist trying to figure out the "right cocktail" as they would say.
My LLMD told me in March of this year that all of this time it has been the Lyme and the co-infections that have been progressing into a more chronic stage, until I showed a lot of severe symptoms (major depression, anxiety, panic, the list goes on and on...).
I have been ill for half of my life...when I was 11 I was also stung by a toxic jellyfish and it caused me to go into a deep depression and I was put on antidepressants a few months later.
In just the past year I have weaned myself off of all 8 psych medications that the hospital addicted me to when I was 17. So that was a nightmare.
Right now, life is extremely difficult as I feel as though I am not a human being anymore. My body doesn't listen to me anymore and I cannot seem to will it to do anything.
It is hard to keep going day in and day out with no one around me that knows how this feels. People always tell me that I look so normal or good and they don't get why I can't go out and do things with them. That has resulted in the loss of all past friends and my family has come to know me as the sickie. So nothing surprises them and they don't take my suicidal thoughts and feelings seriously.
I just want to thank all of you lymies out there who care enough to take the time and energy to e-mail me and give me any reason at all to hope and to keep going. You are all amazing people and I hope to make a lot of good friends here!
Sorry this post is SO long...I just want you all to know how grateful I am to you and to know a (if you can believe it) short version of my last 10 years of my life.
Please e-mail me with any help any of you can keep giving me if you can. I would love any help I can get.
Thanks again to all and best wishes to all.
~Lyme Fighter
-------------------- "...Celebrate the bitter, the tart, the sweet of the here and now, all before it succumbs to the pull of what was and vanishes into a fog of what might have been." ~Susan R. Norton Posts: 21 | From Northern California | Registered: Jun 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
LYME FIGHTER IS ALIVE & FIGHTING! YEH!
Golly girl, you had us all worried last night! I think you got that with the PM I sent you with more details, and glad you saw HOPE in now I ended my PM to you.
Thanks for sharing your short version, and NO, IT WAS NOT TOO LONG! If you need to write more, DO OK! Unless you are asking MEDICAL questions, it should go over in GENERAL support ok.
8 psych meds ... uffda girl! Norwegian expression uffda..oh my gosh, etc.! So glad you wiened yourself of them. What herx's you have been thru for so long not knowing you had CHRONIC LYME.
It doesn't happen overnight so that's where you are going to learn PATIENCE whether you want to or not. Patience is NOT MY VIRTUE either; but lyme has its own tme table and you are not going to speed it up any.
You mentioned people saying how NORMAL you look. Look at TREEPATROL'S NEWBIE LINKS for the SPOON THEORY, and print it out for family/friendds to read or email them it. It might ? help them understand a little bit.
Also, in my newbies links I'm pretty sure I sent you, look for BETTY'S LYME BROCHURE, at the end of it is a list of good LYME BOOKS. See if your local library has them or could get inter-departmental loan of them for them to learn as wel as yourself ok. All for now, BUT THANKS FOR POISTING GIRL! Now take care of yourself.
When you need to talk, come here; we do understand although most of us are your Mom & Grandma's ages! lol Bettyg
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