trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
I recently started a low dose of Amoxy in an attempt to ramp up to the 1500 2x/day prescribed. (I have an emormous bacterial load.)
So far I have taken a total of 500 mgs a day but it's a very odd herx.
First 2 days, massive muscle, joint, connective tissue and tendon pain. It is now tolerable.
The next 3 days less pain but lots of air hunger and some palps, etc... The pain is less unless I exert myslef this alos increases the palps considerably and SOB. (It doesn't seem at all allergic.)
Does this sound at all familair to anyone?
Is it hitting on something I was not expecting? I am taking it with Malarone for babs but have had no untoward effects from the Malarone.
I'm curious to see if anyone else's experience has been similar and wondering when it would be safe to up my dose.
Thanks for any input of experiences or thoughts... trueblue
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
you should call your doctor and ask them that question about upping the dose.
Posts: 510 | From NEVERLAND.USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Dear True,
I am on my second month of malarone. The second Rx. said take meds with milk or food for better absorbtion.
I didn't do this the first 30 days. I don't take amoxyl, but 500 mg of zith.
Just added flagyl 250mg one time a week and bactrim 800mg twice daily.
Ouch!!!! I have all kinds of pain. Ringing in my ears, and of course and increase in air hunger.
Also noted an increase in night sweats.
I am hoping this is a herx. Hate the air hunger thing.
I am pretty sure this is not an allergic reaction also.
When I called my LLMD, he said great! We're killing those bugs.
Hope this is what is happening to me and for you as well.
Hope you feel better soon.
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
Sounds like your herxing from the Malarone, with the air hunger, heart palps, muscule pain. Babs can cause alot more pain then just lyme alone.
If it gets to be too much you may want to ask your doc to lower your dose of Malarone and ramp up also. Alot of my family members could only take pediactric doses of Malarone.
500mg a day of Amoxy is NOT alot. Most of the time you need to be into the thousands just to cross the BBB.
Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Hi true,
I have increased to 7g/day amoxy recently.
Part of my response to that (herxing) has been increased muscle tightness and pain, and some new mild joint pain. Especially, the muscle tightness, pain and constriction is in my neck and shoulders, upper back. Along with some other symptoms that you did not mention here. No heart stuff from increased amoxy.
This response, which I believe is my herxing, is fading after a couple of weeks on the increased dose. Since I have been ramping up, the increased muscle tightness seems to start around the next day after taking a larger dose.
hope that helps -- I encourage you to stick with the amoxy, for me it seems to be helping. That is, the higher dose of 7g/day seems to be killing bacteria that the lower doses I have had for months, 3-4 g/day, did not. I had alot of neuro- herxing right after going up to 7g/day, and now feel better than I have in years. Still have persistent dizziness though, and have not been treated for co-infections.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
It sounds like me on Biaxin XL, a little over a year ago, for a sinus/bronchitis thing. I hadn't been Dxd w/Lyme & Babs yet & it really scared the bejeepers out of me.
My PCP had be using an Albuterol rescue inhaler and then had to add that "purple disc"(name escapes me). She was absolutely baffled by my reaction, but had me finish the course. I did make it through.
The albuterol did help some, I also had to elevate the head of my bed & sleep on a pile of pillows. The "purple disc" thingy is a combo of Albuterol & a steroid, so I don't think that was good.
LLMD was considering trying me on Biaxin and when I told him what had happened, he nixed the idea. He said the second time around could be worse.
I'm not really sure what that means, but he's not big on massive herxs. Knowing what I know now, I would venture a guess that it was a Herx. I would think that if you could maintain a tolerable level, this might be a good thing. (I hope! I hope! )
I would think that maybe, if you get as much rest as possible and drink tons of water (hot or cold & maybe with a little lemon &/or cranberry) to flush out the toxins, you might be able to get that load down. That would be so wonderful!!
I would also give it some time for the air hunger/palp stuff to calm down before ramping up further, but I'm no LLMD. You probably should get a professional opinion, but I think it sounds like it could hold some promise.
Hugs & prayers, Ali
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Thanks everyone, I haven't the energy to respond to you each individually right now. Just dragged myself out of bed, so so tired and achey I didn't move until I was too achey to stay still anymore.
I seem to be ok, with the Malarone, I was taking it 10 days before attempting the ABX and had no problem at all. I'm only taking one a day. (I had taken it before for 2 months not that long ago.)
I just didn't picture Amoxy interacting that well, ugh, with it. Amoxy not being a typical med for babs treatment and all, I have to admit I had no idea what to expect.
I do know this is a ridiculously low dose of Amoxy. But may be all I can handle for a while. It may be to my benefit for it not to be crossing the BBB at this point. I'm not sure I could handle added neuro stuff on top.
Thanks for all the suggestions and sharing your own experiences.
I guess I'll just keep going as I have and re-evaluated after the full moon, I seem to herx best/worst then. I kinda wanted to be up to 500 2x/day but think I better not yet. Drat
Negative Nelly what does "BTDT" Stand for? I'm a 'bear of very little brain' today, don't make me figure out tricky abbreviations.
My best guess... borne,tick disease treatment
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Oh, right, I knew that once.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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trails
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1620
posted
are you trying to over do it again?
I dont have answers just a hug and my opinion that you are hitting babs or some other infection we dont even KNOW about yet. Posts: 1950 | From New Mexico | Registered: Sep 2001
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Hugs back at you, trailsy!
Nope haven't been trying to overdo it, just do it. (sounds like a nike commmercial, heh)
Yeah, I'm hitting something
That's what freaks me out... is that these tiny doses work like normal doses do on most people. I used to do regular person doses and I do know what it's like and darned if this isn't just the same.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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True, I'd be thinking low thyroid and/or electrolyte imbalance. If you are on thyroid replacement, consider replacing both T3 and T4. Makes a huge difference for some patients. Hope you feel better soon. If you are on the replacement thyroid med, are you separating it from any calcium by 4 hours? Could you be getting too much soy? ( One serving a day is supposedly ok for thyroid patients. I can't tolerate that much.)
-------------------- "Help Or Be Helpless" Please visit "Activism" board daily. See the threads regarding the IDSA Guidelines crisis and the threads about Dr. Charles Ray Jones and decide how best to help today! Posts: 1265 | From does not list | Registered: Jun 2004
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
quote:Originally posted by FightFireWithWater: True, I'd be thinking low thyroid and/or electrolyte imbalance. If you are on thyroid replacement, consider replacing both T3 and T4. Makes a huge difference for some patients. Hope you feel better soon. If you are on the replacement thyroid med, are you separating it from any calcium by 4 hours? Could you be getting too much soy? ( One serving a day is supposedly ok for thyroid patients. I can't tolerate that much.)
Hmmm... both are possible... My thyroid tests always come out in range. Nobody bothers to interpret them. (Give me iodine and I feel better; they don't believe me about that.)
Free T4 0.8 range is 0.7 - 1.9 TSH 0.65 range is 0.49-4.67 Those look low to me, although I don't know what they mean.
Electrolytes, who knows? I'm sure they're whacked but haven't the foggiest idea how to fix them. (NA and CL look higher than the others on my recent tests.)
My blood work is almost always in range so no one looks, but me.
I do have an order for labs, maybe it's a good time to do them.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Hi True, The free T4 is borderline low Your TSH is on the low side, which is a good thing.
If you feel better on iodine look into
Iodoral or Lugol's (sorry couldn't find a good site explaining topical use for hypothyroid)
Sorry you are having such a difficult time. Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Thanks Ser
Getting a doctor to let me take iodine and monitor me is the trick. Maybe I need shrimp for supper tomorrow.
And I'm ok, just a bit herxier than I'd like. If it passes that'd be cool. If not, it would be no different than years and years. I'll wait and try to be positive. (oh, that sounded convincing, lol)
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Yesterday, I upped the Amoxy to 500 2x. It wasn't so bad, I was doing some detox...
No air hunger or palps. I went to bed very achy and woke in drenching sweats, repeatedly, until I had to get up and wash and change at 4:30am. I was majorly itchy and had some hives on my face and arms but no other allergic type rection. Clear breathing, better than usuall, etc...
I'm still surprised this is hitting babs so much. Think I'll go back to 500/day for ,a day or 2, so I can make sure I get some dryer less itchy sleep.
I doubt the ithcies are from the detox foot pads as I think if I was allergic to them it would be more lower body and place of contact than face and head. I left them on and went back to sleep and was not so itchy after less perspiration.
That's my update for my travels with Amoxy, so far.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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