posted
What is the best treatment for eradiction of Babesia?
What is the length of time it took for the treatment to work?
What dose of meds were reqired?
Posts: 188 | From ID | Registered: Jan 2007
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Hi Doomer: Do a search here under "babs" and "babesia" and you will find alot of discussion on babs treatment.
I am on one tablet of malarone 250/100 each day for babesia. After almost seven weeks it certainly has helped clear up my long-standing difficulty breathing. My lungs feel better than they have in a long time; my exposures to babesia were years ago and evidently I harbored a continuing infection since then.
I will take it as long as my doctor tells me to, and I have no idea how long that will be.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi Doomer
Mepron - Malaron - Artemisinin-Quinine- are used to treat Babs-
Tonic Water has a small amount of Quinine and it helps Alot-- drink 1 to 3 liters a day- it will make you herx
You can by at local stores -get the Diet kind
Babs has to be attacked from every way possiable and for long periods of time-
Depending on how long you have been sick It can take many yrs of treatment to recover from Babs--
There is a new med out for Babs treatment but it is not available in the US - (primaquine) but it is supposed to cure Babs in 2 weeks-
I am going to try to get some in Mexico-
I will keep you informed--Jay-
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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What's this new med that you are talking about? If you are looking for Riamet, they don't have it accross the border.
Posts: 134 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have done a search on previous babs treatment, ie mepron buddies etc.
Liz28 has some good info but just wanted to put this out there again to see what people are currently doing and for those that have been through treatment and can shed some light.
What about Riamet or Coartem has anyone tried them? If so what have the results been?
Can you get primaquine in the US?
Just starting treatment and want what is the most efficacious for getting rid of babesia.
Posts: 188 | From ID | Registered: Jan 2007
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savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
I took lariam to clear my babs. After a few weeks on this med I finally tested negative on the babs FISH test, but a word of caution, this can be a very dangerous drug. I don't know whether I would ever be able to do the lariam drug treament again due to severe anxiety and psych issues. Good luck.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Be extremely careful with ANY of the older Malaria meds. Read the warnings carefully and heed them.
Some have absolutely nightmarish side effects, and some can be fatal with just a small overdose.
They were truly horrid drugs, but they still beat dying of the Malaria. Keep that perspective in mind.
Posts: 714 | From San Antonio TX | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I asked during my last phone consult with my LLPA (Physicians Assistant) about treatment for Babesia. She told me that the combination of Biaxin and Flagyl which I am on has been found to get rid of Babs.
She said it is based on research done by Dr. H in Colorado Springs. Since this is a malaria like illness, I didn't know antibiotics would touch it.
This is just what I was told so I am taking them at their word right now. Has anyone else heard this?
-------------------- Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired Posts: 185 | From Colorado | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
Lariam long, long term (3 years) is helping me loads with Babs symptoms. Had atovaquone (mepron) and got shook up, but it never killed the babs. Lariam seems to be doing the trick? I took my 95 weekly dose today (I had already taken about 60 weekly does a year prviously).
I had some rough rough rides (several; I cried
Posts: 416 | From france | Registered: Oct 2001
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lymewreck36
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4395
posted
Never heard of biaxin/flagyl clearing babs out.
O.K. I have had bab for four years, and been treated aggressively, and I mean aggressively, during that entire time. I have seen lyme literate docs in New York, two in connecticut, one in North Carolina, and now one in Louisianna. (We moved.)
Lariam damaged my tendons after severe tendon damage on cipro. Did mepron/zithro for most of the four years with art added in at high doses. Also tried adding bactrim to the mixture as a study did demonstrate that mepron/zith/bactrim is more effective than mepron/zith.
Still did not clear. Tried just using malerone for a period of time, but my body worked up a hyper sensitivity and I had a drug reaction. Took a year off malerone.
On a new lyme combo recently and new lyme doc suggested that the cure all for babs is four weeks with four malerone pills a day. So i tried it. I did end up getting sensitive to malerone again, but that has been the best combo so far for the babs.
I still have to take malerone/zith again, but I can be off the babs medication for longer periods than ever before.
Babs can be very chronic. MY entire first year of treatment I suffered horrible stomach aches.
Good luck and hope that helps.
lymewreck
Posts: 1032 | From North Carolina | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Not sure if mine is gone or not, but I tested negative on WA1 a few times (four, to be exact) though LabCorps or Quest (don't remember which). I was on an initial course of Mepron/Zithromax for some time a year or so ago. Also, I was on Alinia/Zithromax for quite a long time, and Alinia is thought to work both against cyst-form Lyme, and Babesia. Its sort of an all in one antiprotozoan (developed for knocking out tough cryptosporidium and giardia infections in only 3 days!) and is thought to be a cyst buster too. However, its not in the same class of drugs as Flagyl or Tindamax.
Posts: 690 | From East coast, USA | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
What do you guys think about taking Mepron and Malarone together?
Posts: 310 | From TN | Registered: Jan 2007
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lymewreck36
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4395
posted
I did, at one time, take mepron and malerone together with zithromax. I did this for several months and ended up having the biggest drug reaction I ever had. Took me a while to figure out it was the medication combination. I thought I had lupus initially.
When I dropped all medication for 5 days, the bad reaction backed off. I added in one med at a time to determine what was causing the problem, and found that I could no longer take malerone.
I have, years later, taken malerone again as I mentioned above, and was able to stay on it several weeks before developing a sensitivity again.
Most importantly, the mepron/malerone combination was not as sucessful as the 4 malerone pills a day treatment.
Listen to your body.
Hope that helps.
Also, what is this Alinia medication? Never heard of that and I've been around a while. Please inform.
Mary
Posts: 1032 | From North Carolina | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Alinia is a tough antiprotozoan/anti-infective drug that, like I previously mentioned was developed to take out tough infectious agents like Giardia (not so bad) Cryptosporium (bad, has a cyst form) and even amoeba (really, really bad. Has cyst forms).
My LLMD put me on it for a very long time, usually in combination with another antibiotic. It was well tolerated, except that it turns ALL bodily fluids (urine, even semen!) a bright neon yellow, which stains. I never had any adverse reactions to it aside from that issue.
The good: It its thought to be an anti-Bb cyst buster, like Flagyl or Tindamax (which I had taken previousl), as well as an agent against Babesia and other coinfections. It doesn't have as many side effects as the two previous drugs, and is in another class altogether. It is not nearly as expensive as Mepron, primarily because AIDS patients don't typically make use of it.
The bad: The general use of this drug is to be used for 3-7 days. By then most infections are wiped out. Because of this, the ramifications of long term Alinia use are unknown. Also, its method of action against lyme and coinfections are not as "agreed" upon as drugs like Flagyl and Tindamax, simply since there's less evidence, being a newer drug.
Posts: 690 | From East coast, USA | Registered: Jun 2006
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liz28
Unregistered
posted
This is a huge controversy, because it seems like everybody has a different strain of babesia or malaria.
I caught it in a coastal town that draws many international visitors, and the symptoms exactly matched relapsing malaria. I took three rounds of the treatment for plasmodium vivax, i.e. malaria, which is 3-4 days of chloroquine followed by 2-3 weeks of primaquine (15 mg per day, not 30mg). So it may be that this treatment only works for malaria, not babesia.
If you go with malaria drugs, you have to make sure you buy from a reputable source, because counterfeiters are ruthless. And take a look through Google, because malaria drugs are not antibiotics, and have side effects, dosages, and courses of action that are unfamiliar to many U.S. residents.
You must take a G6PD deficiency test at your friendly neighborhood Quest Lab before taking primaquine. This drug only kills the dormant form of malaria, and you take it after wiping out the bloodstream form of malaria with artemisinin, quinine, lariam, chloroquine, etc.
I am also taking the cautionary step of dating a Brazilian to secure future primaquine supplies. And to be reminded why we go through all this trouble to get well.
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posted
Primaquine is available in the U.S. with a valid Rx. There is no need to be worried about where you can attain it. I just got some through my local Walgreens. It was also available 6 months ago when I checked. Did you ever try to buy it here?
Posts: 134 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Foggy
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Member # 1584
posted
Ditto & I didn't have to take the so-called "cautionary step" of dating a Brazilian.
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