posted
I was given apo-cephalex when i had a bladder infection back in aug 07... it was then that i began to herx and had symptoms ever since... does anyone know if this drug is effective for lyme? i'm still wondering if what i had was a herx.
TIA
christine
Posts: 127 | From Toronto, Ontario Canada | Registered: Nov 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
i'm just googleing this now... does this mean that this abx could have made my lyme worse????
CONTEXT: Lyme disease typically presents with a skin lesion called erythema migrans (EM), which though often distinctive in appearance may be confused with cellulitis. The first-generation cephalosporin, cephalexin monohydrate, is effective for treating bacterial cellulitis but has not been recommended or studied for treating Lyme disease because of poor in vitro activity. OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of patients with EM who were treated with cephalexin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients presenting with EM to the Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center in Westchester, NY (May 1992-September 1997). A 2-mm punch biopsy specimen of the leading edge of the EM lesion and/or blood was cultured for Borrelia burgdorferi. RESULTS: Eleven (2.8%) of 393 study patients had been initially treated with cephalexin prior to our evaluation; 9 (82%) were originally diagnosed with cellulitis. Cephalexin was administered for 8.6 days (range, 2-21 days) prior to presentation. All 11 patients had clinical evidence of disease progression, including 8 whose rash enlarged, 2 who developed seventh-nerve palsy (1 with new EM lesions), and 1 who developed new EM lesions. Borrelia burgdorferi grew in cultures from 5 patients despite a mean of 9.8 days of treatment with cephalexin (range, 5-21 days). CONCLUSION: Cephalexin should not be used to treat early Lyme disease and should be prescribed with caution during the summer months for patients believed to have cellulitis in locations where Lyme disease is endemic.
posted
thanks lymetoo.. so i can't blame the abx on me getting worse.. it's true.. i would have been worse just naturally over time....
but i did take this ABX in the early stages of lyme- perhaps a couple of weeks after infection so it's interesting to see that i herxed almost instantly after this.
it took me another few months after to figure out I had lyme and another few months after that before starting treatment.
Posts: 127 | From Toronto, Ontario Canada | Registered: Nov 2007
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic