gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
My LLMD recently prescribed me Bicillin CR but from everything I've read I should be getting Bicillin LA. I have called him and told him this but he said the two have the same chemical make up except that the CR has a pain killer in it and the LA does not. According to what I've read on the Bicillin website that is not the case. For example, CR does not treat syphillis but LA does (no I don't have syphillis). ; )
Anyway, I need some kind of evidence or something to fax to my LLMD to show that it is routine to be prescribe Bicillin LA and not the CR to lyme patients. My LLMD is relatively new to this and is still in the learning process. He's normally pretty open minded but seems he isn't wiling to change the rx unless I can convince him otherwise.
Any suggestions or links you can give me that I can send him so that he can reconsider his decision?
One more thing, Dr Kenneth Singleton who wrote, "The Lyme Disease Solution" says this, "Although more painful when administered, the LA form of Bicillin is more effective than the CR form (which contains a local anesthetic". I plan to send this to my LLMD and hope this will persuade him. Anything else you can refer me to will be appreciated.
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
My general opinion is if you need to educate your LLMD that mean you're seeing the wrong LLMD!
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
quote:Originally posted by seekhelp: My general opinion is if you need to educate your LLMD that mean you're seeing the wrong LLMD!
I tend to agree with you, however, my LLMD is relatively new to this field. His wife had lyme and he had it too, I believe, and it caused him to get very interested in lyme. He is still learning a lot about lyme and he's is willing to try different things to get his patients well. He's helped my wife who has improved dramatically since she began seeing him four months ago.
Here's an update on this matter. I talked to the doctor yesterday and told him that I found some information in a book he asked me to get and that it confirmed what I told him about Bicillin LA. I gave him this information from Dr Kenneth Singleton who wrote, "The Lyme Disease Solution". He says, "Although more painful when administered, the LA form of Bicillin is more effective than the CR form (which contains a local anesthetic".
After I told him this he got the book out and looked it up himself. After reading it he said that, based on this information, indeed I should be getting LA and not CR. He said he would call the pharmacist and change the RX for me to LA. So, while he might not have known this, he is open and humble enough to accept the fact that he might be wrong. After I gave him the information from the book he referred me to he was satisfied with this and prescribed me the LA.
I'm happy with the outcome and am glad he doesn't have this attitude of "I'm the doctor, you are the patient--do what I say!" I believe we need to be proactive in our heath issues and not just passively accept everything the doctor tells us without doing our own research. That's why I like coming here. I can get some very good information that helps me have an active role in working together with my doctor. And as long as he's open minded about it, I am happy to be treated by him.
Today I will get my Biccilin shots from the RX. Wish me well. While I am not excited about getting these painful shots, I am very hopeful that it will help me to get better. I'm so sick and tired of being sick! I know most of you here feel the same.
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Good job gwb!
If he is not a member of ILADS, I'd strongly encourage him to join. Lots of education for those who are members.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
lymednva
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9098
posted
My LLMD became one while I was seeing him for "CFS/FM" and related problems. In the beginning he went pretty much by the book.
But over time he has begun to use many more protocols and include more supplemental things he would never have used a few years ago. He attends all the conferences and spends a lot of time researching.
We need more LLMD's. If you have a doctor who is willing to put in the time to learn about treating Lyme and is open to your input I say stick with him.
Your part of the country is especially lacking in Lyme treatment. Good for you for working with him and helping him learn.
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
| IP: Logged |
bettyg
Unregistered
posted
GW ROCKS;
he finds medical evidence to give to his beginner llmd; and llmd goes with his wishes!
good for you. keep it up and thanks for sharing your good news! betty
IP: Logged |
Rianna
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11038
posted
Why not put a call in to the manufacturer and ask them to guide you to a document or send you a document on the clinical make up of the CR Product.
i.e ask them if the CR is Long acting - I know CR has procaine in but I am really unsure if it is long acting.
In Dr B's clinical guidelines he explains why you need Long acting, so if you find out CR is not long acting fax your LLMD that evidence together with the following from DR B's Guidelines.....
PENICILLINS are bactericidal. As would be expected in managing an infection with a gram negative organism such as Bb, amoxicillin has been shown to be more effective than oral penicillin V. With cell wall agents such as the penicillins, kill kinetics indicate that sustained bactericidal levels are needed for 72 hours to be effective. Thus the goal is to try to achieve sustained blood and tissue levels. However, since blood levels are extremely variable among patients, they should be measured. Because of its short half-life and need for high levels, amoxicillin is usually administered along with probenecid. An attractive alternative is benzathine penicillin (``Bicillin-LA''). This is an intramuscular depot injection, and although doses are relatively small, the sustained blood and tissue levels are what make this preparation so effective.
For an antibiotic in the penicillin class to be effective, time-killing curves show that significant levels of antibiotic must be sustained for 72 hours. Bicillin LA is a sustained release formulation that meets these criteria.
Hope this helps Rianna
Posts: 1172 | From UK | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
Terry, I believe he is a member of ILADS and attends two or three conferences a year. He and his wife both had lyme and that's what made him get interested in treating lyme. He's treated both my wife and me. My wife is doing much better. Hopefully, soon, I can say the same for myself.
[ 20. January 2009, 07:24 AM: Message edited by: gwb ]
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
Thanks lymednva. Sad to say, in OK we have no LLMD here. I have to go to Texas to get treated. It's six hour round trip, which isn't too bad, but on days I'm not feeling good it's a very difficult trip.
[ 20. January 2009, 07:25 AM: Message edited by: gwb ]
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
Thanks for your kind words Betty. Thanks for all you do here too. You have been a big help and blessing to me.
[ 20. January 2009, 07:25 AM: Message edited by: gwb ]
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
Rianna, thanks for your very informative post. Yes, it is very helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to share this with me.
Thankfully, after my doctor investigated a little more about the differences between the LA and CR he changed my Rx to LA. I have not started the shots yet which I will explain more on another thread soon. I've had one roadblock after another trying to get treated with Bicillin. Hopefully I will be able to start the shots this week, maybe even today. More about that on another thread.
Again, thanks for sharing this information with me!
[ 20. January 2009, 07:27 AM: Message edited by: gwb ]
Posts: 1349 | From OK | Registered: May 2005
| 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!
![[group hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
![[kiss]](graemlins/kissing.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic