posted
My neurosurgeon has the in-depth medical reasons but steroids cause ANY problem with the immune system to just go nuts. The steroids light up the body wherever the immune system is active (almost everywhere). I had minor Lyme until I had three steroid shots into my spine to try to fix a spine bone spur (made it worse - surgery fixed it).. By the third shot I could not walk and was almost in a coma. I was so sick I almost didn't get approval for the spine surgery. That was in 2002. I have battled Lyme and another dozen illnesses since then and have FINALLY got the better of them all. I have my health back!! NO thanks to virtually all doctors who blew me off, prescribed wrong meds just as guessed (two almost killed me), told me I was 100% healthy and needed to see a psychiatrist and so on. ALL the things that happen to others here on Lymenet. Someone may have the medical details but my "world famous) neurosurgeon told me "Oh my God, I NEVER would have tried steroids if I knew you had Lyme" - I was diagnosed in 2005) and two other very good doctors ALSO say NO steroids plus both my LLMD's. That's good enough for me. That extends to flu shots too BTW. Flu shots have a minute amount of mercury as a stabilizing agent. Mercury (even a TINY amount) is like steroids but worse). So no more flu or ANY shot that has mercury. ASK and if they don't know go check yourself. Do NOT take a chance.
Good luck!
Gary in Kansas
Posts: 133 | From Shawnee, KS | Registered: Sep 2007
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Steroids like prednisone lower your immune response.
Allow diseases like Lyme to have full court advantage.
Can contribute to harm that is irreversable.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Starfall1969
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17353
posted
Oh my goodness! The things you learn! And the things you realize God has protected youfrom without your knowing about it!
Bearing in mind that I'm not officially diagnnosed yet, but am having multiple symptoms and all that I've been going from doctor to doctor trying to figure out....
I saw my gastroenterologist a few weeks ago about recurring stomach pain and weight loss.
He ordered a CT scan of my abdomen, with and without contrast.
On the day I went in for the test, I filled out the paperwork with drug allergies, etc. I noted that I had an allergic reaction to IVP dye.
The CT tech came out to ask me about my experiences with the IVP dye and concluded that I couldn't do the contrast part.
Or, I could check in to the hospital overnight and be pumped full of steroids and Benadryl to try to counteract the reaction and have the test done as ordered.
I wasn't comfortable with that, just for multiple reasons, and told the tech that I had no desire to die on the table just having a test done.
He pushed the doctor to do a different test, which he eventually agreed to.
Now I'm reading these posts about Lyme and steroids and sweating bullets about what could have happened.
Thanks for the heads up! Posts: 1682 | From Dillsburg, PA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Steroids can cause lyme to blossom and become even harder to treat.
Even steroid creams and localized shots are to be avoided.
Dr. B has coined the term "steroid disaster" for lyme patients who have been on steroids.
ONLY in life threatening emergencies, or to save vision or hearing, steroids can be used for short term with special guidelines (see below).
"Steroid Disaster" is a term coined by the pioneer of Lyme Treatment, Dr. Burrascano (see link at bottom of page).
Corticosteroids are immune suppressants, the last thing a Lyme patient needs is to lower immunity.
Can you imagine, your body trying hard to fight off the spirochete bacteria and suddenly and immunosuppressants is introduced, "freezing" your immune system, rendering it unable to battle, giving great advantage now to the Lyme bacteria to spread and go wherever it wants .
Corticosteroids can last in the body for months, usually around 6 months. In many bacterial infections such as LD, damage can be done.
Many Lyme patients (such as myself) triggered LD with cortisone shots, pills, inhalers, etc. I can tell you, it is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
It is imperative to NEVER take corticosteroid for pain if you know you have a bacterial infection.
Some bacterial infections are so severe that a shot of cortisone could kill you, although that would be unlikely with Lyme, but rule of thumb, bacterial infections and immunosuppressants do not mix!
. . .
Dr. Burrascano makes it clear in his treatment guidelines that steroid treatment is detrimental, these are excerpts from his guidelines:
"More evidence has accumulated indicating the severe detrimental effects of the concurrent use of immunosuppressants including steroids in the patient with active B. burgdorferi infection.
Never give steroids or any other immunosuppressant to any patient who may even remotely be suffering from Lyme, or serious, permanent damage may result, especially if given for anything greater than a short course.
If immunosuppressive therapy is absolutely necessary, then potent antibiotic treatment should begin at least 48 hours prior to the immunosuppressants.
The severity of the clinical illness is directly proportional to the spirochete load, the duration of infection, and the presence of co-infections. These factors also are proportional to the intensity and duration of treatment needed for recovery.
More severe illness also results from other causes of weakened defenses, such as from severe stress, immunosuppressants medications, and severe intercurrent illnesses.
This is why steroids and other immunosuppressants medications are absolutely contraindicated in Lyme. This also includes intra-articular steroids."
An easy explanation. Your immune system are the "soldiers" of your body constantly standing by to attack any foreign invader.
When an immunosuppressant is used, it is like killing off or knocking out most of your "soldiers", now your body is open to all foreign invasion and while your immune system is knocked out, those invaders can go anywhere, your heart, liver, brain - everywhere.
PLEASE NEVER EVER USE STEROIDS WITH LYME!
See page 12 paragraph 3 for this quote in Burrascano's treatment guidelines from 2005.
More evidence has accumulated indicating the severe detrimental effects of the concurrent use of immunosuppressants including steroids in the patient with active B. burgdorferi infection.
Never give steroids or any other immunosuppressant to any patient who may even remotely be suffering from Lyme, or serious, permanent damage may result, especially if given for anything greater than a short course.
If immunosuppressive therapy is absolutely necessary, then potent antibiotic treatment should begin at least 48 hours prior to the immunosuppressants.
My dr was giving me trigger point shots for back pain. 6 - 8 of them every 2 months or so for 2 years.
I am now wondering if I will even be able to be helped if it turns out I have Lyme disease.
That doesn't even count the spinal blocks the pain Medicine doctor gave me to cripple, oh I mean help me. That was when I was screaming for a month over Christmas 2007.
Now I am really scared, I was getting hopeful about getting help, but now I wonder?
Thanks, Conny
Posts: 50 | From Charleston, SC | Registered: Jan 2009
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posted
All I know is that I didn't have any lyme symptoms that I was aware of until I was given a 6 day course of steroids for an ear problem and that had pretty much destroyed my health ever since.
Posts: 56 | From SouthWest | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
All I know is that I didn't have any lyme symptoms that I was aware of until I was given a 6 day course of steroids for an ear problem and that had pretty much destroyed my health ever since. Doctors thought I was making it up. Saying it's just depression or anxiety!!! I think I know the difference. Docs didn't believe me that steroids could do such thing for such a short peroid of time. I thought I was the only one until I met others who had similiar responses.
Posts: 56 | From SouthWest | Registered: Jul 2008
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