posted
Been treating Lyme since June but just saw an LLMD on the 1st who started me on Minocycline and Rifampin weekdays and Minocycline and Zithromax weekends to treat the Lyme and suspected Bart.
Today is day 7 of this treatment. Started this feeling good then felt okay but not great the last 2 days and today I feel 100% worse than when I first got diagnosed.
I am so fatigued I can hardly type this, my anxiety is completely through the roof as are my heart paplitations and I feel like I have the flu though there is no fever. I also cannot focus on anything. I want to sleep but sleep won't come. And I am nauseated with severe headache.
I called the dr's office and the nurse explained that this could be a herx. However she said if any of my symptoms became too overwhelming I needed to go to the emergency room. Check back on Monday and hopefully it will have passed she said.
Just wondering how you tell if you are having a reaction to an abx or if it truly is a herx.
I have kept track of my symptoms for the last several months and the last time I thought I felt bad when I was just on Doxy (which pales in comparison to this) was about 25 days ago.
I am supposed to bump up to two Rifampin tonight - I am thinking of waiting till I feel human again - does this sound okay? I did ask the nurse and she said I could wait to ramp up till after the weekend. Just checking.
So if you are still reading I am wondering how long your herx usually lasts. I know it is different for everyone and dependent on what you are fighting and with what. But if anyone has done this combo for Lyme and Bart - do you remember how long and severe your first herx was? Just trying to figure out how long I will need to employ a sitter for my children because I cannot care for them right now.
Just wanting to make sure I don't have to be worried about abx reaction. If it is a herx then I guess I need to rejoice knowing that I am finally starting to fight the war against these bugs and gain a small but much needed victory on round one!
Thanks for reading. Blessings.
Aimee
Posts: 239 | From Virginia | Registered: Jun 2009
| IP: Logged |
bettyg
Unregistered
posted
hi aimee,
i've not been on thse meds, but sounds like a herx to me, and i'm glad you are charting your symptoms of when they start/stop, etc. to show any patterns to you.
so glad you called your llmd office to get their input.
if things should happen around your heart, i wouldn't chance it; i'd go to ER. my non-medical opinion.
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
When you start new meds, be sure to read the inserts to find out the possible side effects. Also, look on line. This way, if you get new symptoms and they are the same as the side effects listed, you know you are suffering side effects and not a herx.
If the side effects are too bad, you will have to call the doc and stop the med.
If your new symptoms are not any of the listed side effects, then it is likely a herx.
This is especially true if the new symptoms are lyme or coinfection symptoms.
If the new symptoms go away in about a week, then that is pretty much proof that it was a herx.
My first herx was about 3 days of feeling pretty bad followed by 4 days of feeling half bad.
Eat lots of lemons and drink lots of water to help you through herxes. Do this the entire time you are on treatment. I squeezed the lemons into the water and drank it all day. My doc says this cleanses the body and will reduce the herx symptoms. It is a way of detoxing in other words.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
julielynne4
Unregistered
posted
Sounds like a few of my herxes where I was so much worse than I was before starting treatment. I had many days where I was certain I would fall asleep and never wake up.
I was wondering if you are feeling any better? Did you decide to bump up the Rifampin or wait? I hope you feel better soon. Julie
IP: Logged |
treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
Drink plenty of water and take anti inflamatories. Lay down everyone else pretty much covered it.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
posted
Sounds like a herx. Mine were extreme. I suggest plenty of water (filtered or from a glass bottle not plastic). Not sure about the lemon idea. Groovy says citrus make things worse.
Rest, Rest, Rest, don't fight it. Avoid sunlight. Consider Epsom salt baths for detox.
posted
Don't know what doses you are on, but hubby has done these same combos before.
However he only took the Mino 3 days a week to start and only at 50 mg for the 1st month or so. His LLMD had him increase the Rifampin in 75 mg doses as well. It actually took him over 8 months to get to the suggested doses on his meds. Then after a month he crashed and has never quite gotten back to where he was at.
But I do know that the Zith can cause palpitations -- hubby had those starting with the first dose. And he had taken that med 4 or 5 years ago and had no problems then. The palpitations did get better over time. But we did do a full cardiac work-up since it had been a couple of years since he had had that done.
I am pretty sure that I have read that Zith can deplete magnesium so you might want to increase your magnesium dose while on this med.
Can't really tell you how long the herx will last since the situations are so different. But if it was me I would probably wait at least another week before trying to increase the Rifampin.
Sorry you are feeling so bad. Hubby just gradually felt better and better while on this combo.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
I hope my experience might help you. I found minocycline to be the toughest of all treatments that I have taken for lyme/TBD's, and I have taken many of them!
It builds up in the system too. Best to start one new medicine at a time, and build up slowly, and then wait a couple of weeks before starting a new one to know what causes what reaction.
I could never get to a full dosage on mino, but have been successfully treated using other medicines.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Bless you all for your wonderful replies. I was off the board for several days while completely non-functioning. Happy to say things are looking up a little.
The fatigue is still bad, but I am out of bed again. The headaches are much milder as well.
I have talked to my LLMD about the possibility of the Mino causing the lightheadedness/dizziness and nausea. This sounded plausible so I have switched back to Doxy instead to see if I notice any improvement.
I am fairly certain this latest episode was a herx and not a reaction to the abx, with the exception of the nausea and dizziness.
The suggestions about drinking the lemon water seemed to help - I really flooded myself and noticed a difference.
In my phone conversation with my LLMD I was told I turned up + for Babesia which I wasn't expecting. Wondering how this might play into my symptoms as well.
I did ramp up on the Rifampin starting last night - was slightly more tired this afternoon but maybe that was coincidence? Hoping I won't have issues. I think waiting till yesterday was the best choice though.
Thank you all again, I take each response to heart and really am trying to learn and piece things together that I am comfortable with trying in the hopes of actually beating this!
Aimee
Posts: 239 | From Virginia | Registered: Jun 2009
| 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)
best wishes
Printer-friendly view of this topic