Topic: 1 month on Rifampin, doing really bad today advice?
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
I am on almost exactly one month on Rifampin. I have yet to feel this awful in the 9 months I've been treating.
Very nauseas and feeling like I need to throw up. Very hot, then chilled like flu like. Has a terrible frontal migraine all day. Literally about 12 hours now. Trembling all over. I have been tolerating Rifampin really well so Im wondering what is happening? Feel very sick.
Could this be bart or perhaps a lyme herx?
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Have your liver checked, do your detox, and stay on it. If you've been tolerating it, could be a herx. Rifampin can be ugly but when it works, it works.
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
Thanks rosebud. Any idea if its lyme or Bartonella? I can't imagine I would herx from Bart after a whole month like this.
I did have my liver checked about 2 weeks ago. I do it monthly.
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
joysie-yes I believe its working for me, it seems to have brought out my bart symptoms full force over the last month. But this is really rough today. should I ask my doctor to check my liver again even though I did it a few weeks ago?
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
fflutterby
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28081
posted
Jamers, Keeep it up and detox....I just stopped and I miss it. Will have to go back after I knock Babs down for a while. It will pass...like all above said...detox
-------------------- Psalm 46 1 God is our refuge and strength Posts: 1367 | From North Jersey | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
Thanks flutterby, I did the same with Babs. I had to stop babs treatment to start treating Bart since it came raging out.
anyone know how long after meds/vitamins to take a Binder like apple pectin?
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sounds like a herx I've been having from Rifampin; a little nauseous, headache, and overall achy.
You can take apple pectin two hours after antibiotics. Also, consider activated charcoal or cholestyramine. If I was feeling that lousy, I wouldn't wait, I'd just take a binder. I've found that binders don't do much when I feel this way, but Aleve or Alka Seltzer Gold or Tri Salts does help.
Posts: 964 | From san diego | Registered: Oct 2009
| IP: Logged |
posted
To me it actually sounds more like a babesia attack. If you have been off babs meds it could be that infections acting up.
The nausea is probably from a die off of red blood cells which could happen with either bart or babs if you have really high infectious loads.
Especially if you have another episode like this I would repeat your bloodwork and see if your bilirubin is elevated.
I remember several years ago when hubby was not treating babesia he had a chill and his temperature was 96.5 I think and 5 minutes later it had gone to 99 if I remember correctly. Try to take your temp if you have chills again. Such temperature fluctuations are classic babesia symptoms.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
Baileypup-thank you for the advice. I am definitely going to get some alka seltzer gold or Tri salts. I am also achey all over and just broke down and cried my eyes out. It was like a damn burst and I couldn't hold it in anymore.
Bea-It could possibly be babesia as I have yet to discern my symptoms yet. But for the 4 months I treated Babs I did not feel like this at all. I think I have a super high load of Bartonella and have had severe Bart symptoms from the beginning.
I am also on my very heavy "monthly friend" and wonder if that and the red blood cell die off you mentioned could cause the nausea.
I couldn't find my darned thermometer when I had that episode but I will do that next time for sure.
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Just thought I'd add, I've been treating babesia for almost two years, and continue to take babesia meds, and never had these "new" symptoms until adding Rifampin a month ago.
Posts: 964 | From san diego | Registered: Oct 2009
| IP: Logged |
posted
Jamers, Are you sure you have bart? I had the worst experience with rifampin, even after stopping it the symptoms were horrible for a month. MY llmd stopped it imediately since he did not want the side affects to be permanent.
Rifampin if you look it up on here can be a very very dangerous drug and if you are not positivet for Bart, why take it? My LLMD said to try A-Bart slowly instead. Recently I had ART testing done and I show no stressers at all for bart so all the torture was just the drug.
Hang in there and call your doc
-------------------- Diagnosed with chronic neuro lyme 12/10 after 30 years of vertigo.2 tick bites in 3 yrs from upstate NY. Was on omincef for nine mths..zith and rifampin stopped.Remission~ All the pain and symptoms are back and I am not treating now with biaxin. Posts: 788 | From New york..queens | Registered: Nov 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
I believe Rifampin itself can cause those headaches. Did that to me. I took Rifampin for 5 days. Had headache from Day 1.
I had the worst headache of my life 24/7 for the next 3 weeks. I will never take that drug again.
(I had a long history of migraines, but this was worse than that...just unbearable.)
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
Annier-Im not 100% sure since my test was negative but I have just about every Bartonella symptom. My anxiety was unbearable originally as well as bad headaches, vision issues ect...
I've also tolerated it well for a month so Im very suspicious of this being a lyme herx since this happened at 4 weeks or a very bad bart herx along with the lyme.
Lymetoo-I had a similar experience with Doxy and it was the worst headache ever but it was a side effect of doxy as it went away after stopping.
I will be aware of the issues with Rifampin though, thank you both for your concern!
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Jamers, I continue to take Mepron/Zith/Tindamax and Lariam, while starting Rifampin. My LLMD warned me that Rifampin reduces the efficacy of Mepron.
My doc is all about "adding", and never taking anything away. The benefit of not stopping a drug to add another is that I know whatever new symptoms appear, what is causing that reaction.
The one symptom that I did start having that went away with Mepron is left shoulder/arm pain. I'm wondering if that is due to a reduced absorption of the Mepron. Something my LLMD had me consider was upping the Mepron dose to compensate.
[ 09-12-2011, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: baileypup ]
Posts: 964 | From san diego | Registered: Oct 2009
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
Baileypup-That's interesting. I may ask my LLMD about doing that also. Thanks for the info.
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| 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