Rumigirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15091
posted
I am going to see my doctor on Wednesday and will be asking to take Rifampin, in addition to the doxy I'm taking, to hopefully completely kill off the Anaplasma that I could never get rid of.
I also need to go back to Mepron. I know that Rifampin lowers Mepron levels. Is it worth it to take Mepron while taking Rifampin?
Maybe I should take Malarone instead? I've never taken that. And, of course, it's partly made up of Mepron, so not sure how much that helps instead.
Opiinions? Experiences? Info? Thank you!
[ 02-17-2014, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: Rumigirl ]
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BoxerMom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25251
posted
You have some options.
Rifampin does have some Babs' killing activity, so you could add multiple herbs, like Art, Cryptolepsis, Sida Acuta, etc. A-Bab is very strong.
You could resume Mepron later.
Some LLMDs do prescribe them together. If your pathogen load is fairly high and your Babs is still sensitive to Mepron, the increased clearance time won't effect the treatment too much.
Both are tough on the liver, but my pathogens have been much harder on my liver than any med combo, so I tend to prioritize based on what I want to kill!
You know, if you get both scripts and decide the herxing is too much, or you just want to hold off on Mepron, you can always switch to herbs and save the Mepron for later.
I would not do Malarone, as the bioavailability is MUCH lower than Mepron already. With Rifampin in the mix, you might not get much out of the Malarone.
Whatever you do, just keep after Babs with something.
Are you still testing high for anaplasma? I never know where I'm at with that one.
Rumigirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15091
posted
Thank you, BoxerMom.
I am taking Clindamycin (right now IV at a lower dosage, as he ramps me up). So I do have that for Babs, and doxy, which I think very weakly might help with the babs (might and weakly being the operative words with this one).
I think that I am finally making progress with the Anaplasma, as, for the first time in ages, my WBC and neutrophils are coming up. Still low, but not out of range.
But I don't want to rest on my laurels here, I want to make sure to get rid of this one. I figure I only have 2-3 months left to take the doxy without risking sun sensitivity (not that I ever get much sun, but I am sick of living like a total mole in the summer).
So, that's why I want to add the rifampin, to add to the doxy for the Anaplasma. I do still need to target babs more. So we'll see if I add the Mepron back in, which always helped me without bad herxes, or if I just use herbs to add on. I would prefer Mepron.
I can't even test for the Anaplasma anymore---or anything else either. I am on IVIG, and getting immunoglobulins from thousands of donors, so no test that relies on antibodies is remotely accurate. Don't know if PCR would be accurate.
It's frustrating, my current doc is good. But at this point, I know far, far more than almost anyone I have been to, but I don't have the rx pad!
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BoxerMom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25251
posted
quote:Originally posted by Rumigirl:
It's frustrating, my current doc is good. But at this point, I know far, far more than almost anyone I have been to, but I don't have the rx pad!
And that is the crux of Lyme treatment for many of us! Honestly, it is just unbelievable. And, ironically, only gets in the way of our credibility. If people only knew.
But that is another topic.
I am soooo glad to hear your immune system is recovering. Yay progress!
Rumigirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15091
posted
Yeah, I know, it is the story for most of us!! The irony is that I always wanted to be a doctor. The only reason I didn't go to medical school was that I was already sick with something that was undx'd for decades (guess what?), so I was afraid that the
internship/residency would do me in! But the degree of suffering that I've been through to not have the degree is unconscionable---both in not being able to rx what I need, and in struggling with $$ my whole adult life. Arghhhh!
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posted
My LLMD just upped the dosage of Mepron to offset the effect of the Rifampin. I took both together for quite some time.
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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Rumigirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15091
posted
Aha, faithful, duh, that's a good idea! Of course, in the past I took a REALLY high dosage, but I doubt that my current doc would want me to take that high a dosage now. We'll see. Great idea though, thank you!
I think that is what I will have to do, as I'm sure that I will have to take rifampin for a while, not to mention that it will take me time to ramp up again.
When I took it before, it was like having my fingers plugged into a socket the whole time---it was like being on speed, the insomnia, anxiety, amped up feeling was atrocious. I know that's common : - (
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