posted
My LLMD has me taking Coartem for four days and off for 10 days then repeat while taking nothing else in between. We are going to do several rounds before switching to malarone, zith and artemisia.
I herx the whole time until I start again. I am wondering if anyone else has such long herx's after stopping their round of Coartem.
I have all of the babesia symptoms plus burning skin all over which I guess is either my lyme or bartonella which was quiet.
posted
Do you feel better the four days on Coartem, then herxing in between?
My Coartem rounds spread over three days, but every two weeks while on. I resume my regular meds the day after stopping the Coartem.
Every round I have gotten an increase in babs symptoms during the coartem, followed by bart flares after stopping. Resuming the regular meds after the Coartem usually makes for some die off after the bart flare, so it's a little bit of a rollercoaster for me.
With each Coartem round I have less and less babs symptoms. I've done 11 so far, first a round of 6 then 5 more. I'll probably have to do more.
I had treated babs prior to the coartem, over a year of bactrim+artemisinin+macroglide, 10 months of mepron, plus babs herbs added to both of those regimens such as crypto, sida acuta, and neem.
This is probably why the Coartem hasn't been too bad for me, but it definitely does bring out the bart. My llmd says that the babs should get better wth each coartem pulse, and this mirrors my experience. I hope it gets better for you.
Posts: 474 | From US | Registered: May 2014
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posted
Thanks gz. You give me some hope. I actually have few babs symptoms while taking the Coartem but they all flare the day after stopping. I have neuro lyme and bart so I think the burning is one of them coming out. You have really been fighting babs a long time. I hope the rest of your healing comes quickly.
Posts: 68 | From Kentucky | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
Thanks, me too. I wonder if your extended herx after the coartem is more of a flare? Perhaps my Bart flare might be worse and extended also if I wasn't resuming my regular abx immediately afterwards, interesting.
Crypto and sida acuta are quite helpful for many. They might be worth looking at to maybe help gain some control of the flares between pulses.
Neurolyme and Bart on my menu too, including skin burning. I think that sx was more Lyme for me, it was horrific in my early herxing on Lyme abx, though it could have been bart getting hit too. I only sometimes get it now with Lyme flares.
My Lyme load seems to be a magnifier of all the coinfection sx. When Lyme's controlled, everything else seems to improve and control much easier.
Posts: 474 | From US | Registered: May 2014
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posted
gz, I've got Crypto and I may try a drop. You may be right and I may be in a babs flare!
Posts: 68 | From Kentucky | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
A question for both of you: did you have EKGs to check that the Coartem did not affect the Q-interval in your heart (it's one of the possible side effects of taking this particular medication)?
Our son's LLMD wants him to start on Coartem and Art+Zith+Crypto, if I remember correctly. He did say it is very rare that the heart can be affected, but I am still concerned.
It will be excruciatingly painful for him to get a baseline EKG then a follow-up one, because he has pain in his chest, sides & back - most areas where the electrodes are attached. I know he can have Lidocaine applied to dull the pain, but I doubt it will help much.
Also, do either of you have chronic pain and, if so, has this treatment helped any?
Stumpy - btw - please break up your posts into 2-3 sentence paragraphs, as there are people on Lymenet who cannot read large blocks of text due to neurological problems from Lyme.
To do that click the pencil/paper icon, make your changed, then click "Edit Post". Thanks.
Posts: 8981 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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hopingandpraying, thanks for telling me about how to edit the post!
No, I did not have an EKG prior to Coartem but I took Zith for a year and a half with no problems with Rifampin, tinidazole and Diflucan.
I guess my doctor thought that I would be ok. She was not worried. I have not had heart issues with it except for palpitations from anxiety. I take hawthorne for that.
I do have chronic flank, neck, rib, thigh and abdominal pain. My LLMD has offered tramadol but I have not taken it.
I actually have gabapentin for the nerve pain and I may have to start taking that.
I wish the best for your son. I can't even imagine how hard it is to watch your child go through this.
Posts: 68 | From Kentucky | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
No EKG's specifically for that med, but I've had them when not on it for other things and they've been normal. My doc also said the side effect of long QT is rare.
So to avoid the possibility of long QT interval from coartem other meds are stopped during coartem pulse. I both begin coartem and resume regular abx without a washout period.
Babs gives me real bad costochondritis. The coartem has helped immensely with that. When I get the beginning of chest wall pain again along with other babs sx I know I have to treat again. But there's improvement with each coartem round.
I have a lot of chronic intermittent pain that responds to Bart and Lyme tx. Also tendinosis that always hurts, healing it is a puzzle but there's no TBD tx that has helped it yet. Bactrim seems to make it worse for a little bit so maybe just need to keep tx'ing.
Hoping, I wish you the best for your son and that the coartem brings improvements.
Posts: 474 | From US | Registered: May 2014
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