This is topic DOXY SIDE EFFECTS? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.


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Posted by tyevansmom (Member # 10609) on :
 
just wondering if anyone else has experienced shortness of breath and a feeling of heartburn or indigestion with doxy?? i am on 200 mg. a day and have been taking it for 8 days now..shortness of breath seems to be getting worse
 

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Posted by Lisianthus (Member # 6631) on :
 
First thing.... shortness of breath ... I would call your doctor... we wouldn't want you to having a heart attack or something. Also shortness of breath or air hunger can be a symptom of Babesia.


Second thing... heartburn or indigestion can be a sign of high yeast in the gut. Are you taking acidophilus 2 hour after your doxy? And are you on a yeast free diet?


______________________________________________

Babesia symtom list:

20. What signs and symptoms would lead a doctor to suspect a Babesia infection in a patient? How many strains of Babesiosis have been identified and how many are commonly tested for in commercial labs?

The following signs/symptoms may be present in those infected with Babesiosis:

Fatigue*
Arthralgias* (aching joints)
Myalgia* (muscle pain)
Drenching sweats*
Headaches*
Emotional lability*
Depression*
Dark urine*
Splenomegaly* (enlarged spleen)
Dizziness*
Nausea and vomiting*
Cough*
Dyspnea* (difficulty breathing)
Fever*
Chills*
Hepatosplenomegaly* (enlarged liver)
Jaundice*
Malaise*
Shortness of breath *
Bleeding tendencies,
bruising*
Thrombocytopenia* (low platelets in the blood)
Hemoglobinuria* (red cell breakdown, with release of hemoglobin in the urine)
Hyperesthesia* (over sensitivity to touch)
Pulmonary edema* (fluid accumulation, swelling in the lungs)
Encephalopathy* (alters brain function)
Low to normal range leukocyte counts*
Possible elevated levels of dehydrogenase, bilirubin,
transaminase*
Anorexia*

Approximately 25%- 66% of Babesia patients are known to be co-infected with Lyme disease. These symptoms may continue for long periods of time, decrease, then return. A low Babesiosis titer (IgG) often indicates a chronic infection.

An acute or current infection may show a higher reading on the IgM test initially. There are over 100 species of Babesia in the United States but only ONE or TWO species are currently checked by commercial labs.
 

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Posted by Katcon (Member # 9812) on :
 
I take Adoxa which is also Doxy, but it is supposed to be easier on the stomach.

I have been taking it now for 3mos, and no heartburn or reflux.
 

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Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
 
I had heartburn and ulcer symptoms (I have had ulcer in the past) when on Doxy. My LLMD actually wanted to take me off of it and treat the ulcer first, and thought it was the doxy that what was tearing up my stomach (I persisted in taking the doxy but used a barrage of ulcer-treating herbal stuff to try and control the pain, which didnt' work very well).

I think in one of the doxy prescriptions I bought, the side effects warnings info included info on heartburn. If I recall right, it was part of the usual warning to not lie down immediately after taking the doxy- it can cause esophagus irritation and reflux type symptoms and that's apparently more likely if you lie down before the pill has dissolved in your stomach or something like that.


Shortness of breath-
-consider going to a doctor or the emergency room, at least talk to someone about what happens with antibiotic allergies (I don't know if that's true of this one or not)

-also do a search here for 'air hunger'- lots of people report it from Lyme and the common co-infections that often come with Lyme. It's like you can't quite get a breath deeply enough. I"m not sure if that's what you're experiencing.

Do make sure it's not a allergy to the meds or something serious.
 

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Posted by pamyla (Member # 8575) on :
 
I've had heartburn and indigestion from doxy multiple times - it's a hard one on the stomach Through trial and error I figured out that I needed to take the doxy mid-way through a meal, not at the end. This seemed to help improve the heartburn issue.

hth,
Pam
 

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Posted by wiserforit (Member # 9732) on :
 
I just found out about not lying down after taking Doxy -- learned the hard way!

Now my esophagus and gut are burning like crazy and my LLMD suggested stopping the Doxy for a week to let things heal. Then, I'm to start up on 50 mg and slowly build up to see what my gut can handle.

The heartburn feeling is like a tight chest and it alters my breathing. When the heartburn isn't present, my breathing is fine.

Does anyone have a sure-fire way to heal Doxy Gut Burn?

wiserforit
 

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 
Are you taking it with food?? That's a must!!

Air hunger......yeah, maybe you'd best call your LLMD! It's pretty common with Lyme and babesia....BUT....
 

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Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
 
Also, antibiotics or any other effective treatment can start someone on a Herxheimer reaction (do a search here or on Google to learn more) which means some of your symptoms might temporarily intensify (or it could be something else that's not a herx!). If you experience serious symptoms and aren't sure what's going on, please makes sure the symptoms aren't some other problem such as allergy or other serious issues.

Many conventional MD's dont understand the Herx concept and might think you shouldn't be on medication at all, which can be really hard to deal with.
 

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Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
 
Doxy made me vomit unless I took it with starchy food like oatmeal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


If I took it with salads or just fruit I would vomit within 15 minutes. Once I vomited a bowl of strawberries at the local kids park, there with my daughter. It looked like I was vomiting blood or something. It was gross. One of my wonderful memories of living with Lyme- eek!!!
 

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Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
 
p.s. My daughter REMEMBERS that vividly. It's The Big Blue Ball Park in Soquel and whenever we pass it, which is not so frequently, she says dreamily, "Remember the time you puked up strawberries Mama?" Agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She doesn't remember hardly ANYTHING from back then!! Not fair she remembers THAT!!!!!!!
 

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Posted by johnlyme1 (Member # 7343) on :
 
Doxy will have an effect on the Babs if you have it. I did get air hunger stuff intesified when on doxy. My Babs has been gone for a long time and I do not have this anymore when I take doxy.
 

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by johnlyme1:
Doxy will have an effect on the Babs if you have it. I did get air hunger stuff intesified when on doxy.

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quote:

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Originally posted by CaliforniaLyme:
"Remember the time you puked up strawberries Mama?" Agh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She doesn't remember hardly ANYTHING from back then!! Not fair she remembers THAT!!!!!!!

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