i posted on another board about this and wanted your opinions here too. sorry for any duplication.
i am starting the buhner protocol and am doing ok on everything EXCEPT the sarsparilla.
first i am on elavil (an old tricyclic antidepressant), 10 mg, and 10 mg of nadolol and 80 mg of diovan for high blood pressure. that's it for prescription meds.
so i take one, one measly pill of sarsparilla at about 4-5 in the afternoon. (I took the cat's claw about 9 that morning. At approximately (cause i looked at the clock) 4:40 in the morning i woke up with a pounding headache. it hurt so bad i thought my head was going to explode. my chest and heart were racing like a racehorse. i took my bp and it was 165 over 110 and my heart rate was 110. i could not calm down. i raged, i ranted, i walked the floor. i was literally crawling the walls i was so jittery. i kept this up until about 7 in the morning. (the rat of a husband slept through most of this!) i was afraid i was going to have to go to the ER but i've been so many times, i know they would do absolutely NOTHING.
i finally got calmed down and slept exhausted but the next day i felt like S___. i mean i was still a little jittery but blurry eyed, like an old drunk or something (and i'm a teetotaler).
could this have been a severe herx? or could the sarsparilla have interacted with my bp meds or something?
i know, i know, maybe i should have gone to ER BUT DANG, every single time they say "oh there's nothing wrong." one doc even chastized me and told me the er was for critically ill patients and not to come in anymore. i could have created a situation where one of us WAS critically ill (LOL), but i didn't.
so comments? anybody else react to sarsparilla?
Posted by Beverly (Member # 1271) on :
Hi geniveve,
I don't know, wish I could be more helpful.
I was on Elavil, along with abx and took sarsparilla at a very low dose in a liquid extract for detoxing. I used the liquid because it was easier to control dosages. (just a few drops)I never had a reaction, just felt better.
I hope you find out what it is and feel better. Headaches are tough, I feel for you. Posted by Jill E. (Member # 9121) on :
Stephen Buhner answers questions on the Planet Thrive website. Perhaps you could submit your question and see if he has any insight.
Jill
Posted by Foggy (Member # 1584) on :
I had no problem with it but it made me pee quite often. I found it gave me a boost in energy.
Posted by humbah 93 (Member # 7468) on :
I've taken sarsparilla for a long time 2-3 times a day and I take almost the same medications as you plus minocycline and tindimax and a whole assortment of supplements, I would suspect the cats claw, I had alot of trouble with it, it made me really sick, whereas the sarsparilla helps me feel better from herxing, if I forget to take it I feel awful
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Sarsaparilla is supposed to bind endotoxins in the blood.
I didn't notice anything one way or another when I was taking it.
Carol
Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
Genivieve:
YOU might be the ONE exception to the rule. But MOST people have absolutely NO bad reactions to Smilax. I still take 4 capsules 2 times a day of it. I sure would not want to be without it.
I take it mainly for the blood cleansing and arthritis and asthma. Since I had both of the latter BEFORE I got Lyme, I will continue taking it probably for the rest of my life. I used to be at 12 pills a day.
Have you tried to take JUST Sarsaparilla, and NO Cat's Claw, or other herbs? That will be the best way to tell. Also, getting the reaction 12 hours after taking it, may be a stretch. But it could happen, I guess.
THOUGH the only side effects listed for Sarsaparilla is that LARGE doses cause intestinal upset.
It does ENHANCE the affects of OTHER herbs and drugs used in Lyme treatment, so MAYBE, you need to get rid of one or both of the meds you are taking, since the herbs, if taken right should get you back to more normal.
It especially can increase the absorption of digitalis glycosides and bismuth.
Hopefully, by being a little bit of a detective you will find out the real culprit. Hope for your sake it is not an allergic reaction to the Smilax.
Jim Posted by Jennifer Geddie (Member # 9097) on :
sarsaparilla makes the herx symptoms worse for me, for some reason.
It is a white cell activator I believe .
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
Something came into my mind: are you taking sarsaparilla without binders, additives?? Sometimes it could be that the culprit.
As far as i know, sarsaparilla has been the easiest of all herbs from CP for everyone. As it's the first time I hear that, I just wondered if you're not allergic to something else than sarsaparilla.
Did you try different brands? Do you do capsules yourself? Could it be pesticides? If it binds to toxins, it could bind to pesticides??
Just a guess.
Selma
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
Geniveve,
Sarsaparilla lowers blood sugar. Could it possibly have been a hypoglycemic reaction?
I'm currently trying to figure out of saraparilla is bothering me as well.
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