Usually when I go through a major die-off, I grin and bear it and end up on the other side feeling better and gaining some ground. But whenever the symptoms are unbearable I am forced to take tylenol. This seems to completely halt the reaction and although I get immediate relief, I don't get the added benefit of feeling better long term and gaining some lasting movement forward. Future die-offs then seem to be very much delayed.
This happened just recently on day 4 after increasing the zithro from 250 mg. once daily to twice daily while taking Levoquin (500 mg) and pulsing Flagyl. The joint pain in my knees, ankles and hips became intolerable. My hips had ceased up with stiffness that I could barely walk. My nerves were worn raw and I reluctantly took 6 tylenol over the course of several hours.
Can anyone relate to this? Does this happen to anyone else? What is it about the tylenol that would cause this? Is there anything I can do to re-initiate the die-off? Is there anything I can take other than tylenol that will bring relief but without squashing the herx so that I can experience the benefits of the after effects.
Thanks everyone.
Posted by meg (Member # 22) on :
brf--
You said when you used it it caused you to cease moving forward. I would suspect that tylenol could possibly interfere with your abx on a longterm basis.
This sounds like a concern you should bring to your LLMD. The Dr can prescribe meds or tell you if Tylenol is counter to the drugs you're using.
You can do a search in the Medical Forum for herxes and come up with good alternative help in dealing with them. Good luck, herxes aren't fun.
Tylenol can be very damaging to the liver. Try aspirin instead. It works for me and doesn't seem to impede my progress.
Luvs
Posted by brf (Member # 8748) on :
Thanks Meg for the link which I will check out and thanks to Luvs for the tip on aspirin. I'll try this instead next time.
Now if I can only figure out how to restart the die-off as I've been in a plateau all week. Last month I experienced a significant reaction and afterwards regained probably 5% cognitively. That still puts me at under 20% functioning but every little bit helps and it's a far cry from where I was even 6 months ago.
Appreciate all the help.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Why are you worried about restarting the herx? It will come naturally when you take abx. My dr has us change abx when we hit a plateau. Not immediately, but when we stay there for a month.
Posted by brf (Member # 8748) on :
Lymetoo:
I read your reply at the link you provided. Thank you. Yes, I am aware of the side effects of levoquin. I've had some minor tendon problems that come up occassionally. The unbelievable joint pain was a direct result of doubling the zithro and I believe was a very good sign - if I could have stuck it out!
Without going into too much detail on a public forum, I am seeing a doctor that seems to have an upper limit as to how long he will treat for and only under certain circumstances. He likes to see ongoing results so I feel rather pressured to "produce" for fear treatment will be withdrawn. That would leave my only option as resorting to herbals and I have reacted badly to some herbals in the past so I want to explore antibiotics as long as possible.
Thanks again for the reply.
Posted by SouthernCO (Member # 11167) on :
luvs2ride:
I experienced liver damage (per blood test) from the recommended dosage of tylenol. When I stopped the Tylenol, the blood tests were negative for liver damage.
If you google "Tylenol liver damage", you will find that this liver damage is a known fact from testing of combinations of Tylenol and new pain meds. The tests were halted prematurely because virtually ALL of the participants tested showed liver damage because of the Tylenol.
My quacking PCP didn't believe me and told me that I (a non-drinker) must be abusing alcohol. When she finally admitted that I was right, she said that the recommended dosages had been reduced to fix the problem. When I asked her if that was the equivalent to drinking just a little bit of rat poison at a time, she didn't appreciate the humor.
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
SouthernCo,
That's a scary story. I like Advil but it wrecked my gut. I had a good friend who developed back problems. The doctor told her to take up to 6 Advil a day. She had never taken Advil prior to this.
She had an allergic reaction and it nearly killed her. She was in the hospital for a couple of weeks before she stablized. Scary stuff.
My doctors tell me aspirin has the least negative side effects so I began using it and so far, so good.
Luvs
Posted by D Bergy (Member # 9984) on :
I would not use Tylenol if you are already taking other liver taxing drugs. It normally would not create a problem with a healthy person but it seems to me you are asking for trouble using it in conjunction with antibiotics.