"More evidence has accumulated indicating the severe detrimental effects of the concurrent use of immunosuppressants including steroids in the patient with active B. burgdorferi infection.
Never give steroids or any other immunosuppressant to any patient who may even remotely be suffering from Lyme, or serious, permanent damage may result, especially if given for anything greater than a short course.
If immunosuppressive therapy is absolutely necessary, then potent antibiotic treatment should begin potent antibiotic treatment should begin at least 48 hours prior to the immunosuppressants.
Lyme Disease 1991: Patient/Physician Perspectives from the U.S. and Canada (Lora Mermin, editor )
Antibiotics and Steroids - by John Drulle, M.D.
EXCERPTS:
"Corticosteroids, or steroids as they are commonly called, are very important drugs in a wide variety of medical conditions. They exert an anti-inflammatory effect and suppress the immune system. This may be life saving in some diseases such as asthma and malignancies.
On the other hand, steroids are rarely curative, and are associated with harmful side effects if used for prolonged periods of time. These include bone loss, cataracts, sodium retention, weight gain, abnormal fat distribution and predisposition in other infections.
"The use of steroids in infectious diseases has always been controversial. It is well known that steroids can reactivate dormant tuberculosis infections.
Recent studies have shown that in meningitis infections steroids may decrease the incidence of post infectious complications. However, in cases of septic shock, their ability to improve survival rates is dubious.
We have been traditionally taught that in bacterial infections an intact, well-functioning immune system is necessary in order to recover. Steroids in the face of bacterial infections may alter the prognosis and in tuberculosis may actually increase the risk of fatality.
"Since Lyme is a bacterial infection, the question naturally arises as to what is the role of steroids in Lyme disease. . . .
. . .
Dr. Joseph Burrascano has coined the expression, 'Steroid Disasters, ' to describe these patients. . . .
"It is interesting to note that in dogs who had Lyme disease, injections of dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, enabled Borrelia burgdorferi to be cultured from blood drawn on the following day.
This was done by Dr. Elizabeth Burgess at the University of Wisconsin. This suggests that the steroid suppresses a mechanism for keeping the bacteria out of the circulatory system, since ordinarily it is difficult to grow the Lyme organism from the blood.
Entrance of the bacteria into the bloodstream can allow seeding of other organs.
. . . .
- Full article at link.
(Read on at link about WHEN steroids might be needed to save vision, hearing - or a life - and safety measures around that with lyme patients. Lyme induced PMR is also discussed in relation to a combination treatment with antibiotics.)
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[ 02. December 2008, 05:10 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by MysteryGirl44 (Member # 10201) on :
Thank you so much!
Posted by Wonko (Member # 18318) on :
Hi, I'm new and have a clinical Lyme diagnosis from an LLMD and a pending Western blot.
My physician doesn't think I can have Lyme, part of her reason is:
She put me on steroids (prednisone) to see what would happen.
I did get a lot better, but in less than a week my symptoms returned.
I know steroids are immunosuppressants, but is it possible for a Lyme patient to feel better short term from them?
I seem to have a lot of inflammation, so I think the steroids helped relieve that, even if they were bad for the underlying problem.
Hope it is ok to tack this Q on here.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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* If you were hoping for steroids for energy:
As some may use a very low dose of Cortef to help exhausted adrenals, it would be important to read Singleton's book first - there is wonderful information about certain supplements that can help adrenal/endocrine function and he discusses exactly how a low dose of Cortef may be safely used if necessary.
Ashwagandha, Siberian Ginseng and Rhodiola are herbs that can help adrenal function as can Seri-Phos and similar products. Sorry, I can think of how to spell phosphadtyl serine or phos. choline - time for nap.
www.vrp.com - search in upper right - pull down from "products" to "articles" for search of adrenal or endocrine or SeriPhos. They have many articles.
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* If you were hoping for steroids to help decrease edema/inflammation:
andrographis is excellent for that. I am amazed. Buhner's book, "Healing Lyme . . ." details that. Curcumin, too, is helpful to decrease inflammation.
* And, if you were hoping for steroids to decrease pain:
magnesium, fish oil or an herb, corydalis, are all very helpful.
[ 02. December 2008, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Yes, you might feel better short term on steroids when you have Lyme Disease. That's basically what steroids do ... suppress the immune system and make us feel better, but allow the Lyme to get more of a hold.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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WONKO --
Of course, it's okay to take the Q on here - it adds to the scope of this discussion.
You said: [your doctor] put you on steroids (prednisone) to see what would happen.
I say: FIRE that doctor. That is one of the most irresponsible things I've heard of as she was doing it as her own idea of a "test" to see if you had lyme!!
Well, yes, at first it will (seem to) help - especially with energy and inflammation - but then, it will drop you like ton of bricks.
Anyone who even remotely could have lyme should not have steroids (without first being on anti-spirochetal antibiotics) - it says so in much of the medical literature.
the resulting "lyme" - which is then altered - can then be ever so much harder to treat.
From the article above - a dog got one shot - the very next day, the borrelia were even in his blood stream - and that is very unusual as they usually hide out deep in tissue. That indicates that with one dose, lyme can really go to town.
Oh . . . I hope things are under control and that this happened a while back.
I also hope you no longer employ that doctor. Find a new GP as if you ever have an emergency, that doctor could not be trusted.
Get all your files transferred. Perhaps your LLMD has some suggestions. And be sure to tell your LLMD about the prednisone. This could make a difference in how he treats your case.
Before I knew what I had was lyme (and two other tick-borne infections - I was given prednisone for a few months so that I could even just muddle through the days.
However, I then become so disabled and had a full year of a near coma state. It would be another few years, though, before I got any sort of tests or even a little treatment for the lyme so corrective measures were not available.
Fortunately, it sounds like the prednisone has not gone on for long. If you are still taking it, do NOT stop suddenly. It needs to be carefully tapered down - very slowly.
I hope your your LLMD will have just what you need.
Good luck.
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Posted by dguy (Member # 8979) on :
quote:Originally posted by Wonko: She put me on steroids (prednisone) to see what would happen. I did get a lot better, but in less than a week my symptoms returned. I know steroids are immunosuppressants, but is it possible for a Lyme patient to feel better short term from them?
Yes, I experienced the same. The infection activates the immune system, overactivates it even, biasing it toward the Th1 side. The resulting inflammation is what we feel as symptoms. Since steroids suppress this immune reaction, they make us feel better, but meanwhile the infection is left to multiply and spread further into the body. If you are curious, I suggest a Web search of "Th1 disease" to learn more.
Posted by Wonko (Member # 18318) on :
Thanks for the replies to my question.
My physician did use my (initially) positive response to steroids as indirect evidence that I do not have Lyme.
Also, she pushed the idea of steroids long before I caved. She 1st Rx-ed them in Feb, I waited 'til August when I tried them out of desperation, and before I had learned more about Lyme.
Starting in Oct., I had a lot more symptoms, including arthritis, that I didn't have before the steroids.
Also, my blood work before and after the steroids was changed. My SED rate more than tripled, my vitamin D dropped to very low, and I also now show signs of hasimoto thyroid.
I'll never know what role the steroids played, but I agree that it was irresponsible and I wish I had known more at that time!
I thought she was doing me a favor because of how good I briefly felt.
Thanks, I feel better getting that off my chest to people who understand!
OK, one more note on my rant: The last time I saw her in Sept., I asked her to consider trying a short course of abx, just to see what would happen.
She refused, and that rubbed me the wrong way since she blindly pushed the steroids. She also would not order a Western blot because of a neg. ELISA in Jan. '08.
I am so thankful that I start abx next week and may finally be doing something that will actually make me better.
Posted by Wonko (Member # 18318) on :
Addendum:
I am off of them! It was just a 15 day course with a max dose of 60 mg, then 40 and 20 mg taper.
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