After a year on Mino (100 2xday), I was getting hyperpigmentation, and so my LLMD switched me to Doxy (200 2xday). Given that they're in the same antibiotic class, I figured it wouldn't be too daunting a switch. Plus, I had been on Doxy for a month at beginning of treatment, and I didn't recall it being particularly rough.
Boy, was I wrong: at the four week mark, I'm still having chills, fatigue, depression, anxiety, nausea, swollen lymph nodes, and pounding heart, among other things.
I'm hoping it's a herx. But, in the back of my mind, I am worried that Doxy is not as deeply penetrating as Mino and that my increased symptoms represent a relapse or side effects and not a herx.
Has anyone had experience with switching among these two? BTW, I am also on Bactrim.
Many thanks!
Lynne
Posted by David Miller (Member # 21583) on :
400 mg doxy is not as strong a dose as 200 of mino.
Another thing to consider is that mino crosses the BBB and generally penetrates better than doxy.
In addition, mino is more effective against some critters, such as BLO, than doxy. The symptoms you cite could easily be from bart/BLO. Have you been tested for those?
If you have bart with-or-without lyme you need to add another antibiotic as mino/doxy only supress bart, they won't kill it. Rifampin is supposed to help, but the *floxacin class (cipro, levoquin, factive) are preferred drugs for that problem.
Posted by landerss (Member # 17732) on :
Thanks for your response, David!
That's what I've been fearing, that Doxy just may be weaker than Mino and that I'm relapsing a bit.
I've not tested positive for Bart, but have been on Bactrim for over a year and did 6 months of Mepron/Zith for Babs. And I did 12 weeks on Rifampin this past fall and nearly lost my mind with side effects. Haven't gone the Levaquin route yet; my LLMD doesn't seem too fond of it.
Anyone else had different reactions to Doxy and Mino?
Posted by migs (Member # 16496) on :
I know Minocycline is getting popular with LLMDs but for me personally it did absolutely nothing.
Doxycycline got me very far at 200mg bid and was WAY more effective than Minocycline for me.
My guess is you're herxing from the new drug...very common.
Posted by Lymeorsomething (Member # 16359) on :
I've never tried mino but for whatever reason doxy never does anything for me. I might as well pop gummy bears...
It probably works better early on....
Posted by landerss (Member # 17732) on :
Interesting, migs...I sure hope that this is a herx!
I felt Mino at the beginning, but haven't felt too much the last 10 months on it.
Lymeorsomething, too funny - I suspect that much of the plethora of crap I take these days has the effectiveness of gummy bears!!
Any others take Doxy later in treatment and experience herx from hell?