cefdinir 300mg 2x daily on MWF clarithromycin 500mg 2x daily on MWF hydrocloroquine 200mg 1x daily every day doxycycline 100mg 2x daily on MWF metronidazole 500mg 2x daily on Thur/F of 3rd week
my stomach is killing me...very painful as well as moderate nausea. I've been taking Barracusso's recommended supplements. I've also cut out all gluten and sugar.
my doctor is not LLMD yet she follows the LLMD/ILADS recommendations. There is not a LLMD in the vicinity (Raleigh, NC) Should I ask for different abx or continue with this treatment plan.
I was just recently diagnosed with Lyme with Igenex test. I think I've had this for about 9 months. This is my first round of treatment. If this is what my stomach will feel for the next 6 months I'm not sure I can do this.
Any advice or input would be appreciated. Thank you! I
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
That's A LOT of meds, in my book. So you take only hydrochloroquine on Tues and Thurs? and nothing on the weekends?
Are you taking the meds after eating ... or in the middle of the meal??
You must eat with Doxy, no matter what anyone or any paper tells you.
Posted by lisamlj (Member # 24666) on :
Lymetoo- I take meds after a meal (doxy too). I take Hydroclorquine 1x daily every day of the week..yes on the weekend too. other abx are MWF except metronidazole which is Thurs/Fri of week 3. Meds are taken on a 4 week cycle with no abx on the 4th week. Doc says week 4 is a detox week. Then I start all over again beginning with week 1.
It is ALOT to keep track of. thank you for your response, Lisa
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Good. .. also.. being gluten and sugar free is a big plus. Keep it up!!
are you taking a high quality PROBIOTIC?
Posted by lisamlj (Member # 24666) on :
I do take a probiotic. Don't know how high quality it is.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
The Ultimate Flora can be found at a good health food store....refrigerated.
Posted by KaitlinB (Member # 11718) on :
Lisa,
I also had nausea & stomach pain from the oral abx. You might try these supplements and see if they help:
L-glutamine (on an empty stomach)-helps rebuild the stomach lining.
Marshmallow root and slippery elm-both coat the stomach and can provide relief from irritation caused by abx.
It does seem like you are taking an awful lot of meds...I know my stomach couldn't have handled that much at one time.
I hope you feel better soon.
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
I was taking doxy right after a meal, and still getting nausea about 45 minutes afterwards.
My LLMD told me to start taking it about 1.5 to 2 hrs. after I finish breakfast and dinner (but no longer than that), to get it through the stomach as fast as possible.
I have been doing that for a week now, and it is working.
I also noticed that when I took the doxy along with another pill, it caused more nausea, so I separated them and it got better.
It might help if you could figure out if one or a few of those drugs were causing you more trouble than the others.
It's just a bit challenging to remember to set an alarm each time I finish eating, and then make sure I take the pills the instant the alarm goes off instead of letting too much time go by.
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
I am still fighting daily nausea on Biaxin and doxy (especially doxy). Sometimes I win, and don't vomit, but it's still no fun. Sometimes something works, and I don't get the nausea at all.
Trouble is, I can't figure out the pattern of what works and what doesn't. And I can't figure out what to eat for breakfast.
I like breakfast, and I'm hungry in the mornings, plus I have to eat before taking these brutal pills, but I keep feeling averse to whatever foods I last ate for breakfast the last time I threw up.
I am trying to avoid refined carbs, but I keep wanting to migrate back to them with the thought that they would be better on my stomach--maybe a bagel, or some oatmeal (haven't tried those yet). Sometimes I nibble on potato chips.
But if I start eating carbs again, I might get yeast problems and also regain weight that I lost a year ago. So those carb foods can be, at best, a temporary solution. They might not work anyway. I guess I should try them and find out.
Anybody have any good anti-nausea breakfast food suggestions?
I called my LLMD's office today, and they said to try taking carafate, so I will see how that goes.
The good news is, these drugs are working and I am seeing signs of improvement. So I think it is worth it.
Light
Posted by B4LYME (Member # 23222) on :
I space my pills out instead of taking them all at once. I make sure I take the Biaxin and Doxy with food. Breakfast is harder than dinner.
Sometimes I'll take ginger beforehand or digestive enzymes like pappaya too.
I found that hard boiled eggs are easy in the morning. I don't gag and they give me protein. Also I like dry hard foods like nuts.
Hope this helps. The things we do when we know we must walk thru the waters to get to the other side!
B4
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
After 2 days, carafate seems to be helping with my nausea.
Posted by Elaine G (Member # 20735) on :
My LLMD has me put all my meds in gel caps. This way the meds don't dissolve in the stomach but in the small intestine.
Even though Dr. Z chinese medicine has better gel caps now, I still enclose Artmesia and HH into another gel cap.
The only med that I have to split is Malarone, I then take the two halfs and put in one gel cap. Even Biaxin fits into a 000 gel cap.
I get the gel caps from a compounding pharmacy but it does add to the cost that I spend every month. I don't need a script for gel caps.
If unsure of the gel cap size, bring your meds and the pharmacy should help you determine the gel cap size.
I've been doing this for 9 months and have NOT had any stomach problems.
I find that 0, 00, 000 size fits almost all my meds.
Get about 50 gel caps in different sizes and try it to see if this helps.
I don't know why more LLMD's don't recommend this. It does work and saves the stomach. Just my opinion since it works for me.
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So I think it is worth it.