was on 1 twice a day then my LLMD changed it to 3 twice a day for 5 days then 9 days off......
been off since Tuesday, feel exhausted, heads foggy, more tippy feeling......is it being off the Art???.....
just wondered what is the purpose of high dose for a number of days then off for a number......any ideas........
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Have no idea. I don't see how that would help anything.. though pulsing in general is not a totally bad idea.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
My now famous lyme doc had me pulse artimesinin.
I got rid of all of my diseases in 1 year under his treatment, so I really believe there is a good reason, but I never asked why.
It has been 5 years since I completed my treatment and I am still cured.
Doc had me take art starting Friday morning and ending Sunday evening. I took it twice per day on an empty stomach.
I have read on LYmeNet, I believe, that if you take it continuously your body can build up a resistance to it. But, don't hold me to that.
The reason my doc had me take it Friday through Sunday is because that is when my babesia would flare, just like clock-work.
He said to encompass the flare with the art.
The first Friday I started taking it, it reduced the babs flare from 48 hours in length to 6 hours in length. Also, the flare was so mild, I couldn't believe it. Next weekend, even less, and so on. The pulsed art worked like a miracle for me!
So, that is the only thing my doc had me pulse during my entire treatment. Doc followed Burrascano protocol. Must be a good reason for the pulsing.
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
To avoid bacterial resistance.
And I heard art can be tough on the ole liver (but what isn't)
Posted by kadee (Member # 21199) on :
As to my knowledge, while taking Artemisinin there is a buildup of a certain peptide in the gut, which prevents the uptake of Artemisinin.
Hence the interruption.
Posted by Lauralyme (Member # 15021) on :
To prevent resistance I also crashed when I went off Art
Posted by SForsgren (Member # 7686) on :
If you do not pulse, the gut makes an enzyme that makes the artemisinin no longer absorbed. So you generally need to pulse, use with grapefruit juice, or both.
And note - grapefruit juice can affect drug uptake of numerous other things so the pulsing option is arguably safer.
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
grapefruit juice alone is not going to prevent the 'breakdown' enzymes that our bodies make for artemesinin (it's a more complicated issue than that but I'm simplifying). Basically, artemesinin is broken down in the body by more than one enzyme pathway, and grapefruit juice only affects the cytochrome p-450 one, not the other one.
He's right about the fact that grapefruit can drastically alter the updake/excretion of many other drugs, so use that with caution if you're taking other drugs.
This issue is really complicated, though, and there are reasons why some LLMD's dont have you pulse the artemesinin. It's explained in the babesia book but it's not a 'settled' science at all.
Posted by Florence1 (Member # 22960) on :
thanks all.....I just wondered as i felt a noticeable difference last weekend, more energy, more alert etc etc.......now I am exhausted, heavy legs, sweats, foggy head, shaky.......just wondered what was actually happening on the ON days as opposed to the OFF days.......
Posted by Beachinit (Member # 21040) on :
Speaking of Art and Babesia, yesterday I decided to do a blood smear on myself, have access to microscope and some wright's stain etc. Looked at thousands of normal RBC's and then saw what looked like 2 letter S's back to back inside one RBC. My Art is coming in the mail . . . so for TF -- Did you take other meds while on the Art.
Thanks,
Beachinit.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I took Bactrim DS (double strength) to treat the babs. Plus I pulsed the artimesinin.
My doc prefers Mepron and zith for babs, but I couldn't take it, so he said the Bactrim would do the trick; said it would just take twice as long to do it.
I was on the Bactrim almost a year--about 10 months. I was symptom free the last 5 months I took it.
Posted by Beachinit (Member # 21040) on :
Thanks TF,
Given no health insurance, and intraerythrocyte stuff on my smear I may try adding artemisinin to the bactrim and zithro I am already taking. I seem to have Babs type sx on weekly schedule too, oddly on weekends, 2 week cycle is stronger than 1 week. As Bart sx improved the Babs sx finally have stood out on there own. After 11 months I am finally making some progress:)
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