I had a long acting steroid injection a week ago. Will this interfere with tests results? Will a course of oral antibiotics skew it? I was positive on band 41 on a non-IgeneX WB (before steroid). I want to retest with IgeneX and need to know if I should wait a few months?
Posted by onbam (Member # 23758) on :
Yes! It will give you a negative test and make our disease much, much worse. Nobody who's ever been exposed to Lyme can ever have any steroid. google burrascano guidelines for more info on this. will pm
Posted by onbam (Member # 23758) on :
Oh, looks like I already sent what I was going to
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Wait on the test until you see a LLMD in person.
I hesitate posting this after the fact but, yes, it could make any infection much worse. But, rather than say "oh, no" - then, prepare in case that happens.
Get to a LLMD as soon as possible for the best in-person clinical & history diagnostics - and advice on testing and treatment.
Diagnostic Hints and Treatment Guidelines for Lyme and Other Tick Borne Illnesses
16th edition, Copyright October, 2008
Joseph J. Burrascano
Excerpts:
P. 4:
. . . More severe illness also results from other causes of weakened defenses, such as from severe stress, immunosuppressant medications, and severe intercurrent illnesses.
This is why steroids and other immunosuppressive medications are absolutely contraindicated in Lyme. This also includes intraarticular steroids. . . .
From page 12:
. . . 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 at least 48 hours prior to the immunosuppressants. . . .
Page 20:
. . . and absolutely no immunosuppressants, even local doses of steroids (intra-articular injections, for example). . . .
. . . "Steroid Disaster" is a term coined by the pioneer of Lyme Treatment . . .
Corticosteroids are immune suppressants, the last thing a Lyme patient needs is to lower immunity.
Can you imagine, your body trying hard to fight off the spirochete bacteria and suddenly and immunosuppressants is introduced, "freezing" your immune system, rendering it unable to battle, giving great advantage now to the Lyme bacteria to spread and go wherever it wants .
Corticosteroids can last in the body for months, usually around 6 months. In many bacterial infections such as LD, damage can be done.
Many Lyme patients (such as myself) triggered LD with cortisone shots, pills, inhalers, etc. I can tell you, it is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
It is imperative to NEVER take corticosteroid for pain if you know you have a bacterial infection.
Some bacterial infections are so severe that a shot of cortisone could kill you, although that would be unlikely with Lyme, but rule of thumb, bacterial infections and immunosuppressants do not mix! . . .
. . . Dr. Burrascano makes it clear in his treatment guidelines that steroid treatment is detrimental, these are excerpts from his guidelines:
"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 at least 48 hours prior to the immunosuppressants.
The severity of the clinical illness is directly proportional to the spirochete load, the duration of infection, and the presence of co-infections. These factors also are proportional to the intensity and duration of treatment needed for recovery.
More severe illness also results from other causes of weakened defenses, such as from severe stress, immunosuppressants medications, and severe intercurrent illnesses.
This is why steroids and other immunosuppressants medications are absolutely contraindicated in Lyme. This also includes intra-articular steroids."
An easy explanation. Your immune system are the "soldiers" of your body constantly standing by to attack any foreign invader.
When an immunosuppressant is used, it is like killing off or knocking out most of your "soldiers", now your body is open to all foreign invasion and while your immune system is knocked out, those invaders can go anywhere, your heart, liver, brain - everywhere.
- full article at link above. -
Posted by fatherguido (Member # 25266) on :
Steroids will skew the Lyme test. I took two tests just 1-3 days removed from steroids and both tests came back negative. I saw an LLMD and took Igenex test two weeks removed from steroids and tested positive for 6 bands.
Posted by jl123 (Member # 15594) on :
Count me in for those who say NO steroids yes even hydro-cortisone (5mgs a day) which I took for just 5 days and which put me in the hospital for exhaustion. And I never got better after that day.
What amazes me is that many lyme patients DO take hydro-cortisone AND CAN HANDLE it- I don't know how they do it. J