This is topic What was your experience with Rifampin in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.


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Posted by prayerworks (Member # 37602) on :
 
I have been taking rifampin for two weeks now 150 mg twice a day and in the second week I started to get burning in my ears that lasted for three days. That subsided now I feel itchy in my face on and off, light headed, and my pressure is elevated. I never have problems with high blood pressure - never. I am wondering if I am having a negative reaction to rifampin or is this herxing? I am also taking Azithromycin.

Interested in hearing your experience with rifampin.
 
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
 
I would let your doctor know about this. Itching right after a medication change can be a reaction to the drug.

Might also be the two different drugs are interacting for some reason with the bp. Come to think of it, once I got on Rifampin, I had to get off of zith.

I had dizzy spells but it dropped my blood pressure.

Please call your doctor, better safe to find out for sure.
 
Posted by Larae30 (Member # 35220) on :
 
With Rifampin, it increased my anxiety and I had a lot of new sleep issues. It also raised my estrogen really high initially. Seems like a lot of people have trouble with it.
 
Posted by amk33 (Member # 13206) on :
 
I have been having extreme symptoms- terrible joint cracking/pain, SI joint pain is really bad, muscle twitches, lots of tingling, extreme fatigue in the late afternoon and early evening. I feel just horrible. My symptoms were going this way before I started rifampin/azithromycin, so, I'm not sure if it's just the disease progression, or herxing. I have been on this combo for 2+months.
 
Posted by amk33 (Member # 13206) on :
 
I think that I read somewhere that this drug can cause thyroid issues while on it. Does anyone else recall hearing this? That could explain my afternoon fatigue.
 
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
 
amk33 I also experienced horrible SI joint pain and muscle twitching and aches while on rifampin. I too had these symptoms prior to starting it, but they became so severe along with awful mood swings that I had to stop it.
 
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
 
hard to take but did a lot of good. i had to start real low dose and have a friend watch me cuz i had severe psyc sx...but within 2 weeks i was on full dose and many sx went away-esp foot pain
 
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 
Took it for 5 days... had a headache from H*** for the next 21 days. (so 26 days total)

Never again.
 
Posted by Haley (Member # 22008) on :
 
I almost ended up in the ER after being on 600 mgs for almost 2 weeks. I think my BP was 190/150 or something completely crazy.

It was insane. I tried it again about a year later and ramped up very slowly. It was a different experience. Much better.
 
Posted by amk33 (Member # 13206) on :
 
Ellen101, that makes me feel a little better, that maybe it's a herx. I didn't take my morning dose today and I felt much better during the day. I'm going to have to reconsider this med. Thanks.
 
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
 
I've been on it for a while. When I first started it, I got a swollen throat which made me nervous but it was due to oral thrush. I restarted after checking with a doctor and it didn't recur.

I had a lot of anxiety on it at first but I have herxed much worse on other meds. It wasn't horrific (for herxing) in my situation.
 
Posted by joysie (Member # 11063) on :
 
I had a terrible time with it initially-big increase in headaches, other pain and anxiety. It does also interfere with metabolization of many other meds (thyroid, sleep, etc).

However, I have been on it twice and it has given me the most improvements of any medication.
 
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
 
yeah-ramping up works. many llmds encourage ramping up cuz bad herx does more damage than it is worth. and it is a good drug. gets resoults for many
 
Posted by ktkdommer (Member # 29020) on :
 
I have been on it for a year with no problems. My youngest son started it 6 months ago. No problems only improvement. I don't believe I ramped up and I don't remember any herxing.
 
Posted by prayerworks (Member # 37602) on :
 
Thank you for your responses. I think I am still adjusting to it. The itchy thing goes and comes randomly and the blood pressure seems to be back to normal. I am experiencing a resurgence of primary symptoms. I hope this is a good thing and that the meds are doing what it is suppose to do.
 
Posted by WPinVA (Member # 33581) on :
 
I would definitely check with your doctor to make sure you're not having an allergic reaction.

Rifampin has been helpful for me. I have been on it twice. Both times, my head has felt clearer while on it. It's hard to explain but it feels like my thinking is clearer, I don't have as much brain fog, and I feel more connected emotionally.
 
Posted by CherylSue (Member # 13077) on :
 
The first week I took it at bedtime because it put me to sleep. It did take away a "kennel cough" I had been having since my cold/virus a few months previously. It went away in two days. It might have helped my activated mycoplasma pneu.

I've been on it for a few weeks now, and it doesn't seem to affect me anymore.
 


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