posted
Just wondering what the BEST med for bart is. Is it Levequin or Rifampin? Also, could I take mepron or malarone with either of those??
thanks!!
Posts: 574 | From Out there somewhere | Registered: Jul 2010
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lymeboy
Unregistered
posted
mepron and Malarone cannot be taken with Rifampin, as it lowers the absorption rate. I believe Mepron should not be taken with Levaquin either. if I remember right one renders the other ineffective.
Both Levaquin and Rifampin are very good for Bart, but both also have their drawbacks. Levaquin must be taken with Magnesium. It can cause Tendonitis. and Rifampin is a nasty jerk of a drug. The herxes are unpleasant and it blasts the liver.
That said, either one is very effective against Bart.
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posted
I want to add that it is probably dependent on what, exactly, you have. Levaquin did not much of anything for me, while Rifampin has made a tremendous difference.
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
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lyme in Putnam
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11561
posted
How long on rifampin without going insane. Don't think I can stick it out. Started 10/18 at 150' got upto 300 short time, hd to back own to 150. Doing sleep brIn feels short circuiting with thoughts, constant dreams. Not good,
-------------------- He took u to it, He'll you through Posts: 2837 | From NE. | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Peoples tolerance for any drug varies all over the map. I always herx horribly for a while when starting rifampin. Nasty neurological anxiety/emotional herxes. But they get better - either I adjust to the drug or it kills off the active infection.
It may get better if you can stick with it. Or, unfortunately, you may not tolerate it.
I had to pulse the rifampin because it doesn't play well with all the other abx. Honestly, rifampin doesn't play nicely with anything else.
Posts: 146 | From Maine | Registered: Aug 2011
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nefferdun
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Member # 20157
posted
Levaquin can be taken with Mepron. Sounds like a very heavy duty combo though. I believe I read in Dr S's book, when you treat babesia first with Mepron, and later on take levaquin, it does not work as well for some reason, so you treat bart first unless you treat them both at the same time.
Levaquin knocked bart way down for me but it also gave me tendonitis in five weeks and left me so sensitive to chemicals I could not tolerate any drugs for months. By then I completely relapsed. So I am not sure Levaquin is worth the risk. If you do take it, load up on magnesium and vitamin C and quit the first sign of pain.
Rifampin did nothing to help me. I took it for three months and got no where. Then I switched to Bactrim DS and biaxin (later zithro) and it brought me out of the bart dungeon. It was slower than levaquin but much easier to tolerate.
I agree whatever works best depends on exactly what you have.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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posted
Add A-bart to this list. I got a real herx from just one drop x2, I can say most of the meds mentioned here did nothing other than send it scrambling into hiding.
Posts: 501 | From Cleveland Ohio | Registered: Apr 2009
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canefan17
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Member # 22149
posted
I've done it all for Bartonella and to this point Rifampin has far and away been the best help. Symptoms I hadn't even realized were Bartonella began clearing up (unknown constipation and gut motility, neuro stuff, etc)
I think for us to beat Bartonella the immune system must get back online and put Bart into hibernation/dormant mode.
Bartonella is aggressive an reproduces quickly if allowed to.
Other ways to indirectly go after Bartonella are parasite treatment and metal chelation.
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
I'm in the worst herx of my life, just started cipro 2 weeks ago.
I was supposed to start levaquin but the pharmacist said leaquin was $450 and the Cipro was $20 and its the same thing. Is that true?
Posts: 199 | From Niagara Falls | Registered: Dec 2009
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linky123
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
I was hospitalized for a kidney infection and given levaquin. It worked on the kidneys, but I also got tendonitis in the left heel. Took me a year to get rid of it.
Mg does help. I was very sick, so I don't know; maybe the trade-off was worth it. But I wouldn't take it again.
-------------------- 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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posted
hopeforhealth, generic levaquin is available now. It should be far cheaper than $450 per month. Ask your pharmacist to recheck pricing or call a different pharmacy for a price quote.
Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, and Factive are all quinolone antibiotics. They are very similar but not exactly the same. Ask your doctor before you switch meds.
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
My son has made considerable progress with rifampin plus minocycline. He had the highest Bartonella titers my (very experienced) LLMD has ever seen.
After 7 months on that regimen, we switched to amoxicillin (high dose) plus malarone.
Susie
Posts: 234 | From albany, ny | Registered: Mar 2011
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posted
I want to add that it is probably dependent on what, exactly, you have. Levaquin did not much of anything for me, while Rifampin has made a tremendous difference.
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
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canefan17
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posted
Susie
Why is minocycline recommended over doxycycline with Rifampin?
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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