posted
Please see my post under a long recent thread.
I have experience prescribing this to TB+ patients, most from Mexico.
We had VERY strict guidelines for prescribing, as Liver failure is VERY possible-
MUST take Vit B6 with it!! no one over 35, no one with high or regular alcohol intake, no one with any history of liver probs- (hepatitis, gallstones, elevated liver function tests, etc.)
I took it this winter, and had serious side effects- I'm 55 and knew the risks- also had normal LFTs the whole time.
I don't think this should be given as readily as other antibiotics.
My MD didn't even mention the risks- I knew them so thought I would be OK.
Most people don't have the benefit of a medical education, plus working with the drug like I did.
LIVER FAILURE is no joke and a real possibility.
Posts: 8 | From Portland Oregon | Registered: Jun 2012
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posted
I am wondering if one of the reasons you had such strict guidelines is due to the fact that in my opinion TB is generally a disease of less affluent people who may be nutritionally deficient or if that disease itself may make the med more toxic?
Most LLMD's who prescribe this med (rifampin) know that it can interact with many other meds which impact liver function.
But limiting the med to people under 35 would be cruel and I feel unnecessary. Too many docs limit med choices for their patients due to side effects -- some will not prescribe clindamycin (c.difficile risk) or quinine (hearing issues) or levaquin (tendon damage) or lariam (psych issues). And the list goes on.
I think patients should be informed of the potential side effects of meds -- but the final decision should belong to the patient and not the doc.
Hubby has taken all the meds listed above including rifampin -- and the worst drug reactions he had were to psychotropic meds which do not treat the underlying illnesses.
Most docs do require routine bloodwork -- depends on the doc and what meds patients are on as to the frequency.
Regardless of the meds prescribed by the doc -- especially since internet access is readily available -- patients can and do do their own research and make up their own mind regarding which meds they feel comfortable taking.
Hubby was offered IV vancomycin at one point in the past and declined to take that med -- his mother had died from sepsis and he felt that med was a last resort. He has had a few doses during various hospital stays and did not feel the med was very beneficial so I don't think he made the wrong choice.
When rifampin was first being used for tickborne patients starting around 2003 there were the most patients I ever remember who left LymeNet because that med put them into remission. But at that time many docs started patients with 50 mg per day and took many months to reach therapeutic dose -- some docs seem to have forgotten that or never knew it because they were not LLMD's at that time.
Hubby's current LLMD thinks that rifampin works on multiple tickborne infections including lyme, babesia and bartonella. That is one of the reasons it is such a powerful med for tickborne patients. It works on multiple infections.
This is not medical advice, just my opinion based on hubby's experiences.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
This is good to know. My LLMD just switched out my Flagyl for Rifampin.
So now it's Rifampin, Doxy, & Biaxin. I just did a quick check on drug interactions and found rifampin to act on Doxy and Biaxin , reducing therapeutic effects.
Has anyone taken Rifampin with any of these other ABX?
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
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Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
I was taking it. I am over 35, was not on Vit B6. My LFT's were normal while on it, but my LLNP switched me off it after two months due to horrible herxing while on it.
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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dbpei
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33574
posted
I had a horrible time while taking rifampin and doxy together. I did not know about taking B6 at the time. Either I was herxing while on these meds, or I was suffering from side effects.
I am now on mepron, zithro, and omnicef and doing so much better. No more nausea and I don't feel toxic or flu-like. Energy is coming back.
Posts: 2386 | From New England | Registered: Aug 2011
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
i herxed terribly...cut the dose and worked up to full and it helped me more than most drugs
i never even tested pos for bart but i had many sx and they went away-esp foot pain
i agree it is a good drug and patients need info but in the end they should be allowed to decide
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I did. Rifampin affects almost everything, and I don't believe timing helps much. It certainly didn't help with either my thyroid or sleep meds!
Rifampin is the single most helpful drug I have taken. I took it for 14 months. I am, shall we say, closer to 60 than to 35.
What Bea and lpkayak said.
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
I take Rifampin twice a day but still take Flagyl two weeks on and two weeks off for cyst busting. I am over 35 for sure. My liver enzymes are fine.
I get my blood tested every two weeks because I am on IV. Milk thistle and Alpha Lipoic Acid keep my blood work in good shape.
I had to increase my thyroid meds and my hormone meds need a tweak too, but that is to be expected.
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Do most take V B6 with Rifampin? Does a B complex do the job, or must one take it standalone as well?
What does B6 prevent while taking Rifampin, liver damage? How?
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
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