Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
I am looking for some help regarding meds. When I first saw my LLNP in Jan she placed me on mepron, zith and augmentin. When i went back for my one month follow up I was having an occasional good day but still in alot of pain.
She added in bactrim. 2 weeks prior to my next follow up which was 2 months later I began feeling wonderful. Practically pain free. I mentioned at my appt i was having some pain in the soles of my feet.
She switched me to rifampin and mino. It was awful. I had horrible stomach issues and severe muscle and nerve pain for the entire 2 months till my next appt. I also felt like i was experiencing alot of neuro issues I did not previously have.
At my next appt she put me back on mepron, zith and added in bicillin. That was about 3 wks ago and its been rough. I am having an awful time with the bicllin inj due to all my muscle pain.
What Im wondering is if i should have remained on the combo that appeared to be helping me longer. Would going back on that combo be worthwhile now. Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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posted
I think it's possible your LLNP was a little hasty in switching up your original regimen. Did she give you an explanation at the time of why? Did she think the foot pain was indicative of a coinfection that was not being effectively treated? Because if it was simply part of a herx, that does not seem like a good reason to change everything up so soon.
Discussing with your LLNP the idea of going back to your original regimen seems like a good idea in light of the trouble you've been having with bicillin.
I agree with faithful that bicillin is the next best thing to IV abx, but if your inflammation is too severe to tolerate the injections, it makes sense to go back to something tried and true.
Posts: 962 | From Charleston | Registered: Jan 2002
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Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
I know she did say one of tghe reasons for switching me to the minocycline was she wanted to get that in before the summer months.
Also perhaps the new pain in the soles of my feet led her to think I needed something different???
At my last appt I asked about going back on my original meds but due to the new neuro symptoms I think she felt I needed the bicillin instead of the augmentin and bactrim.
I'm so unsure what to do at this point....
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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dbpei
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33574
posted
Ellen, your mailbox is full.
Posts: 2386 | From New England | Registered: Aug 2011
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Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
When you mentioned foot pain, she concluded that you have Bartonella.
Rifampin and Mino are good Bart combo drugs and she was wise to get it out of the way before the sun hit with full force.
For many people Rifampin was what turned things around for them & she was hoping the same thing for you. It would have been nice if you could have kept the other meds and just added Rifampin in, but Rifampin makes a lot of other drugs partially ineffective due to interactions.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
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Ellen101
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 35432
posted
dpei I cleared them out.
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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Catgirl
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 31149
posted
It's generally not a good idea to go back to your old meds. At least she switched one of them (good thing).
Your doctor changed your meds based upon your symptoms. Lyme docs usually ask what is bothering you the most. I try to think of whatever three things are bothering me the most before I get to the doc's office.
Your doc sounds like she knows what she is doing. Foot pain is almost always bart (sore feet). Most docs miss this one, so be glad your doc caught it.
It's typical to bounce back and forth on your meds based upon your symptoms. It's good to try to stay on your meds for as long as you can, but if you have other symptoms that are worse than what you were treating last visit, then it's time to change them, which sounds like that's what she did.
Unfortunately, not everyone does well on rifampin. It could be you are one of these individuals. It is well worth trying it though, as it helps a lot of people with bart. I couldn't take mino (my doc put me on doxy and rifampin, which worked wonders on me).
Your doc also likely switched you back because you felt terrible on rifampin and mino, and thought she would address it in the fall. Summer time is a bad time to work on bart with doxy (makes people burn, so you have to cover up).
Maybe you could try doxy and rifampin in the fall. Or maybe your doc may feel that rifampin and/or mino is not for you. Either way, it sounds like you have a good doc.
There are other people on this board who can help you with the muscle pain from bicillin injections. If you do a search for it (right under Post A Poll at the top of this page) you will find others who can help you (sorry, I haven't been on bicillin injections yet or I'd tell you about my experience with it).
Hang in there!
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
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