To make a long story short, I recently reached out to my PCP regarding some symptoms I haven't experienced in a few years. Specifically issues with my heart involving skips (PVC's), chest pains, and a pounding and fast heart rate that would come out of nowhere.
These were some of the initial symptoms I experienced when I became ill in 2009. After seeing Dr. H, I was put on combination abx treatment for two separate years, and saw significant improvements in my health, although never reached the point of being symptom free or "cured".
For the past two years I've been seeing Dr. Zhang for residual symptoms and have had ups and downs with my health, but have been stable more or less. In August I experienced a heavy onset of these heart issues, which didn't seem to go away even with new herbal protocols.
Having experienced these before, I called my PCP and asked her to put my on Doxy to see if it would help, and sure enough 2 weeks into the Doxy my heart issues were beginning to clear.
After a month on the Doxy my heart issues were almost gone, but I was starting to experience other old symptoms return (tingling, burning, pin pricks, leg pain and some weakness) and she agreed to continue the Doxy for another month.
She is by no means a LLMD, but she understands some of the complexities that Lyme can cause and is aware of my medical history.
So after the second month on Doxy my heart symptoms improved even more, and I asked her to let me try Minocycline for some of the neuropathy issues I'm having, since I'm aware of its ability to penetrate the BBB.
Minocycline is a drug I have never tried in the past. I began the Minocycline on Friday, 12/4, 100mg 2x/day. On Sunday morning I woke up feeling very foggy and out of it, almost drunk. My balance was off and I felt slightly dizzy, although I wouldn't really describe it as just dizziness.
I thought it was maybe a herx or a continuation of old symptoms returning so I continued the med. On Monday I felt even more disconnected, a hard feeling to describe, kind of just like my head was in a cloud. I was reading emails at work and none of the words or sentenced seemed to make sense.
My brain was operating incredibly slow. This lasted all week and on Friday night I decided to stop taking the Minocycline as I began to worry that this was some kind of side effect.
While I've experienced episodes of brain fog with Lyme, I've never experienced anything to this degree. Looking at a menu is just overwhelming and confusing.
Simple tasks like cooking or engaging in conversations became extremely difficult. Since stopping the med on Friday, I've had one episode of clarity which happened on Sayurday evening.
The brain fog went away and I suddenly felt the weight of the world again, it was such a relief. Unfortunately I experienced the fogginess and confusion yesterday, and I'm still experiencing it today.
I've also had increased anxiety since last week, but can't tell if the anxiety is just a product of what I'm continuing to feel, or if it's actually a reaction to the med.
So, has anyone had a similar experience on Minocycline? Does this sound like a herx? I guess I'm honestly just worried this is some kind of permanent side effect from the drug.
Could the Mino still be in my system 72 hours after my last dose? The off-balance / drunk feeling wasn't as bad yesterday, and is even less noticeable today, although not completely gone.
I've since contacted my old LLMD in hopes of making an appointment. Thank you for reading. Any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated.
**edited for easier reading** Please break up large paragraphs as most here are unable to read it otherwise**
posted
Minocycline is very difficult to tolerate .. You may have to try a different drug .. or ask if the Dr will reduce the dosage.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
I had that as a side effect of minocycline too. I felt completely out of it, almost like I was floating and dizzy too. For me it was a side effect, not a herx. I do better on doxy.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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quote:Originally posted by WPinVA: I had that as a side effect of minocycline too. I felt completely out of it, almost like I was floating and dizzy too. For me it was a side effect, not a herx. I do better on doxy.
WPinVA, do you remember how long it took for the feeling to go away once you stopped taking the Mino? Did the feeling permanently go away once you stopped? As of tonight I'm off the Mino for 72 hours. Could it still be leaving my system?
Posts: 28 | From NYC | Registered: Sep 2010
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
I think it was quicker than that for me. Seems like it lifted in a day or two, but I don't recall exactly.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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