I just recently started doxycycline (400mg/day)

I was wondering if anyone has experienced

better results from IV antibiotics versus

mixtures of orals? Can IV antibiotics make

your own immune system shut down? I heard

that herxing could be worse on IV.

Please share your experiences here! Being

new to this I am hungry for any info you

can throw my way!

I did IV Rocephin, 2gms daily for 4.5 months and had a good two weeks in there near the end, ONLY to relapse quickly after stopping it. I was prescribed the Rocephin by my PCP before I ever saw a real LLMD who would not have put me on Rocephin in the first place.

It's been proven that Rocephin sends the spirochete bacteria, the bacteria making up LYme Disease, into the cyst form only to come out a play and reek havoc when the Rocephin is removed. This has been proven.

So, without a cyst buster...an oral abx, Rocephin alone will not make you well.

This disease is very complicated and the only way you'll understand it's complications, is to continue to read and study.

The link Camp A and Camp B post, given in the Links for NEw LymeNet members has that link and if you'll read it, you'll begin to understand some of the controversy surrounding this most complicated disease.

So, guess what I am saying, is orals are just as good and somewhat better than IV, in that orals are not as hard on your organs as IV is, especially on the gall-bladder and liver, just to mention a few.

IV is more expensive, much more. When I was on IV Rocephin, it costs us, since we have no prescription insurance, $918/weekly, but, that did include the medical supplies, also.

So, in my mind, if orals are not only just as good, but, even better then IV, why go through the expense and suffering you can do on IV, and use something that works...IV alone will not do the trick.

Hopefully, I'll never have to do IV again. And, with my LLMD, Dr. C of MO, I probably will not have to do it.

Rosemary

Also, this has been discussed greatly in the past and you may want to do a search. It's up under Post New Topic.

But, here's how to do it if you do not know how. Just thought you may not want to wait for more answers and get the answer from the recent past.

"How to do a LymeNet Search:"

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000464.html

Good luck, for I know that this isn't an easy decision for you.

Do you have an LLMD? If not, you really don't want to waste your time with a doctor who is not...it can and does set back your treatment. I, truly, believe that me doing IV before seeing a real LLMD set back my progress toward wellness and that has made my road to wellness very hard for me to do.

We see three different doctors, and all three have the same idea.

One year or so of oral treatment. If there is not significant gain after doing combination orals, then move into other treatment options, after many tests to evaluate for coinfection (which may make the healing of lyme more difficult).

In our family of five, two started oral antibiotic, did a 6 month therapy, and had considerable improvement. ONe is now off antibiotic, one was off for two years (me), and then I relapsed or reinfected last year. So started on treatment again.

One started treatment 6 months ago, using orals, and bicillin. Is doing way way better, will probably never need IV's either.

Our daughter Lishka, had five co-infections plus Lyme. Was very sick, and plateued at 9 months of treatment, was then evaluated for the co infections, treated for the coinfections for four months more, then still plateued after that, so was put on IV's.

When you start IV's you are "flagging" the insurance company who covers you. We had no treatment issues until the fourth week of IV, then they cut her off. Its been a fight since. So consider the gain you have made, and EXPECT a long recovery period. If you can not afford IV out of pocket, be cautious, as to start and stop make things very difficult to treat later.

I was treated on a variety of orals for almost a year before starting the IV.

I also was on bicillin shots and rocephin shots before starting the IV.

This hit me really hard. I am bedridden most of the time.

I am just thankful that the insurance has covered all these drugs.

I am not sure whether the insurance or the forms I filled out for the meds are covering the IV at this time.

I will find out more when I see my doc this month.

The biggest improvement with the IV is that I do not wake up feeling like I partied all night now after starting the IV.

I also was dancing in the aisles at the local RiteAid store a couple of days ago.

It didn't last long though. After 30 minutes on my feet, I was talking to God asking him to help me get back home.

But, it was nice to have the first 15 minutes of being "normal" again.

Last appt my doc was considering whether I need IV. We decided to thoroughly retest all coinfections, and I added tinidazole in to my oral mix.

I seem to be getting some nice improvement with the tini, so I'm hesitant to start the IV. Not scared, just feel it may not be necessary. As long as I have improvement continuing, it doesn't seem necessary to me.

The point about insurance is well taken, as I've seen a lot of discussion as to how my insurance BC/BS of CA, only allows 30 days of IV. Period. No appeals have succeeded.

Pippy, just so you know, I probably had Lyme for ten years before my diagnosis, and last year I was bedridden. While I'm not 100%, I am up and able to handle the basics, which is a BIG improvement from a year ago.