I had started a few things at once, so it wasn't clear. I stopped the potetial problems, got feeling better, and talked to my llmd, wrote to people here. I suspected the Welchol, but she didnt think so and wanted me to start again.

So, I started it again, on its own, no other new herbs, or body work, not on my period or anything. By mid afternoon of the second day (and this on one tab at a time, half the dose I'm supposed to work up to), I was crying in the shower, no real reason. Took my evening dose anyway. Later I was pretty shaky, crying, emotional bad thoughts, undeniable symptoms. But, now knew what it was, so was better able to talk myself down, I knew it would be ok and go away soon.

I did not take sat. mornings dose. If I had, I'm sure I would have been as bad as last week. It did not take too long to resolve symptoms.

This is not a common side effect of Welchol. It probably happens only in susceptible people, a particular mix of what else is going on in my body.

I tried to research it a little, not my strong suite. I did not find out anything definative, but a few medical sites mentioned that low cholesteral levels have been seen in assocition with depression, suicide, rage, etc... Not enough studies have been done to know which caused which. and no studies have shown this to be caused by taking a cholesteral lowering drug, of course no studeis have been done at all, so these drugs are not in the clear either.

People, like myself, who already have low cholesteral dont normally take cholesteral lowering drugs. So, there's realy no relevant data out there. We as lyme disease patients are using this drug off label, kind of experimentally if you will.

I guess that cholesteral, in one of its good roles in the body, does something with Seritonin ( spelling) or its receptors or whatever in the brain, and this is why the bad effects are associated with some with low cholesteral.

Anyway, since cholesteral effects seritonin and this may be already effected in Lyme patients and then a few of us take welchol, and lower cholesteral and further affect levels. Maybe this could explain adverse mood effects from it.

This a quote from a site:

"Depression and Risk for Violent Death

Some studies have found that cholesterol is important for the production of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that at low levels is associated with depression. Men with naturally low cholesterol levels also have low serotonin levels. Some evidence has reported a link between natural low natural cholesterol levels and negative emotional states, including depression. Some studies have even reported a higher rate of deaths from suicide, accidents, or violence, which could be related to negative emotional states. The following are some of examples of such studies:

In one study male psychiatric patients with cholesterol below 160 mg/dL had twice the normal rate of suicide and elderly men with low cholesterol levels had three times the normal risk of depression.

In a large 2001 Swedish study, violent behavior was linked with naturally low cholesterol levels.

A 2000 study of patients with depression and bipolar disorders found lower cholesterol levels during specific manic or depressive episodes. The study suggested that mood states might produce low cholesterol levels, not vice versa.

A 2001 study reported a modest increase in deaths from suicide, accident, or trauma in people who lowered their cholesterol with diet or with non-statin drugs.

Importantly, numerous studies have reported no association between the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs (particularly statins) with depression or violent death. Some researchers have observed that people with low cholesterol levels due to medical conditions or alcoholism are often also deficient in dietary fats known as omega-3 fatty acid, which are found in oily fish. Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked with depression and aggression. In fact, some studies in which cholesterol was lowered using diets that included omega-3 fatty acids reported less depression.

Clearly, any link between low cholesterol levels and emotional disorders is uncertain. "

The way this drug lowers cholesteral is by binding bile in the intenstines to eliminate it, so this action may cause problems also. It also, at least in some of us, causes constipation, slows elimination, which may cause toxins to stay too long and cause problems. I dont know. But, Im not going to take it any more myself.

Just wanted to put this out there, so if someone else is going crazy trying to figure out what's bothering them, to know this is a definate possibility.

Saw your post...and just wanted to validate your expereince!! as a similar thing happened to me, but with an OTC detox supplement...that I later learned also binds to cholesterol!!

I too have very low cholesterol...and because of this, LLMD would never prescribe any of the cholesterol binding meds that many people get to help them with their neurotoxins...

Unknowingly, in my efforts to detox, I took Bentonite Clay...and inturn had MAJOR anxiety issues(not a common symptom for me at all)...I think if there is not enough cholesterol to bind to, your body will steal it from other places...and somehow this disrupts our neurotransmitters...or just the fact that your cholesterol drops even lower than it already was might alone do it...do a search and read what just having too low a cholesterol level can do to you...Mercola's website had good info!!

Everyone is so concerned with too high of cholesterol, but too low causes psychological disturbances, puts you at risk for stroke...all sorts of things...

I have a really hard time detoxing myself, and I learned one of the reasons our bodies produces cholesterol, is to bind to fat soluble toxins and carry them out...so if our cholesterol is too low...we will have a hard time detoxing...my cholesterol is at best typically in the 120's but often goes well below 100...

And then I went and took Bentonite Clay...which lowered me even more...and whamo!! Major anxiety symptoms...Took me two weeks to recover from that episode!! (probably took me that long to rebuild my cholesterol levels up...??)

So along with cholesterol lowering meds...watch out for supplements that are meant to bind to toxins too...!! (Chitosan is another one) Similar problems can happen.

Hope it helps to know you were not alone in having something like this happen to you!!

Have you tried CSM? I doest the same thing, it's a powder though and is more of a hassle. But I havent experienced those symptoms. Dr. G has me on it. How are you doing overall??

Just a thought.

It is designed to clear them, and clearing them could make issues in the brain a bit different from normal.Taking the welchol or CSM can cause a herx.

Calilymer, tell me more about what CSM is and how it works to get toxins out. Overall, I have been doing much better, getting over the toxic effects of all the meds I stopped. Even started sleeping at night, by last thur or so.

But, I have started abx again just this weekend, and had hardly any sleep last night, it just kept me awake. Sometimes I don't know which is worse, the cure or the disease ! I seem to be pretty sensitive to western meds.

I do not have mood, depresion problems when I am not on any medications. It is not something normal in my life. It is pretty clear when I start and later stop, how these symptoms follow.

The path of piling on more prescriptions to try and counteract the side effects of the last one realy doesnt seem to work for me. Youknow, take abx, then you need to take sleeping pills, both of which give neuro effects, so go take a SSRI....oh, and take a bile binding drug too to help detox, and go more crazy...

I'm not knocking it in general, it seems to work and be needed by some, and that's fine. Everybodies different. It just makes me feel worse.

I think at times like the middle of last night, I just could realy use some hugs. Verbal validation, touch. You know, curl up on someones lap in the rocking chair while they pat my head and tell me it's going to be alright. It's just the stupid abx, you'll adjust to it again, and it'll make it all better. lie maybe, heat up some nice warm sleepytime tea and valerian...

I guess we have a busy, busy selfish type of society. It is much easier, cheaper and quicker, to throw out another Rx than to have a physical support structure.
I don't want more drugs than I have to, but I could use help remembering when I herx and forget, a little prespective, reminder To be strong alittle longer.