When did you notice bicillin working for you?

I would say it took 4 solid months to start feeling "well" on it. But, I did notice a difference in my functionality after 2 months.

Were you able to avoid some of the downfalls, scar tissue, unresolved knots, sciatica?

If so how?

I'm very glad to hear it's helping you get more functionality. Hope this continues for you.

Why did you decide to pulse? When and how do you plan to go off?

I just started myself, 1.2 mu. Within a day of first injection I started to experience suicidal depression. I haven't figured it all out yet. I'm not able to think very clearly but I'm trying to figure out this new drug.

I have been on 1.2 bicillin weekly for about 6 months now, but do not have a time set for stopping. It has been great in reducing symptoms (joint pain, head, eye pain etc) but I feel I may have reached a plateau now and my LLMD has me adding biaxin next.

We are going to do another brain spect scan (first done 4/2003) to see if the damage shown has been cleaned up, (another of my LLMD's patients had a clean scan after some months ofbicillin) and another Igenex lyme test, as I was still testing positive prior to starting bicillin. My remaining symptoms are relatively mild, but from past experience, when I go off abx there is a gradual decline until damage results.

Penicillin gave me no depression problems, in fact is was so great not to be on orals (for the stomach, mouth, etc) I almost hate to add the biaxin. I would get in touch with your doctor right away about the depression. That does not sound typical of bicillin, but others on this board know much more than I do,so I hope you get more responses.

Best of luck to you.

Unfortunately, I do have scar tissue in the upper outside quadrants of my buttocks cheeks. My nurse shoots me in the hips sometimes. We rotate every time. I massage the lumps out a few hours after each injection and I apply heat. My nurse suggested hot baths.

I don't have sciatica. But, one nurse did nick a nerve while pulling the needle out and I could not walk for a day or two. The sciatic pain was excrutiating. I don't let her touch me anymore. The pain did go away.

I am pulsing because my MD is trying the theoretical protocol that forces the chetes out of hiding, when off meds, and then we slam them (chete genocide) with a dose of abx. The theory being that we will kill more of them. Also, I was on Zithromax and Mepron too and developed horrible, horrible stomach problems and Candida. We are trying to heal my gut by giving me a break from all orals and pulsing the Bicillin. Another LLMD here is trying the same protocol with one of his patients. It's a gamble, but makes sense to me since the Bicillin only has a release of 5 days anyway. Doing it once a week was, in effect, pulsing it.

I too felt pretty crummy when I first started it. But, by the fourth month I was seeing marked improvement. I still get a crummy feeling about 30 hours after an injection and then I feel "sick" for a couple of days. I am still functional though.

Talk to your MD about feeling depressed. I have an Rx for an anti-anxiety med that I can take when I feel like I would rather jump off the Empire State Building than go through, yet another, herx. They always seem to hit like a ton of bricks, don't they?

Sleep, drink water & herbal tea, watch a movie. I am a bit odd in that I take the Lance Armstrong approach to feeling so horrible: I run or take my bike out and go until I can't anymore. The physical pain takes my mind off of the mental anguish of being so darn sick. (I know, that is probably not the best plan).

Bc

It's very encouraging that the bicillin helped somone improve both the spect scan and lyme test. Just knowing this is possible makes me feel better!

When you say you're adding in biaxin, is that in addition to the bicillin?

I sure hope you get permanent improvement this time and a negative lyme test. Have you treated for co-infections?

Beachcomber,

Yeah, the 2 days following the shot are the worst for me too. If I could exercise vigorously it would really help the depression. I have no choice but to start out slowly though. Thanks for the inspiration.

In the meantime, I will talk to my llmd about the depression.

How long will you stay on the bicillin?

Thanks all very much.

As of Friday, I will be on Bicillin "indefinitely". My MD wants me to continue for 6 more weeks and then we will re-assess. He thinks I am doing well.