valymemom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7076
posted
My 19 year old college student son is starting biaxin XL today after being on levaquin for a month. He is to take 2000 mg daily.
Any side effects he should be aware of? Our llmd did say she had a patient that had to discontinue because of depression.
Posts: 1240 | From Centreville,VA | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I took Biaxin for about a month and it caused pretty bad depression in me. I'm not normally proned to it so it was a little scary! I changed over to Zithromax and Ceftin.
I've heard a lot of people do well on it so you'll just have to see how he does.
Also, it leaves a very bitter taste in your mouth. Especially upon awakening. I talked to someone on here who had taken it for over a year and he said the metallic taste was still a problem.
posted
no side effects really except for the nasty metallic taste in your mouth, you get used to it, suck on candy or gum, it helps. Also, some occasional diarrhea... Biaxin works great, did good things for me.
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posted
I got severly depressed with not caring if a train ran over me. Immediately stopped after I figured out it may be the biaxin,I stopped the Biaxin the depression and morbid thoughts went away............... zithromax doesn't do this.
Be watchful for a change in his personality and agression and withdrawaling from people.The thoughts were so dark that sometimes I would wish lightening would strike me or a tractor trailor would run into me...........not fun. It was as if I was not in control of these gloomy thoughts, immediatly stopped within two weeks of stopping Biaxin.
I would NEVER take Biaxin again!!!!!!!!
aunty
Posts: 677 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
I can't believe this! I've been on Biaxin for a while and thought the negative thoughts, bad dreams, and sad feelings were just the Lyme maybe finally getting to my psyche! Or that the Lyme was being killed by the Biaxin and that was pulling me down.
I had no depression on Claforan, Rocephin, Unasyn, Doxy, or Ceftin. But now I know from you that it's the drug!
Thank you so much for the light!
Posts: 422 | From Luck home | Registered: Sep 2005
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valymemom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7076
posted
I will send this to my son at school. Awareness is so important because the abx mix with each person's chemistry....... differently.
Thank you all for your responses!
Posts: 1240 | From Centreville,VA | Registered: Mar 2005
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HEATHERKISS
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6789
posted
It can also cuase nightmares. I didn't have a problem from Biaxin w/ depression or bad dreams. I have just heard from my LLMD.
-------------------- HEATHER
Posts: 1974 | From ABERDEEN, NJ 07747 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Are there any particular articles/reseacrh about Biaxin and depression?
I am interested in reading if so.
I was on it about 5 years ago. I do not remember it making me depressed, but the last thing I need right now is a drug to bring me down mentally :-0
Posts: 437 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I had depression before biaxin so it doesn't make a difference to me! Although I have noticed a decline in nightmares, which I had before biaxin too...although there is just a bit of brain decline overall so maybe the nightmares were better, at least they were something. Good luck. I've noticed a lot of drugs also cause what they claim to cure in the great irony. If your son doesn't already have depression, given what's been said for sure he should monitor himself or be monitored.
henson2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 463
posted
Hi,
It just goes to show how each one of us is so different, and how we all likely have different strains of Lyme.
For about 18 months, Biaxin was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I functioned better on it, felt better, thought I had found my "maintenance treatment" for life for a while (I still had the Lyme sx of severe nerve pain and fatigue and fever --- but it all felt so much more manageable).
I didn't take the XL form. I took just Biaxin, and with Plaquenil.
We switched to Zithromax to see if I'd get improvement, and, WOW, BANG, that is when the depression and totally uncharacteristic black thoughts started. Never experienced anything like it. I gave it some valiant tries, going off for a bit and trying again. But for now at least I cannot tolerate Zithro.
It does make me wonder how the different drugs cause the Lyme to express itself differently. Or if we each react to the drug alone in certain ways.
I don't know if the Biaxin vs. Biaxin XL made a difference; I wasn't on the XL form. (And I never had the bad taste people complain about.... instead, there was a kind of sweet coating on it, so it went down easy).
So.... I don't know what's Lyme and what's the drug.
I did find much improvement and hopefulness on the Biaxin and I hope your son does, too.
My warmest wishes for improvement and wellness very soon! Your son has my sympathy and good wishes. Posts: 1066 | From East Coast | Registered: Dec 2000
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The only side effect I've had is the metallic taste in my mouth (the worst time is when I wake up).
I'm taking 1000 mg daily (500 mg 2 times a day). I thought that was the typical dose for treating Lyme. I've read in his "Diagnostic Hints...Guidelines" Dr B recommends Adults take 500 to 1000 mg q 12h.
Valymemom said her 19 yr old son is taking 2000mg per day. What dose of Biaxin are all of you taking per day?
For those with depression, etc, are you taking a larger dose? Just wondering what most of you had?
Posts: 4638 | From South Carolina | Registered: Mar 2001
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valymemom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7076
posted
This is so very helpful.
My son is only 120 lbs and has absolutely no appetite. Losing weight/lack of interest in food is one of his symptoms.
I don't know how this is going to be on his stomach, either. We'll find out.
Posts: 1240 | From Centreville,VA | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
My daughter was on Biaxin XL for 8 months. No problems just nake sure he is taking probiotics. I could be wrong but I think she took 1000mg once a day.
She did have some horrible herxs on the Biaxin. It seemed to clear her GI symptoms. The herxs were bad. She would stay in bed for 18 hours.
Good luck!
Posts: 488 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
The first week I took biaxin I thought I was going to die and I mean really die and it was only 500 mg. Everything in my body and mind went out of orbit my spine was burning and I was getting numbness in my spine. Everything magnified. I had to stop the biaxin all together and start up by breaking the 500mg tablet in half. I lost my appetite entirely and had much diarrhea from the biaxin I lost 10 pounds. When I started back up with half a tablet things got better and I was better able to tolerate. Now I habe been back on 500mg for a little over two weeks and today I feel like vomitting with a bad headache feverish and trying to drag myself into work so I don't get fired. Just wanted to share this so that your son may expect to lose a little weight if it has a similar reaction in him.
posted
My migraines and daily headaches increased on Biaxxin. We switched to Zith, and am now better. Too bad though, because the Biaxxin was working the best for me. THough another side effect I would like to avoid is teeth stains - it can be bad that way.
Posts: 19 | From vancouver, BC, Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
The only side effect I had on Biaxin was staining of my teeth. It came right off at the dentist.
I did have increased muscle pain, particularly in my quads and feet. But I think this was a herx and not a side effect. From looking back, it looked like it was Bartonella symptoms to me.
I think I was on 2000mg a day as well, also about 120 pounds.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
My experience was like Aniek's, staining of the teeth, but it came off with regular cleaning at the dentist's office.
Posts: 925 | From California | Registered: Sep 2004
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