After how long did you take the break? What was the med/s you were taking? Did you feel somewhat better after stopping? How soon did you start up again?
I have taken a 48 hour break from Tetracycline. I had a barrium swollow test yesterday and I wanted it all to clear my body before taking it again...
This is giving my body a chance to recover from abx use....Maybe not a long break, but one just the same...
Lets see what happens tomorrow...Who knows?
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AZURE WISH
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posted
Due to complications I had to go off abx for a few days ..... I got much worse...
trails
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1620
posted
I have gone off from between 3 years and 3 days. Depends.
Three yrs ABX free coz I thought I was "cured." I wasnt, so now I am back to it.
And I have gone off mepron/zith coz I passed out at work....I was not on any meds after that for 4 months. I felt medium okay off the meds, I only got some of my usual sx. Twitches, headaches, tiredness.
I have had to break recently from Plaquenil, amoxy plus probenecid. I could barely move---I was in agony. I stopped for a total of 7 days. I gradually felt better after 3 days off, but not great, just tolerable.
NOW I have had to stop my plaquenil since 5 days ago. Coz I am having the same herx as above. Really bad pains, burning skin and joints. I got WORSE after I stopped the plaq, but now am getting ever so slightly better.
Many feel bad when they stop ABX, I feel BETTER when I stop, WORSE when I am on.
that's my scoop, Trails
Posts: 1950 | From New Mexico | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
If I'm herxing too much, I take a break for a few days. My son is on IV antibiotics and is taking a 3 day break. Our LLMD has told us to do this.
-------------------- Peggy
~ ~ Hope is a powerful medicine. ~ ~ Posts: 2775 | From MN | Registered: Apr 2001
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trails
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1620
posted
all my breaks were advised by my LLMD.
Posts: 1950 | From New Mexico | Registered: Sep 2001
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JimBoB
Unregistered
posted
It is normal to take a 7 day break after each 28 days on.
I did it that way, but still could not take the abx, so have been off since Feb. 21st.
I feel much better OFF the abx rather than on. Right now I can't stand the thought of going on them again.
Course, that doesn't mean I am doing nothing for the Lyme. I have been on herbs steady since November 25, 2005. I did stop for a few days this past week as I was fasting and didn't want to take in anything except water. But now I have some symptoms back so am ramping back up on the herbs.
robi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5547
posted
quote:Originally posted by JimBoB: It is normal to take a 7 day break after each 28 days on.
Normal? What's that? Didn't know there was a "normal" why to take ABX. What's best is to be advisd by the one you consult with for treatment.
Not even LLMD's all agree on the breaks ..... stick wih the plan you and your chosen LLMD ( or other LL professional) have developed.
Some say 28 days is the cycle of the spirochete. I could see a reasonable arguement for continuing OR breaking at this point. Really best to understand why YOU are doing what you are doing..... rather than what is "normal".
There really is no such thing as "normal" ..... in Lyme or anything else for that matter.
This is my opinion, my 2 cents, my "take", my idea...... please don't trash me for adding to the discussion.
Peace, Organic very dark fair-trade chocolate, and deep healing, robi
-------------------- Now, since I put reality on the back burner, my days are jam-packed and fun-filled. ..........lily tomlin as 'trudy' Posts: 2503 | From here | Registered: Apr 2004
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robi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5547
posted
I am nt saying breaks are bad. Just that they should be as planned. Yo know what's best for your body and if you are feeling like you need a break and can't reach your doc, then take one.
I am just saying "I don't take a break "just because". I think frequency would play into the answer too. If you have been on ABX a years 2 and you take a break well no big deal. If it's your first month, then probably not a good idea.
I took a 7 week break once and my LLMD said one week. Do what feels right. Use your doc as a knowledge advisor and make your best decision.
robi
-------------------- Now, since I put reality on the back burner, my days are jam-packed and fun-filled. ..........lily tomlin as 'trudy' Posts: 2503 | From here | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I took a break last summer- because I was fed up-
I felt alright and thought that the Dr's were pushing antibiotics on me unnecessarily-
After 7 weeks, I felt pretty much back at the beginning of treatment-
I think that it was too early as had only been about 7 months of treatment-
I am on a break at the moment, because I seem to have developed a reaction to Bicillin LA- so will be the first time in 7 months that I will have had a break-
I will let you know how it goes-
I will try some herbs after a week or so- if anyone knows which are the mildest/easiest on our bodies-?
I am hoping to get pregnant and really want to clear out all toxins!-by the way, I am realistic about pregnancy and won't chance it if my symptoms come roaring back-would not want to pass this on to anyone-
Best- Sarah
Posts: 119 | From new york, NY, USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
Ive been on BIAXIN pretty much for 3 years strait.
Ive taken 3 extended breaks within that time.
Each time I took a break it was becuase I thought that the drug was making my sinuses worse and contributing to my chronic vertigo.
Each time I went off within a couple of weeks I could not move.
I remember working out the first week I was off, I felt pretty OK. Then the next week I said ok Ill have a sandwich. I ate it and an hour later I felt as if someone was dipping my legs in hot acid. I couldnt breathe very well and I was extremelly weak and felt swollen.
That fear keeps me on the drug somewhat. He just said it takes a long time. Ive been sick since 93. SUCKS
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
hi Rob
I would ask your LLMD before stopping any abx
BB is a long replicating bacterria and from what I have read it takes longer than 24 hours to replicate.
But I am not a dcotor. Neither anyone on the board so I am not comfortable in sharing this unless your LLMD recommended a holiday.
Be careful and give him/her a call.
concerned for you dana
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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BostonLyme2005
Unregistered
posted
Hi,
Thanks all,
My LLMD said to just begin again, no probs....Only 48 hours.....
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posted
after reading all these posts -- its' down right frightening. no one knows what is best. some feel good on meds -- some dont. some need a break and are ok. some the opposite. is anything really making us better or are we grasping at straw?
wouldnt it b nice to have something definitive?
so how do we do that?
-------------------- mom & co. Posts: 31 | From ny | Registered: Feb 2006
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Boomerang
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7979
posted
Hey Rob.....it's tough, isn't it? Hubby is on a short break right now. He'll probably start back in a few days. Our LLMD encourages taking breaks if you don't feel good, or feel like you might be having a herx.
After 6 months of ABX, a few days off surely won't hurt him....
Posts: 1366 | From Southeast | Registered: Sep 2005
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Jellybelly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7142
posted
I have been on and off plenty of times. Anywhere from a few days to months. I have never gone back on due to relapse and I feel really good when off the ABX, each time, better then the time before. I start back up cuz I know I still need work. How do I know I need work? Heart rate is still to fast, ringing in ears, and dry eyes. Then when I touch anything intended to kill this stuff I herx like heck. Then I wimp and I quit again.......I can't stand herxing!!!! This probably isn't what you were looking for, right?
Good news is, that even though I have been OFF ABX far more then I have been on, I am in about 90% remission most of the time. I can drop down into the mid 80s. I was at deaths door once upon a time. But doing really good right now, considering what kind of stress the last 3 years have been. I think the stress would drop a healthy person....maybe it is the little bugs keeping me upright, they aren't done with me yet....and I thought I was doing good all by myself. Hahahaha.
I'm herxing right now, can you tell, does a number on my brain too.
Posts: 1251 | From california | Registered: Apr 2005
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JimBoB
Unregistered
posted
Robi:
"I" listen to "ME".
AND "me" listens to "I".
"I" am treating "ME". "I" am responsible for "ME".
You are right, there IS not a "normal" for EVERYONE. However, 3 to 7 days off every 28 days, IS normal for most. Otherwise you are just spinning your wheels. AND I don't mean going right back on the same abx, I mean changing it up.
Remember, the spirochetes are smarter than you. YOU cannot outsmart them, even for a minute, IF you keep doing the same stuff over and over and over and over.
Your 7 week break was way too long, IMO, UNLESS of course you had a good herbal protocol to take over and move you out of the abx rut.
posted
My first llmd went four weeks on two week break. I did this my first two months. I always felt better off abx and dreaded goin back...two deadly herxes.
I can see the strategy...get the bugs out of their cysts..also it keeps the IMMUNE SYSTEM involved in the process of killing Bb!!
I posted this in other places as it is very informative about why a "holiday" could be valuable but as many say...we have no studies.
This is the protocol at the jemsek lyme clinic...they treat many pts this way...
"When oral therapy is employed, the idea of a ``drug holiday'' after pulsing seems attractive for several reasons.
First, it gives the patient some relief from daily antimicrobial therapy.
Second, even though a typical holiday is scheduled for four weeks, most patients will relapse, or experience the recurrence of symptoms, within one or two weeks of therapeutic interruption.
This is particularly true in the early months of therapy, i.e. after only a couple of cycles. This pattern of relapsing provides useful clinical information for future treatment (see below).
Third, in theory, our treatment and the subsequent Bb ``die-off'', and then relapse off therapy is an approach that might stimulate immune recognition and activation, thereby improving immune surveillance/eradication of Bb.
This idea bears similarities to the auto-immunization theory that has received attention in HIV therapeutic strategies. That is, if one suppresses HIV with drug treatment, the CD8 cytotoxic/suppressor cell level wanes (127) (these are lymphocytes responsible for activity against cellular pathogens, including HIV).
As treatment is withdrawn, the reappearance of the virus causes an augmented or boosted CD8 response that, if repeated cyclically, might build the response to the point that the pathogen could be controlled or eliminated by the immune system.
Unfortunately, this analogy is imperfect since HIV specific immunity is lost in most HIV/AIDS cases because of depletion of CD4 cells caused by HIV attack on CD4 cells.
Therefore, there is no boosting effect because CD4 cells are critical to the performance of CD8 and there are no cells left with which to create a boost.
However, where HIV specific immune responses are preserved, such as in therapy early after the infection, therapeutic interruptions work quite nicely.
Our hope is that Bb specific immunity is retained in our patients regardless of severity or chronicity of the infection, and that interrupted therapy will be of some benefit.
Realistically though, this is a grossly oversimplified theory and a considerable amount of scientific work will be required to answer these questions."
-------------------- We are spiritual beings on a human journey...
Jellybelly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7142
posted
Humanbeing,
I tend to agree with what you are saying about taking a break. I never took a break in the begnining for this reason, but my experience seems to bear out what you are saying. I had started forming this opinion probably 2 years ago. Don't talk about it much because it doesn't go over that well and flies in the face of the vast majority of LLMDs treatment plans, which genrally include massive doses of ABX over extended periods.
The real truth is that I have taken over the past 3 years, ABX amounts equalling what most people take in a week. Really, I herx so bad that I was forced to take miniscual amounts like, 3 mgs, every other day. Still the herx would wipe me out and then I would quit after a few weeks. I am taking first Doxy, now Mino. But each time, I was markedly better, to the point of 90 remission. The damage to my body done by ABX would be much less significant.
What my experience has repeatedly shown me is that I seem to continue herxing after stopping the ABX. At first it was just for a few days, now with my last treatment a few weeks ago which brought on a lot of chest pain, I quit and the herx continued on for agout 2 weeks without ABX. What I have been suspecting is that my own immune system is for some reason managing to go on by itself and continue killing.
I read in the Lyme/Rife book that our own immune system IS still the best weapon. It also recommended mixing it up, stopping and starting. I believe that these little guys are frighteningly smart, and when under constant attack, they just hunker down and wait. If you think about it, if we were being rained on with a shower of bullets, what would be our response....we'd hide! Now if the person who wanted us REALLY dead was smart, instead of just shooting and shooting, they would stop and wait. Eventually we would have to come back out, thinking we were safe, then wham! Not the best anaology, but it works.
I think more thought needs to be given as to how much good is being done by showering these bugs with a hail of bullets. Like, in real life, that shower of bullets would surely damage the surrounding area......counter part our bodies, killing anything and everything, good or bad.
I think the focus needs to be on getting that bullet right to the target. That means surprise, and the appropriate weapon that will zero in. Also, if any barriers can be removed to give a clearer shot at the target, that is crutial, ie, treating hypercoagulation when appropriate. Take down the barrier, so that a clear shot is possible.
Posts: 1251 | From california | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Ive taken a couple large breaks fromABX and am in the mood for another.
First break was after my initial 14 months of ABX treatment last year, after teh 2 months of IV rocephin. I was so messed up, lost so much weight, so much candida, that I took a break for a couple months to detox. Im real glad I did. I needed to get rid of candida and get over the rocephin and detox, and I gained a much needed 5 pounds back.
I went back on ABX for 3 or 4 months, then took another ABX break for 4 to 6 weeks(cant remember exact times...)so I could travel and not worry about herxes, watching food choices to stave off candida.
Its been 7 months back on the ABX, pulsed, 2 weeks light load 2 weeks more meds.
I dont think the breaks set me back any, but maybe the one last summer did. Hard to tell. I do feel better tahn before I started 2 years ago, nothing set me back to the beginning, certainly. And, Im obviously not well yet either.
Im someone who needs to take it slow, I dont tolerate massive herxes. Ive always taken small breaks since the beginning. I still have partially used bottles of Biaxin laying around from the first year. If my body says ENOUGH, I stop taking them(or at least some of them, Im often on more than one type of ABX at once), at least for a few days or a few weeks.
Posts: 222 | From Santa Cruz Mountains, CA USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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BostonLyme2005
Unregistered
posted
Hi,
Yes, I saw that my urine was clear after 48 hours....I went right back on the meds, my LLMD, said ok to take the break....
I think I will do that every month, for 48 hours or just over...
Take the meds on Friday night, and not again until Monday morning at 11am....
Once a month should be a good break for my body....
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posted
I've only been on my treatment since December. I was feeling super miserable, and at first the After how long did you take the break? Dr. said to take a 3 day break. I took 4. This was about 6 weeks into treatment.
Then, at my next appt., she said to just pulse 3 weeks on, and 1 week off.
What was the med/s you were taking? Azithromycin 500 mg./1x/day Nystatin 2x/day Cumanda Also taking Boluoke, artemisinin, but continued with those.
Now I'm also on Burbur and Samento.
Did you feel somewhat better after stopping? Yes, I sure did.
How soon did you start up again? As above, after 4 days the first time. The next time after 1 week off.
Just want to add that once I started taking burbur, I felt quite a bit better. In general now, have a couple of hours almost every day where I'm able to think more clearly, and am more cheerful.
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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BostonLyme2005
Unregistered
posted
Hi,
I have been taking my Tetracycline from hell meds everyday, (but two) for nearly five full months...
Thats all I take, nothing else, nothing at all!
I have had good days too. The Tetra. slams you hard with herxes and I have not been ill for even two years now....
I started the Tetra. in Nov, had Amox b-4 that for nearly 3 months...
I think if I had been ill for 2 or more years with no meds at all and then went on Tetra, I would have shot myself!
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JimBoB
Unregistered
posted
Boy, I sure hear you on that Rob. I actually was without any abx for over 5 years, and got so bad that I had to do something, so started on herbs. IF I hadn't done that, I too probably would have been is terrible shape, had I only had abx right away.
I felt better right away on herbs, no herxing to speak of. THen went on tetracycline for a month and felt terrible. Doxy wasn't much better, so now just do the herbs.
I fasted for almost 5 days last week, and quit the herbs during that time, then restarted back on them but ramped up fast and had a lot of tendon pain and got scared, but it is much better today, so think it was a herx. When I first started herbs last November, I started out much slower and my body got used to them. Not this time.
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