posted
How are you all doing on rifampin - fo Bartonella?
Posts: 90 | From massachusetts | Registered: Aug 2006
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kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
Bartonella is a very hard organism to take care of. We noticed a difference adding Rifampin to zithromax. I think it really needs to partner with another drug. It works differently, so they work synergistically.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
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Health
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Member # 6034
posted
I am on my 5th day of Rifampin. Started off with 600mgs a day.
Yesterday, the 4th day, I took the 300mgs in the AM, but could not take in the PM. Felt to collapse.
I was told to try going to a lower dosage, so this AM did 150mgs, and 3-4 hours later I feel to collapse. This is still too strong.
It was not this strong the first 3 days, but now it is.
I started off with 600mgs a day, and I was told to try the 300mgs a day, which is 150mgs 2x day.
I did the 150mgs this AM, and even this feels to near kill me. Like someone put a big brick on me, and I dont have the strenght to lift it off me.
What was the dosage some of you did? Did any of you start off with 75mgs twice a day? and work up? Maybe it is a bad drug for me, not sure.
I have to get a hold of LLMD if this lower dosage is too much.
thanks,
Trish
Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004
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Geneal
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Member # 10375
posted
I started on 600mg of rifampin daily.
Started getting bad and strange leg cramps and foot cramps at night.
The kind you can't get rid of unless you get out of bed.
Also gives me bladder spasms.
Saw LLMD. Now I am pulsing 600mg every other day.
It's like have a mini herx every couple of days.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Health
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Member # 6034
posted
Geneal,
Why would your LLMD want you to pulse the Rifampin? why not lower the dosage and take it daily?
Do you take it like this? M W F
Or other way.
thanks,
Trish
Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
I am having problems with rifampin too. I have not been able to get past 150mg yet. I took the 150mg for 4 days straight and got really sick. I had to stop. It's been 3 days now and I only feel slightly better.
It is the hardest antibiotic on my stomach that I have taken so far. I also get severe headaches and a severe feeling like I'm going to pass out.
I tried about 3 weeks a go to take 75mg a day for 4 or 5 days and then 150mg a day for about 2 days. I got really sick then too and had to stop.
At this rate it will take me months to just get to 300mg.
Kathy
-------------------- You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Posts: 807 | From South Dakota | Registered: Jul 2005
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Health
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Member # 6034
posted
I am from Canada, and have a Canadian Medical Book, I use it to look up all my Medications, and it has been 100% accurate so far. It is put out by the Canadian Medical.
In this book it says, Rifampin's duration of action is up to 72 hours. For Tetracycline it says, duration of action, up to 12 hours.
For Doxycycline and Minocycline, it says duration of action, 1-2 days.
It is not a newer book, it does not have Diflucan or Azithromycin.
What I am getting at, is that it is right about all other medications, and when I called the Pharmacist, he said the 1/2 life of Rifampin is about 5 hours, but he said....
that it stays in your body for awhile, because it gets everywhere, that is why they use it, it gets right into all parts of the body he said.
So he was trying to tell me, that it stays in your body for awhile, that is all he said.
I did not push to ask him what awhile was, as I dont like to tell too much of what I am being treated for as they can get suspicious.
So, there is something to this Rifampin, that even though the 1/2 life is 5 hours, it still stays in your system for awhile, how long awhile is? I dont know, maybe someone else can
find out? also, my medical book says this, duration of action 72 hours. Maybe? this is why it is tough to take, as each day you take it, you are getting some of yesterdays dosage?
I am to take my next capsule now. Trish
Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004
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Jill E.
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posted
It took me months to get to 300 mg. That's about my limit.
I don't know about the half-life, but my internist said it has incredible penetration into the tissues - that's why the bodily fluids turn reddish orange from it.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
My 9 year old daughter (who turns 10 tomorrow!) has been on 300mg Rifampin and 250 mg of Azithromycin for almost 3 months.
This combination is dynamite for fighting Bartonella and she never had a problem with tolerating these meds.
At about 7 weeks into treatment the change was almost overnight. One day she is plagued with headaches, stomach aches, sore throats and motion sickness and then *poof* they were gone.
We are still dealing with knee and ankle pain and maybe a tummy ache once or twice a week. But the joint pain isn't keeping her from playing outside with her friends anymore. Joint pain was her first symptom and it makes sense to me that it may be the last symptom to leave.
My daughter was bit in August 2003 and didn't get treatment until April 2006. She was on amoxil for almost a year before we tried the Zithro/Rifampin combo after suspecting Bartonella.
One thing my LLMD told me was that Rifampin effected vitamin B levels and to make sure she was taking a good multi vitamin to counter it.
I sure hope that Rifampin helps others like it has helped my daughter.
-------------------- The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation www.canlyme.com Posts: 128 | From Canada | Registered: Sep 2006
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
I pulse it every other day. So, depending on the days, some weeks it is 3 times and
Some weeks it is 4 times.
My LLMD felt that this would be beneficial as he didn't believe 300mg was enough for me daily.
It was either tolerate this or do doxy again.
I can't do doxy during the summer...not with two young children who live outside.
Hopefully, this will be my last month of rifampin...
Then, it's back to babs treatment.....again.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
Health, I take 150mg once a day, but I too am trying to figure out the best way to keep taking it and increase the dosage without collapsing.
Posts: 925 | From California | Registered: Sep 2004
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