Health
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6034
posted
I was on Rifampin for about 39 days, and I stopped it for a few days to see if what I was experiencing was a herx. My LLMD said this was ok to do,
I then restarted it, and could not believe how sick I was from it. Today I spent the AM vomiting, I dont know why, headaches from hell, on Ibuprofen all day.
I now am going to try the Rifampin again, see if I am ok with it, I was MUCH MUCH better before I stopped the Rifampin, I could not figure out why, I should not have stopped it for so long, I was going to take it after being off it 2 days, but fell asleep,
and in the AM was very sick so took it, but I am not the same as before I stopped it.
I have never experienced being so sick from an antibiotic, The side effects are bad enough with Rifampin, then to have an increase because you stopped and started it, it was deadly, I will try 75mgs tonight. here is the info...
It is on a site called How Stuff Works, I will not stop an antibiotic again like I did, because the 1/2 life was only 5 hours, so for 3 days it is out of your system, I learned the hard way.
QUOTE: "Do not stop taking rifampin unless you first check with your doctor. Stopping this medication and then restarting it at a later time can lead to an increase in side effects."
Trish
Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004
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lymebytes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11830
posted
Hi, Sorry you are so sick.
This is true for other abx as well. I have heard of stories like this from Biaxin to Bicillin. If stopped it either can make you sick or does not work like it did before at all. Hope you feel better soon.
Health
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6034
posted
thanks, I never experienced it this bad before. I missed 1 dose of tetracycline one PM, fell asleep, and after that it seemed to not work like before.
It was odd, I was obsessing about why things were not the same, but I felt it, it was not seeming as effective.
I am wondering if I keep taking the Rifampin if it will work again like before.
Trish
Posts: 1250 | From Canada | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
I was on Rifampin with Mino for Bart and stopped-
then restarted a few weeks later. I didn't
notice any reaction (other than the fact that I
still couldn't handle it!) personally, but my
doctor did mention that Rifampin isn't a drug
that you want to stop and restart too many times
because you can develop an allergy of some sort to it that
way. When we were talking about restarting it
after me having been on it once, he seemed to
think that the chances of me having this reaction
would be very slim after just one time. So I
didn't experience any problems in that respect,
but everyone is definitely different!
Posts: 7 | From northeast | Registered: Jun 2007
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northstar
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7911
posted
Interesting responses to med breaks.
Immediately I thought of the practice of pulsing, which seems to "work" according to some people.
(setting aside the IDSA total emotional blaspheming of pulsing due to lack of evidence..........my, they do seem rather emotional these days, as if that makes their guidelines more believable).
Anyway, how do you think the two observations can be accomodated/synthesized?
Northstar
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Here's what the Rifampin package insert says under Precautions:
"Intermittent therapy may be used if the patient cannot (or will not) self-administer drugs on a daily basis. Patients on intermittent therapy should be closely monitored for compliance and cautioned against intentional or accidental interruption of prescribed therapy, because of the increased risk of serious adverse reactions."
When I've had to back off due to severe herxing, I would skip one dose or take half a dose, but never did this more than one day, or may a day and a half. I know someone who went off Rifampin for a while and when resumed, could only tolerate one-half the dose.
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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tailz
Unregistered
posted
This happened to me with Rocephin. It worked great, but once my doc turned off my infusions for three weeks due to elevated liver enzymes, it never worked the same after.
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