posted
For the past 20 or so years or so I have had acne and tremors. For the past 2-3 yrs they have gotton only worse and obvious to others.
Are these symptoms from Chronic Lyme? My duck PCP is puzzled as to the acne as she had never seen a rash like I have on my forehead, neck and chin. My last duck PCP told me the same thing. Just wash you face and buy Purpose facial soap. Use it twice a day. Another duck laughed at the rash on my leg..and told me I was wierd. I did not laugh. It was 3 red vertical lines going across my leg.
I went on minocycline a couple of weeks ago and had to stop because I was having neurological reactions from it...dizzy, could not keep my balance and walked crooked. I felt like I was drunk! Could that have been a herx? I was on it for 4 days.
When I referred to Wilkepidia on the internet, it told me minocycline is used for the treatment of acne and Lyme Disease!!! I was stunned. I had to stop the minocycline..darn..because she would have prescribed it for me long term under acne. Kind of a double standard I would say.
As far as the tremeors go my heart doctor noticed I had them..my head, hands and arms shake. My duck PCP told me it is benign tremors and old people..I am 66...are prone to them plus genetics. I did not realize she was also a neurologist...LOL
I have had Lyme now for 36 yrs being diagnosed in 2001. I was officially diagnosed by Dr C in MO in 2005. I should be on antibiotics but this is a whole other story.
My Lyme Disease has progressed slowly through the years, and it is now affecting different parts of my body. I can no longer work since 2002 and got my SSDI for Lyme Disease and Mood Disorders...kind of go together, huh??
Just wondering if anyone else has or are now experiencing these symptoms with Chronic Lyme. It is so hard to live in an unsympathetic area of the country and be so far from medical help.
Hugs, Perplexed Posts: 324 | From Lexington, KY, USA | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Yes, both my teens (19 and 17) have had terrible acne and some pimply rashes despite being on Minocin for the past 2 years! My daughter had a weird scalp pimply rash. And she has facial acne as well as torso acne.
All 3 of us have hand/arm tremors and these seem to remain even as other symptoms disappear.
Yeah, ha ha ha: I have had Lyme for ages and now I am also entering that stage of life when the docs write everything off to get older, and this worries me greatly! What they used to wonder about because it was a puzzling symptom they can now write off as old age or menopause or stress ... I think a book could be written about the dangers of having Lyme Disease beyond a certain age, when docs know it is all just because you are a breaking down body and should just deal with it!
ESG
Posts: 424 | From Connecticut, USA | Registered: Nov 2003
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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you wrote: " . . . I went on minocycline a couple of weeks ago and had to stop because I was having neurological reactions from it...dizzy, could not keep my balance and walked crooked. I felt like I was drunk! Could that have been a herx? I was on it for 4 days. . . ."
and you say: " . . . 3 red vertical lines going across my leg. " - that could be bartonella. Are you taking photos?
you also seem to be under the misimpression that the age of 66 is old. It is not. Tremors are not common in a young, 66 yo person. There is more going on. There are people climbing mountains at 90, for crying out loud. My grandmother hauled barrels of hay on her farm until she was 87 !
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Is your magnesium level as high as it should be? Are you dividing your daily doses into am and pm ? that might help.
You can increase your magnesium to bowel tolerance and see if the tremors subside.
AND - be sure you have your liver protection in place. That is vital. Milk Thistle is just one part of that.
If you need vestibular evaluation, one of the best clinics is in Nashville, TN. However, lyme produces many vestibular symptoms that clear with treatment.
I assume you consume absolutely zero aspartame/nutrasweet/equal - very toxic to the brain. MSG is, too. Google MSG for all the various names of it. (Of course, as a lyme patient, you wouldn't drink or smoke but also, try to have the best of healthy food that you can. Dark berries are excellent for the nerve fibers. Enough protein is important, too, and lots of richly colored vegetables.
Good fats - I'll leave it at that.
avoid canned tuna - high in mercury, which could also be part of your problem, living in a high coal area. You are also sort of downwind from St. Louis and Monsanto. Another reason milk thistle and liver protection is vital.
Do you have all the perfumed and chemical household products out of your home ? It's best to go totally scent-free to lighten the toxic load on your liver and your brain.
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Minocycline can be very toxic to the vestibular system. That alone explains your reaction to it. However, some "die-off" could also have been involved.
It seems you are one of those who may not be able to continue this specific drug. Please consult your doctor about this and you can have your prescription changed - probably to doxycycline (and, if so, you will need to avoid all sun exposure but it will be worth it in the long run.)
Some posts regarding the ototoxic drugs can be found in this link:
Topic: TINNITUS: Ringing Between The Ears; Vestibular, Balance, Hearing with compiled links
sorry I can't further elaborate on answers. I'm bit of a Post Toastie today.
hope you feel better soon.
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[ 04. July 2008, 07:36 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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P.S. - I hope you can find a better doctor. I hope you had some sort of brain and spine imaging done to rule out anything putting pressure on a nerve that might result in a tremor.
Also, with lyme, lesions are common. With treatment, they often resolve.
Still, don't assume everything is lyme. I hope you find a better doctor soon.
Tremors can also be caused by other metabolic conditions. Be sure to have your glucose and liver enzymes checked . . . but my guess is that's been done.
You might want to look up David Perlmutter's "The Better Brain Book" for essential nutrients.
All the B vitamins might be especially important to you.
you might search this site - www.vrp.com - the library for the term "tremors" - several articles of interest - and see the letter off to the right, too.
savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
Have all your hormones tested by an endocrinologist. Acne and tremors could be thyroid, adrenal gland disease, or PCOS.
Lyme diseases messes with the hormones, so it is important to get it checked out, and not mask the problem with abx.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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savebabe,
what is PCOS ? This?
The Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association
This is the entry page of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association web site.
Clarissa
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4715
posted
My analysis as a teen acne victim and a congenital Lymie:
Minocin hits BART and LYME so you're creating die-off toxins. My acne was exacerbated by the use of Mino (and I didn't know I had Lyme)
Any abx are going to cause die-of which will cause neurtoxins, which will often come out of the skin appearing as acne (face, neck, chest and back are most common areas).
btw: BEST topical treatment during this time is Benzaclin and Clindagel.
I realized my body could not naturally rid itself of biotoxins, hence making the toxin-acne a million times worse.
I now take something called cholestyramine (Questran is the brand name) and it has lowered the acne problem during treatment immensely.
Please goto the website for more info but if all of you have this biotoxin gene then no matter WHAT you do for detox, your bodies are not ridding the die-off of Lyme, etc toxins and they are just recirculating into your bloodstream and trying desperately to get out the pores of your skin.
posted
Thank you everyone for your excellent help and refereces to do research on the internet. I am a research buff, so this will be very interesting.
It is so hard to explain Lyme to a medical professional who is so anti-lyme especially the PCP's. I have found better results with some Specialists such as my Heart Doctor, Eye Doctor and an Internal Medicine Doctor and my therapist and the Psychiatrist where she is. They are so supportive.
It is a frustrating disease, I must say. And, yes I am careful to not blame everything on Lyme Disease to the point of ignoring the Lyme Disease, and then whamo it hits me again.
Thanks again,
Hugs, Perplexed Posts: 324 | From Lexington, KY, USA | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Acne was one of my first symtptoms of Lyme disease. It started agressively at the age of 12 along with chronic hives.
I was studied at standford for two years by the top childrens dermotologist there. Never once did they say Lyme. I was basically "maintained after a year on tetracylcines (i.e. mino, doxy, etc) then put on accutane at 14. I stay on tetracyclines until my senior year of high school. My skin was great until I started my first semester of college.
I ended up getting shingles on the right side of my face, then horrible ance two days after it cleared. My doctors were clueless. They had never seen anything like it and put me back on accutane for 9 months.
My theory is that when my immune system is weak or my body is trying to get rid of toxins my skin breaks out on my face and I get hives. It's my bodies way of pushing out the toxins.
Makes sense, right? You should get tested to see how efficiently your body gets rid of toxins. I have a rare genetic strand which doesn't let toxins evate my body as efficently as a healthy person. Therefore my body has to work extra hard.
A lot of lyme patients have this rare strand.
You MUST find an LLMD. It's so important for your treatment and more importantly to validate what you're saying is true.
Good luck..
Linds PS. I still use differin gel twice a day for my skin haha
Posts: 484 | From Burlingame, Ca | Registered: Sep 2005
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I'm very young and get them...so it's definitely not related to age.
Many dr's have noticed and they don't know quite what to do.
I have PCOS...I didn't know that could cause tremors?! Interesting.
It is not only embarassing (tremors) but it's also prohibiting. I can't do a lot of things because they're so bad.
As far as acne...I only break out when I don't bother to wash my face. These days I haven't had the energy to wash, tone, moisturize so my skin does change.
Posts: 215 | From Student | Registered: Oct 2007
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