I am about to start taking Diflucan for Lyme (not to treat yeast - but to treat Lyme). Before I start I wanted to find out about any side effects, possibly lesser known side effects which you don't read about, in which I should look out for. I'm a bit scared to take any new drugs these days after having a bad experience with Levaquin (I got *floxed* which lasted 6 months and I still have residual effects). I'm also interested in anyones experience as to whether diflucan helped with Lyme? Thanks in advance! Scottie
Posts: 90 | From massachusetts | Registered: Aug 2006
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
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Hi Scottie.
I am going into my 6th round of diflucan treatment for Lyme.
A couple of things that immediately spring to mind are hair loss and dry hair.
I do 60 days of 200mg a day followed by 14 days off.
Then repeat protocol.
I've done well with it. No liver enzyme issues.
Plus it has helped keep the yeastie beasties at bay.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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I have been on it for almost two months and I am not sure what its doing for Lyme but yeast is much better. I had bad toenail fungus. My hair is falling out as well - but not so bad.
Posts: 128 | From MICHIGAN | Registered: May 2008
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richedie
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I was on it for Lyme but my second LLMD said there was one study on Diflucon for Lyme but it was unreliable so she wanted me to start abx/mepron, etc for Lyme and co-infections. There is a lot of debate on whether or not diflucon works for Lyme and coinfections. So, for those who it has helped...what were your symptoms? any coinfections? I am wondering if I can do the Diflucon and continue with my doctor while doing the mepron and abx with the other doc???? Anyone know? The doc giving me the Diflucon said I could do abx at the same time but not thyroid meds so basically he gave a choice, thyroid meds and diflucon or abx and diflucon. My second and new LLMD said she does not like thyroid meds like Synthroid because it does not help the thyroid and can cause it to use synthroid as a crutch rather than making its own.
I don't understand how Diflucon or Fluconazole can work. It goes after fungus, not bacteria and parasites!
Anyone do Diflucon and antibiotics???
For those of you on Diflucon, do you have to follow a no starch diet???
Thanks.
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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gemofnj
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All,
Not sure what this worth-found this article related to Diflucan for Lyme:
And then here is the interview with the doctor from immunesupport.com. This is alot of reading but very interesting:
A New Approach to Chronic Lyme Disease
ImmuneSupport.com
05-11-2005
Advertisement
By Jill Neimark
In May of this year I sat down at the beautiful Essex House on Central Park South, with a German physician specializing in internal medicine, Fritz Schardt.
Dr. Schardt, who is associated with the University of Wurzburg in Germany, published an interesting pilot study in the European Journal of Medical Research in July of 2004 on the use of an antifungal drug, fluconazole, in treating chronic, advanced lyme disease.
This pilot study examined 11 patients with chronic lyme. Dr. Schardt has slowly refined the protocol since then, and believes it holds great promise in treating this difficult condition--which is often misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Here follows our interview:
Jill Neimark (JN): What made you think of using diflucan, an antifungal, to treat lyme disease?
Dr. Fritz Schardt (FS): I was actually my first patient. I got lyme disease in 1989, and was given two weeks of doxycycline. Our country follows the protocols set by yours, so that's what is generally recommended.
I now know that was very inadequate and I do not think doxycycline should be used in early lyme disease at all. It is only bacteriostatic, meaning it inhibits the bacteria but does not kill them.
JN: I know, the same thing happened to me. At the doses they recommend, it also does not penetrate the central nervous system.
I had a fever, stiff neck and bullseye rash. The stiff neck means it was already in my nervous system. Therefore I probably needed six to eight weeks of doxycycline at double the dose I was given. Higher doses will penetrate the CNS.
FS: Right. I recommend penicillin in early lyme disease.
JN: Amoxicillin is given here. Is that what you recommend?
FS: No, that's broad spectrum, so you end up killing many bacteria, including necessary ones in your gut. I recommend smaller spectrum penicillins.
The syphilis spirochete has not become resistant to penicillin, and there's good evidence that borrelia, the lyme spirochete, has not either.
In Germany, we have cefalosporine, roxithromycin, cotrim-TMPO, and clarithromycin. These are all good choices. They should still be taken for 20-30 days.
JN: Okay, well, you took doxycycline so you ended up with chronic lyme disease. What happened then?
FS: I was sick for 18 months. I was given intravenous rocephin several times. I would feel better, but then once I stopped taking the antibiotics, I relapsed.
I was often bedridden and I thought I was ready for the wheelchair. Then, I developed a fungal infection, possibly because of all the antibiotics. So I was put on diflucan. This was around 1990. It was a new drug that was being used mainly for opportunistic fungal infections in AIDS patients.
JN: And what happened?
FS: I got better. But I only stayed on it for two weeks at first, and then I got worse again. So I went back on it for 30 days, and I got well.
JN: What was the dose?
FS: I took 100 milligrams twice a day.
JN: Are you completely well?
FS: I am very active and energetic and I feel quite well. I have since competed in athletic events and won them. However, I do have an occasional heart arrhythmia that I believe may be due to permanent damage from the spirochete.
JN: Tell me your reasoning as to why diflucan might work in chronic lyme.
FS: There are several reasons. First of all, it inhibits an enzyme called cytochrome P450. This is an enzyme that your liver, for instance, uses to detoxify chemicals and drugs.
Borrelia has a very primitive p450 defense, so if you inhibit it, it is easily weakened. Therefore I believe that diflucan inhibits the growth and replication of borrelia.
It does not necessarily kill it. In addition, it penetrates well into the cells and into the nervous system and brain, where borrelia may hide.
JN: What is your current protocol?
FS: I recommend 200 milligrams a day, for 50 days. There are now 200 milligram pills available, so once a day is fine. Then I recommend 20-30 days of any of the penicillins I mentioned.
You may have to go through several cycles of this protocol. You must also be very aware of other drugs that act on the p450 enzyme system, specifically a subset that inhibits CYP3A4.
You should not be taking any of these drugs at the same time as you take diflucan.
JN: What are some of these drugs?
FS: There are many, and it's best to check with your doctor. Some common ones are erythromycin, amitryptylin, midazolam, Lovastatin, and others.
JN: I hate antibiotics. Do you have to take the penicillin?
FS: I understand, many lyme patients come to hate antibiotics because they have to take so many of them for so many years and are still ill. In fact, I also was made ill by the antibiotics.
JN: They really disrupt your digestion.
FS: Right, that was my problem.
JN: So, this protocol is your best one-two punch against borrelia, but you don't have to take the antibiotics if you truly hate them.
FS: Right. In addition, diflucan has a slow half-life so it can slowly build up in your bloodstream. Sometimes patients call me after a few weeks and say they are feeling very ill on the protocol.
Perhaps it's a herxheimer, or perhaps it's that the levels of diflucan are higher than they can tolerate. So I say, take a 3 or 4 day pause, and then go back on the protocol. This is perfectly acceptable.
JN: What happens if you have a weak p450 system? Have any of your patients have raised liver enzymes from the diflucan?
FS: I have been lucky, not one of my patients have had raised enzymes. It is generally well tolerated. If it is a problem, however, you can lower the dose of diflucan. This would be overseen by your doctor. I recommend 100 milligrams in pediatric cases.
JN: How many patients have you treated now?
FS: At least eighty.
JN: What is the most difficult case you've had?
FS: I have one 75-year-old patient who has had lyme for 18 years. He was very ill. He has had to do this cycle of diflucan and penicillin 3 times.
He is much, much better. In fact, he's so happy with his improvement he called the drug manufacturer to tell them they need to run a publicity campaign to promote diflucan for chronic lyme disease.
JN: Some patients on some internet groups are adapting your protocol, probably in concert with their doctors, and I'd like to know what you think of this.
They are suggesting staying on diflucan for 9 months, and some of them are adding in low-dose minocycline. Are you aware of this?
FS: No, I am not aware of this.
JN: What do you think of the idea?
FS: I believe in the narrow-spectrum penicillins for borrelia, not the cyclines.
JN: What about 9 months?
FS: That remains to be seen. Perhaps, like tuberculosis, some patients will need to be on diflucan at least six months or more.
Borrelia is a very sophisticated organism, and one of the few bacterium with two cell membranes. There is much we still have to learn about it.
Posts: 1127 | From atlantic city, nj | Registered: May 2008
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richedie
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I heard that study was questionable.
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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Diflucan got rid of my NASTY headaches and most of my neck pain. I LOVE it! I would say that it is the one med that I saw the most improvement with.
I occassionally get the weird headaches, but nothing like before. When I first start taking it I get horrible cramping and diarrhea. Just feel down right blah.
That lasts about 5-7 days and then it gets better. I would assume that is yeast die off. I took it with antibiotics too. I look forward to getting back on it.
I was on it for 6-7 months straight, 200mg a day. No problems with liver enzymes. Good luck! I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.
My understanding is that Diflucan does not kill lyme per say like an abx, but inhibits some specific enzymes that Lyme needs to live or reproduce.
My LLMD who has treated thousands of Lyme patients reports good results w. Diflucan. I think this is part of what you are paying for with a LLMD, is their experience in seeing results and outcomes with patients.
Otherwise if he says it works I trust him.
-------------------- Positive 10 bands WB IGG & IGM + Babesia + Bartonolla and NOW RMSF 3/5/09 all at Quest
posted
I'm in the middle of my 3rd month of Diflucan with Zith.
Titrating up.. started out taking the Diflucan every 3rd day. I now take it every other day. I'm taking it for yeast problems (leaky gut) and also for Lyme
I have definately noticed less yeast problems. My tounge isn't white and furry looking anymore... thats new for me. I like!
I have not had any problems with liver enzymes going up so far either.
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richedie
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I wa told I have no yeast problems so is it worth it? It depends if I want to consider seeing both of my Lyme docs - one swears by Diflucon and one thinks it is a waste unless you have yeast issues.
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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