I have gone through most threads on here regarding Plaquenil and have read about the muscle weakness and am trying to determine if my reaction was herx or side effect.
About a week ago I switched to 1000mg of Biaxin, 200mg of Minocycline and just yesterday added Plaquenil to the bunch.
Yesterday morning was my first dose of Plaquenil, I took 200mg with the 500mg Biaxin.
Everything was going smoothly, until about 4 hours later I got nailed by complete muscle weakness throughout my body, that mainly hung around my thighs.
I also began to feel sick, and had to make it to the couch where I remianed the rest of the night. Then this morning, I am feeling sick and a little sluggish.
Now I am leaning towards herx because all 3 of these medications are new to my system, I was tolerating the Biaxin and Mino pretty well on their own, but once I added that Plaquenil my body just gave way.
I see Plaquenil has a pretty safe track record and am hoping this reaction wasn't a side effect. I am a little hesitant to take the Plaquenil again this morning, but im going to.
I want to see if the same reaction hits. I understand Plaquenil is a cyst buster, I just rotated from Clindamycin, Doxycycline, Alinia to this new combo.
If this sick feeling has carried all the way to this morning, that sounds more like a herx yeah?? or am i wrong in that thinking? Today I plan to try and take it real easy, I think I may be underestimating this new combo.
Maybe this is the herx that has been building up, and I just wasn't ready for it, and the plaquenil was the straw that broke the dam. I suppose its another time will tell situation.
Overall I just feel more flu-like and weak, just generally crappy. I'm hoping this doesn't last to long as I still need to get to 400mg of Plaquenil and 300mg of Mino hah, that may take some time.
Thanks for listening, I appreciate it. - Trevor
Posts: 59 | From Arizona | Registered: May 2008
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Check your PM. One other thing that is helping a little bit with the sicky feelling is a detox kit I use with nux vomica (relieves nausea, vomiting, cramps) www.heelusa.com detox-kit.
posted
So I ended up taking the full 400mg yesterday, it had me wiped again, with fatigue, increased fog, muscle weakness, just overall feeling worse.
I am still stuck on whether to stick with this med or not, so far im going to try to.
This morning I feel like crap, the plaquenil made me wake up way to early and I couldn't get of bed. So its also effecting my sleep now.
I just feel off, I can't decipher if its its the combo of Biaxin and Plaq or just the Plaquenil itself, or if its a herx or a side effect. I really hate this part of starting a new drug.
I suppose I will give it a couple days, or see just how crappy I end up feeling today. I want to stay the course but am feeling like hell at the moment, and if this is doesn't let up I won't be able to stay on it.
Thanks for listening.
Posts: 59 | From Arizona | Registered: May 2008
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
When I took plaq and then looked at my scope to see what was happening, I found that plaq seems to kill the lyme hatchlings.
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tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
Your post caught my attention mainly because I'm actually on IV Rochephin, but with that, my doctor also put me on Biaxin and Plaquinil.
I've been having very similar reactions to what you are discussing and between weakness and feeling so darn sick to my stomach, I'm laying on the tracks, just waiting for the next train to hit me again and again.
I've been blaming the IV all this time, but hey....perhaps it could be the Plaquinil.
I'm in such a fog that I know I didn't do you one bit of good to your question, but did want to say I can honestly relate to your feeling and will keep watching to see if someone responds to you that knows something, sinc I sure don't.
Try to hang in there.
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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luvs2ride
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Member # 8090
posted
My doctor had me ramp up plaquenil slowly. I started with 1 pill every other day for 1 week, then 1 pill a day for the next week, then 2 pills a day. That is still my dose and I have done very well with this.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
My daughter does fine on the Biaxin but we have tried adding the Plaquenel 3 times now and she is flat on her back for about 3 days each time. I tend to think it's the Plaquenel. SHe has a horrible headache from it at first, then the overall body pain becomes unbearable for her.
She did fine the first dose, but after the second day this all starts. I am hesitant to even start pulsing it as the Biaxin alone does wonders.
Posts: 93 | From Midwest | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
Last Sun. I started on Zith 250 mg bid, plaqenil 200 mg bid, and a bicillin shot the next day. Have not had any herxing yet, except now for the last 2 nights haven't been able to sleep.
Anyone else go on abx and not herx, or hasn't it been long enough yet?
Posts: 847 | From upstateNY | Registered: Dec 2007
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
This post really wants to make me not take Plaquenil. How scary. My doc prescribed 400 mg a day. Being flat on my back is not a good thing. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
Just remember, not everyone is the same. I'm taking 400 mg a day and have had no herxing yet.
Posts: 847 | From upstateNY | Registered: Dec 2007
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
I have a scope and wittnessed first hand what plaq does to lyme.
This is what I saw: plaq with appearently any other abx kills the lyme hatchlings...and I had tons of them.
I do believe plaq kills the hatchlings also.
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posted
jamescase== so how much of it does one need to get in their system before the hatchlings are killed? Dr C has her taking it as part of a 20 day rotation -- so 20 days total. Heck she can't get 4 of them in a month's time.
I know Dr C is big on not continuing an Abx if the herx gets too bad, but we have had to do this with a few of them after a couple weeks -- some not even that long. My gut is he will have her stop the Plaq all together and maybe try it again later.
Posts: 93 | From Midwest | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
Thanks for chiming in everyone, I am still feeling pretty horrible on the plaquenil but keeping the dose at 400mg a day and seeing if I can get by.
Last night I had some real bad nausea from it, and also the insomnia its creating is killing me. The overall weakness is terrible aswell.
Still I don't believe im giving the drug enough time, this is only 4 days in. If this is a herx I gotta give it more time and see if it lets up some.
The plaquenil and biaxin combo have been so good for so many that i really want to stay on it and see if I can gain some ground with it.
My neuro lyme is so bad, im hoping this will be the combo to crack it along with the Minocycline im taking.
I will keep you guys posted, so far still feeling terrible. Hopefully this lets up soon as i really want to stay with this protocol. But if it doesn't lessen up I might have to bag the plaquenil.
Posts: 59 | From Arizona | Registered: May 2008
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
These symptoms, when not an allergic reaction or side effect, generally indicate that your body is not detoxing at a rate fast enough to keep up with the die off.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
The anxiety being created is killing me at the moment, its full body and in my brain just constant feeling uneasy and anxiety.
Can't focus or relax, and it doesn't seem to be letting up. This anxiety is creating tons of stress which is probably making me even worse.
If i can't shake this anxiety im going to drop this protocol because its horrible, i'll give it till tuesday thats when I can call my llmd and see what he thinks, but i dont know if this much anxiety comes with a herx, doesn't make sense. I think the anxiety may be a side effect.
Posts: 59 | From Arizona | Registered: May 2008
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I'm sorry you're having a rough time. I'm on day 14 and sick as a dog too, but I'm hoping this is a good sign! The anxiety makes sense, it is a physiological response to stress, the die-off.
For sleep, I use 200mg 5HTP, 3mg Melatonin, 1,000mg Valerian, and Ativan, Klonopin is also good. For anxiety I use GABA.
I'm not having as much anxiety as I was in the beginning, my gut is what is killing me. I've gotten really sick a few times.
Oh, I also am doing powdered buffered Vit C flushes to help with detox and yeast.
posted
hey, My son takes zithromaz 250 mg once a day minocycline 100mg 2 x day plaquenil 200 mg : 1/2 tab 2 times a day. ] he's been doing great on it..but when he just herxed at 4 weeks, it was horrible..very sick, nauseus, fatigued, dizzy, body aches, and horrible stomach pain...
it was 3 days of this herx..no it has stopped again and he is doing great on this combo..no more anxiety /agression at all!
Lisa
Posts: 14 | From Rhode Island | Registered: Sep 2008
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Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
I will give my 2 cents.
I was taking Zithromax at the time that I added Plaquenil. The next day I began feeling lots of neck stiffness, sore arms and legs (tops of legs, tops of arms), and a flu-like feeling.
Though I had a week or so at one point where it was tolerable, about 4 weeks in it was still getting worse, and the mucles at that point were just weak and my hands, etc just felt floppy.
There was a study here someone posted (I will try to find the link) where it was saying Plaquenil helps Zithromax penetrate the cells. Since Biaxin and Zithromax are similar antibiotics, I believe Plaquenil would allow Biaxin to also penetrate better.
Thus, it could be cysts being busted, but it could also be that your Biaxin is "super strength" right now thanks to the Plaquenil.
I got concerned about my muscle weakness. At the six week mark on Plaquenil, I found a website that listed muscle weakness as a "severe" side effect. When I combined it with the fact that I was getting "lightening of hair" (another obscure side effect, though not classified as "severe" on this list), I was scared and decided to stop.
I talked to my LLMD today, and he said that see if these things get better, and maybe restart it later on.
I don't know though. I know they say the eye sympotms are the only ones we need to really be afraid of, but on the site I was looking at where it broke side effects down into "severe" or "not severe"....the only severe ones were anything having to do with eyes, and muscle weakness.
So that was enough to scare me. Not saying you should be scared, but that was my rationale for stopping.
Keep in mind, I waited 6 weeks, so I wouldn't suggest you stop now until you try to figure out what is going on and if it is going to stick around.
I feel like the Plaquenil was "doing something" so it is a shame I went off it. Maybe eventually i'll start back up.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
That is the study I was referring to. It basically says that Plaquenil and a macrolide work synergistically. Macrolide antibiotics are Zithromax and Biaxin, among others. Hydroxycholoroquine is Plaquenil. Keep that in mind when reading the study.
So either you are herxing (which this article would shed light on) or it's a plaquenil side effect
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
I agree with Scott, detox is key.
Consider taking a supplement called GABA for the anxiety. Check with your lyme doctor to make sure he approves. It knocks my anxiety out within a few days.
Maybe you have a bad case of babs? Plaquenil is used for protozoan infections.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
Trevor. I don't know where you are now with the Plaquinil.
My daughter started it last week. After two doses, she couldn't keep her left eye open. We feared it was the beginning of Bell's Palsy.
The doctor we share, said it was a herx/flare. She backed off, only took it 2-3 days a week.
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