LymeNet Home LymeNet Home Page LymeNet Flash Discussion LymeNet Support Group Database LymeNet Literature Library LymeNet Legal Resources LymeNet Medical & Scientific Abstract Database LymeNet Newsletter Home Page LymeNet Recommended Books LymeNet Tick Pictures Search The LymeNet Site LymeNet Links LymeNet Frequently Asked Questions About The Lyme Disease Network LymeNet Menu

LymeNet on Facebook

LymeNet on Twitter




The Lyme Disease Network receives a commission from Amazon.com for each purchase originating from this site.

When purchasing from Amazon.com, please
click here first.

Thank you.

LymeNet Flash Discussion
Dedicated to the Bachmann Family

LymeNet needs your help:
LymeNet 2020 fund drive


The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations.

LymeNet Flash Post New Topic  New Poll  Post A Reply
my profile | directory login | register | search | faq | forum home

  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» LymeNet Flash » Questions and Discussion » Medical Questions » HELP! Herx or bad side effect??

 - UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!    
Author Topic: HELP! Herx or bad side effect??
kylasrain
Member
Member # 12031

Icon 4 posted      Profile for kylasrain   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Hi all,

I started Rifampin, Minocycline and Hydroxychloroquine 3 days ago. Today I woke up feeling dizzy and drunk. Thankfully I didn't have to work, but couldn't even drive.

Now its 3am and after tossing and turning for 5 hours, I am staring at my computer screen bleary-eyed at 3am trying not to panic. My heart is beating fast but I'm exhausted. My eyes are tired, I'm naseous, my arms and legs feel hot then cold then kind numb, but achy.

I feel numb, like throwing up, anxious, exhausted and now a little scared. What do I do? Is it the Rifampin? I have to be up for work in 3 hours...I'm a high school science teacher.

Is this normal????!!!

--------------------
http://kylahikeson.blogspot.com

Posts: 97 | From CA | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
proudmom
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 15532

Icon 1 posted      Profile for proudmom   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Boy that's a tough one. Hard to say what's normal or not when it comes to those little buggers.

I'm only on Rifampin and at half the dose I read about here. That was one of my chief complaints, running around the house holding onto the walls etc. like a drunken sailor.

Sorry not much help, just wanted to let you know I'm having a similar issue.

Hope it gets better for you soon,

proudmom

--------------------
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"--Carl Sagan

Posts: 317 | From Kansas and New Jersey | Registered: May 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lymetoo
Moderator
Member # 743

Icon 1 posted      Profile for Lymetoo     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Good grief!!! ONE of those three can put a big man down for the count!!! But all three????

I've also never heard of taking that mix .. pretty scary to me.

I would call your LLMD and ask to begin with one drug at a time so you know which drug is causing the problem.

Could indeed be a herx ... but with that mix, who knows???

--------------------
--Lymetutu--
Opinions, not medical advice!

Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
liesandmorelies
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 15323

Icon 1 posted      Profile for liesandmorelies     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Wow, now that's quite a cocktail!!! [dizzy]

I would call your LLMD asap and run it by him/her to make sure it's not a reaction.

Hope you get feeling better soon.

--------------------
aka: Lyme Warrior

In order to do "real" science, you have to have a "real" conversation with nature.

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History!

"Just Demand your Rights"

Posts: 869 | From nor - cal | Registered: Apr 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
ldfighter
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 9405

Icon 1 posted      Profile for ldfighter     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
That kind of dizziness is very common with minocycline and usually goes away. It's an inner ear thing, hit me bad in the morning too, clutching walls and everything.

The rest sounds very much like a herx to me but call your LLMD if you're concerned. If you search this board you'll find many threads about herxing on minocycline and the mino + rifampin combo.

Posts: 621 | From US | Registered: Jun 2006  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
sixgoofykids
Moderator
Member # 11141

Icon 1 posted      Profile for sixgoofykids   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
I took those drugs together (plus Malarone and Lariam).

I generally start one at a time, wait three days, then add the next.

I got those kind of herxes .... I'd be very off balance. I've needed sleep meds .... you might tell your LLMD if the insomnia continues as you need your sleep to heal.

--------------------
sixgoofykids.blogspot.com

Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347

Icon 1 posted      Profile for cactus     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Please call your LLMD.

I had a similar reaction - hot/cold, chills, nausea, dizzy, much more - and toughed it out thinking "herx." I should have called LLMD, but didn't (have since been scolded).

There is a very small subset of patients who cannot detox rifampin, genetically we lack the gene that creates the necessary pathway in the liver. Continuing the Rifampin just made me more and more toxic. That can be dangerous.

Rifampin is an excellent med, and you could be herxing (esp with all those meds you started!), but do call your LLMD just in case.

Maybe you could back off one or two and add them back slowly, one at a time.

--------------------
�Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne

Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
liesandmorelies
LymeNet Contributor
Member # 15323

Icon 1 posted      Profile for liesandmorelies     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Cactus,

That is exactly ehat I was thinking too.

Maybe back off one or two and add back in slowly so you can perhaps tell which one is making you feel so bad.

Hope you feel better.

Elizabeth

--------------------
aka: Lyme Warrior

In order to do "real" science, you have to have a "real" conversation with nature.

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History!

"Just Demand your Rights"

Posts: 869 | From nor - cal | Registered: Apr 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
kylasrain
Member
Member # 12031

Icon 1 posted      Profile for kylasrain   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Thank you so much for the replies!

Yesterday was hell at work and I was really scared. I stopped taking the meds yesterday and left a message for the LLMD. (Still waiting to hear back). Although sleep deprived, I started to feel a little better.

Last night (no meds) I woke up twice drenched in sweat. I haven't had night sweats for about a year (I've tested negative for babs/positive for bart.)

I think something was causing a herx, but I'm going to recommend starting one med at a time to find out which one...thanks for the advice! Also, thanks for the info about minocycline...I'd only searched posts for Rifampin.

Kyla

PS...besides probiotics, how to we comfort our stomach with all these pills? It there anything I can drink, eat, etc? My stomach feels perpetually bloated and unhappy [Frown]

--------------------
http://kylahikeson.blogspot.com

Posts: 97 | From CA | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lymetoo
Moderator
Member # 743

Icon 1 posted      Profile for Lymetoo     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
The bloating may be a sign you already are having yeast issues.

Be sure to follow a sugar-free, bread-free diet! Limit fruit, eliminate pasta and white foods.

What brand of probiotic do you have?

Be sure to eat food with each dosage of abx. I don't care what the drug info says, I eat food with every abx..... I value my stomach!

I'm glad you're a bit better today!! Be sure to keep an eye on babesia symptoms. You can have it without a positive test. Happens all the time.

Have a great day!! [Smile]

--------------------
--Lymetutu--
Opinions, not medical advice!

Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lymetoo
Moderator
Member # 743

Icon 1 posted      Profile for Lymetoo     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Foods safe to eat:

Low carb breads by Atkins, low carb and Ezekiel breads by Food for Life, low carb tortillas, brown rice bread, low carb pasta and noodles

vegetables of color .. green, yellow, red, purple, etc... like squash, broccoli, cabbage, kale, bok choy, sweet potatoes, celery, spinach, romaine lettuce, collard greens, broccoli slaw, brown rice, basmati rice, millet

olive oil, lemon, organic apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, limit to 1 oz sugar-free dressing daily

eggs, plain yogurt [NO sugar or fruit added], small amounts of butter, UNsweetened soy milk, Keto milk, kefir

chicken, fish, and turkey, baked or broiled, not fried

Snacks....seeds and nuts...pumpkin seeds, celery with almond butter, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened soy butter, roasted soy nuts

Fruits...Granny Smith apples, lemons, limes....fresh or frozen only

Beverages....WATER, herbal teas like Pau D'Arco, Echinacea, and aloe vera

FOODS TO AVOID:

Sugars: white sugar, honey, aspartame, equal, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, most fruits, canned fruits and fruit juices, syrups, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, chocolate

White flour breads and products: hot dog buns, hamburger buns, bread sticks, crackers, whole wheat breads, prepared foods with bread crumb coating, noodles, pasta

white veggies: potatoes, white rice, grits, also corn and all canned vegetables

alcohol and fermented foods, including soy sauce and cider, ginger ale, beer, wine, vinegar, sauerkraut, pickles, relishes, most dressings

dairy products....milk, cheese, ice cream, flavored yogurt

red meats, pork, bacon, sandwich meats, salami, bologna, hot dogs, sausage, etc

peanuts, peanut butter, pistachios

all other fresh and canned fruits and fruit juices not on the "safe" list

Beverages: colas, sodas, fruit juices, pop, sugared drinks, coffee, or caffeinated teas and drinks, fruit punch, etc

--------------------
--Lymetutu--
Opinions, not medical advice!

Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
kylasrain
Member
Member # 12031

Icon 1 posted      Profile for kylasrain   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Thanks or the list Tutu!

--------------------
http://kylahikeson.blogspot.com

Posts: 97 | From CA | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019

Icon 1 posted      Profile for TheCrimeOfLyme     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
God bless your heart. ALL THREE? At the same TIME?

I cried my eyes out and thought I was dying on just rifampin and doxy. Some of us just CANT do full doses of anything, let alone full doses of three different meds!

Back down off that stuff and talk to your LLMD.

--------------------
You want your life back? Take it.

Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
kylasrain
Member
Member # 12031

Icon 1 posted      Profile for kylasrain   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
Talked to doc. office...

Going to start back on minocycline first, then wait a few days, then Rifampin, then hydroxychloroquine.

Said the mino probably caused the dizziness and if it didn't go away, then to call for the un-generic kind. (Mino-blah blah blah). If the Rifampin causes sleeplessness to call for sleeping pills or we'll have to switch to doxycycline (booo!)

Office lady didn't seemed fazed at my results...I was like, "Hello! I thought I was going to die!! Thanks for taking two days to call me back!" (No, I didn't say that of course; I'm grateful just to have a decent doctor after the stories I've read on here!)

This time I'm going to be prepared. Sub lesson plans ready to go (I teach), a friend ready to deliver, etc.

I'll keep ya posted. It's hard making yourself take a pill that you know is making you really sick, huh? [Frown]

Thanks again for being there when I needed you guys! xoxo

Kyla

--------------------
http://kylahikeson.blogspot.com

Posts: 97 | From CA | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
kylasrain
Member
Member # 12031

Icon 2 posted      Profile for kylasrain   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote 
SO, back on minocycline. I've been on it now since Friday...today is day 4.

I'm still spinning with vertigo and my head is throbbing. How long does it usually take for the vertigo to subside? I missed work today...

Kyla [Frown]

--------------------
http://kylahikeson.blogspot.com

Posts: 97 | From CA | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
   

Quick Reply
Message:

HTML is not enabled.
UBB Code� is enabled.

Instant Graemlins
   


Post New Topic  New Poll  Post A Reply Close Topic   Feature Topic   Move Topic   Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:


Contact Us | LymeNet home page | Privacy Statement

Powered by UBB.classic™ 6.7.3


The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:

The Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey
907 Pebble Creek Court, Pennington, NJ 08534 USA


| Flash Discussion | Support Groups | On-Line Library
Legal Resources | Medical Abstracts | Newsletter | Books
Pictures | Site Search | Links | Help/Questions
About LymeNet | Contact Us

© 1993-2020 The Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Use of the LymeNet Site is subject to Terms and Conditions.