I had been taking rifampicin, tinidazole and biaxin for a number of months, maybe 7 or 8 and had got to a level of health approx 85%, but had plateaued.
I recently started to run out of rifampicin so for 2 weeks cut back to 300mg (down from 600mg) then missed the dose for about 5 days or so. I couldn't get in for a new script and my doctor and I had been considering discontinuing this anyway.
Within this time I noticed symptoms returning - foot pain, sore toes, eye twitching, blurring and soreness, ringing ears, anxiety and numbness in my right lower leg and toes.
Is this the bart coming back? I remained on the tini and biaxin so Lyme looks to be covered here.
My doctor wants me to start Levaquin, but I am a little concerned. I plan to start slow and load up on magnesium as suggested, but I've read the horrow stories. Really not sure where to go.
I've temporarily gone back onto rifampicin and am now herxing bad today. Have been back on it for 10 days and feeling a bit better, but it seems it won't get rid of the bart after 6 months or more of therapy.
Help appreciated.
Kelly
-------------------- Sx Start Jan 08 (test neg, but herxing)Susp Lyme, Bart + Babs??
ABX Doxy 400mg + Amox 1g Jun - Sep 08 Rifampin 600mg + Biaxin 1000mg Tinidazole 1000mg/day - Sep 08 to June 08
Currently taking Salt/C 15g (himalayan salt)
85-90% better Posts: 231 | From Australia | Registered: May 2008
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I took Levaquin for one month with no problem.
My now-famous lyme doc told me that tendon problems with Levaquin are rare. So, just be on the look-out for a tendon problem possibly starting (pain) and let the doc know so you can stop the Levaquin before anything bad happens.
I took 500 mg per day.
After the Levaquin, I took Bactrim DS twice per day for about 10 months. This was to treat babesiosis, but my doc said it would hit bart also.
That's how I got rid of my bartonella. It's been 4 years now since I stopped treatment and I am symptom-free, enjoying my life.
Regular doctors are prescribing Levaquin to people for sore throats, etc. all the time. This med is not just given to lymies. But, we probably take it a little longer than patients with other illnesses.
Hope that eases your mind.
Have you studied the Burrascano lyme treatment guidelines? Levaquin is the treatment of choice for bart (levofloxacin is the generic name).
I reckon I'll just take the levaquin and see how I go.
I can guess given your location who your Dr is and I've read his book over and over again! I'm hoping I'm like the guy he discusses in the Bart section who relapsed after 1 week of stopping lyme meds because Bart hadn't been addressed properly, then once taking Levaquin went in to remission.
I'm allergic to bactrim - tried it about a month ago.
Yeah 85% is great, but I'm hoping to be like you one day.
Thanks again.
Kelly
-------------------- Sx Start Jan 08 (test neg, but herxing)Susp Lyme, Bart + Babs??
ABX Doxy 400mg + Amox 1g Jun - Sep 08 Rifampin 600mg + Biaxin 1000mg Tinidazole 1000mg/day - Sep 08 to June 08
Currently taking Salt/C 15g (himalayan salt)
85-90% better Posts: 231 | From Australia | Registered: May 2008
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posted
Kelly, Just today I added IV Levaquin to my protocol....750 mg on MWF. I am also nervous about the side effects. I take 400 mg of magnesium glycinate 2x day. Hope that is enough to keep tendon problems from occurring.
-------------------- IV graduate. As of 1/10, oral Omnicef, Minocyline, Mycobutin, Levaquin, and Flagyl. Lyrica and a bunch of supplements. Posts: 123 | From Atlanta | Registered: Mar 2009
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posted
Levaquin worked extremely well for my Bartonella. I herxed hard at the beginning and felt much better rather quickly. I was on 500 mg/day. I was on it for 6 months. I did have some tendon pain late in treatment, but no major tendon issues. I took about 1000 mg. magnesium glycinate (Metagenics brand) per day.
Unfortunately, the Levaquin didn't get rid of the Bart permanently, but it sure felt like it was gone during treatment.
I now use rizol "My" to keep it under control, along with Bicillin shots (which doesn't kill it off much, but seems to keep it from growing)
And adamm is correct - no NSAIDs for sure while on Levaquin.
Best of luck...
Posts: 443 | From The Wild West | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
The two biggest risk factors that have proven to increase the risk of tendon damage from the use of Quinalones are age (over 60), and the concurrent use of steroids.
IMO, magnesium supplementation while taking Levaquin is one of the main reasons why it fails to resolve the Bart (or BLO) infection.
I don't believe that any of the supplemental mag is strengthening the tendons at all, but rather it is helping to protect them by interfering with the drug. So what is really happening (IMO) is that instead of getting a 500 mg dose of levaquin, the high mag supps are reducing it to around half that dose.
Who knows for sure what the percentage of reduction is. Maybe it's only a 25% reduction, but that would still be enough to keep the Levaquin from doing the job that you want it to, esp if 500 mg is the minimum effective dose. Some Dr's believe that 750 mg is needed
Then on top of that, there is another other huge problem from supplementing with mag while trying to kill Bart.......that's what helps to keep it alive!!! Doh!
Yet Dr's continue to pass on the rumor that mag supps are necessary when using Quins, even though the drug companies don't recommend it. And most of the people here back that up. Is it any wonder that it isn't working for the long term?
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I was instructed by my doc to STOP magnesium supplements while I was on Levaquin.
My doc also does not allow caffeine use during lyme treatment. (And of course no sugar, alcohol, or smoking either. You are trying to fight off disease and boost your immune system.)
My treatment was successful.
Maybe body weight affects the necessary dosage. If so, I will offer that I weighed about 110 lbs while I was in treatment, just to give you the full picture.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
I'm not a fan of Levaquin since I had tendon issues with it while taking magnesium which I always do daily. It only took me 4 days of it to barely be able to walk, but I recovered in a month.
Shouldn't it causing absorption problems not be an issues as long as you don't take the levaquin within a few hours of magnesium?
Can you point me to a source that shows magnesium helps bart grow? I take it daily to help with constipation since it helps better than anything else I have tried. If it really is that bad then I should find something else to take instead.
Posts: 526 | From NJ | Registered: May 2007
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posted
Interesting points. I've read both sides of the magnesium issue too, one saying it helps stop the lyme/bart, etc going dormant (via starving) and your body to take it and the other saying it feeds it.
Who knows which one is right.
TF: Do you mind me asking what your dose of levaquin was, just so i can get an idea. I weight about 130 pounds (60kg).
I might just pump up the magnesium in the lead up weeks then stop and see how I go.
Thanks for the info.
Kelly
-------------------- Sx Start Jan 08 (test neg, but herxing)Susp Lyme, Bart + Babs??
ABX Doxy 400mg + Amox 1g Jun - Sep 08 Rifampin 600mg + Biaxin 1000mg Tinidazole 1000mg/day - Sep 08 to June 08
Currently taking Salt/C 15g (himalayan salt)
85-90% better Posts: 231 | From Australia | Registered: May 2008
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posted
I tested positive for Bart on the Fry smear and antibody test. Been on Levaquin for 3 months now and don't feel like I have made hardly any progress but I did make some decent progress on Doxy though.....
Posts: 458 | From Miss | Registered: Mar 2009
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posted
I was Levaquin in the beginning of treatment for Bart and it was amazing! The Bart came back a year later, but Lev is my favorite drug...I had no side effects at all!
Posts: 298 | From los angeles | Registered: Mar 2006
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Kelly, I took Levaquin 500 mg per day.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
kellyb, can you post sites or necessary info regarding the magnesium articles? I am treating Bart and was not told to stop taking it.
-------------------- TL Posts: 365 | From OK | Registered: Jul 2007
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
If it was acceptable to take the magnesium 2 hours or so after the Levaquin, then I doubt my doc would have told me that I had to stop the magnesium all together while on Levaquin treatment.
For example, he told me to take probiotics and other such things at least 2 hours after antibiotics. But, not so with the magnesium and Levaquin.
So, it seems to me there must be something else going on with these 2 things.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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My doc told me to wait two hours between taking Magnesium and Levaquin.
I started taking it about two months ago. It seemed to start working after about one month.
My Bart symptoms have always been there, but Babesiosis and Lyme seemed to take center stage. Then when I was finally feeling nearly cured, the bottoms of the feet and arm/shoulder pain set in.
I felt like I was walking on rocks. My brain fog has lifted quite a bit, but now it seems that although I feel more clear headed, there are some things I can't remember; like the names of sports celebreties I'm interested in, or things having to do with my job...yipes.
Today I tried to calculate the power by multiplying voltage by the frequency instead of the current. A coworker had to prod me to do it correctly. It may not seem trivial to you, but that is my bread and butter. Getting by on my personality and whatever I can dig out of my brain for now.
Posts: 152 | From West Palm Bech, FL | Registered: May 2008
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
tthats good news anthro
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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