Lyme Treatment

[Scholzie22]

Hello,

I am not sure how long I have had Lyme disease but I recently was diagnosed about 3 months ago. My current treatment is as follows:

Minocin 100 MG twice daily
Biaxin 500 MG every 12 hours
Flagyl 500 MG three times daily
Samento (30 drops daily)
Banderol (30 drops daily)

NAC 1200 MG twice daily
VSL #3 one half 900 billion uniys twice daily
Nattokinase 100 MG once daily
Zinc 30 MG once daily
Saccharomyces boulardii once daily
Garlic soft gel 1000 MG once daily

I also take Coconut oil daily as well as homemade Kefir daily.

My Questions:

1. How do I know that treatment is actually working?
2. If treatment is working, how long until I am well again?
3. Will the anxiety, depression, and mind set get better with treatment?
4. Is there anything else I can do to speed up the recovery process?
5. Is it safe to take adderall? Seems to be the only thing that seems to give me energy.

FYI: I am 25 year old male

[mojogal]

I had 3 co-infections and they all required different meds.

Depression and anxiety are a common side effect of Lyme/Co's. The herbal way is with Gabba which helps with serotonin. I had to go on scripts because the anxiety was so bad.

[JackieCalifornia]

Yes, I have heard of Dr Horowitz.  

I would be a little concerned tho that they do not know which of the half dozen or more co-infections you may have -- they don't all respond to the same meds.  I had Lyme and babesiosis, and the meds were entirely different for each infection.  They may have made some assumptions about what you have, and you may want to inquire if all infections respond to the same meds, and see what kind of answer you get.

Keep us posted.

[Scholzie22]

Jackie,

My doctor works closely with Dr. Horowitz who is a big Lyme doctor. She said that she isn't going to test for co-infections she just assumes that I have them so she will treat them as well. I am not sure what meds treat what infections I am just following her advice right now.

I just don't know which symptoms are from the Lyme and which symptoms are caused by mental instability. I lost my job and was a college athlete and now I sit around the house most of the day which is tough. I am sure that most people are worse off than I though my main symptoms are fatigue and brain fog/ no emotions.

I will keep you updated with my progress in hopes that others can use my situation and apply it to theirs.

[JackieCalifornia]

Welcome to MedHelp Lyme --

We've all been where you are, in one way or another -- and Lyme can be different in each person, so your treatment and experience may not be the same as anyone else's -- just sayin', so you aren't bothered by the differences you read here or elsewhere.

I was on some of the same meds you are (Biaxin and Flagyl), but my doc wasn't into supplements/vitamins, tho I think they are helpful to a body that's been through the mill with Lyme.  I take a bunch of them every day now, but I ended Lyme treatment (successfully) several years ago.

Were you tested for any other infections that the same ticks often bring?  These co-infections can be as troublesome as Lyme, but often need different meds.  

I took S.boulardii (the 'good' yeast) too, but had problems with it -- my doc said he had never seen that in anyone, and it may be I'm just overly sensitive to it.  The concept behind it is good, in that it 're-seeds' your digestive tract with good bacteria after the antibiotics have killed the Lyme bacteria.  If you get a lot of gut bloating and red eyes, tell you doc, but chances are small that will happen, so don't worry about it.

One thing you might try for the anxiety is magnesium -- it's very soothing to the whole body.  I have read that the American diet is often deficient in magnesium (Mg), and Lyme also uses up Mg in the body.  I have tried several varieties of Mg supplements, and have read that any kind ending in '-ate' (such as Mg malate, orotate, asparatate, etc.) is most absorbable.  I found one I really liked that is a combo of Mg citrate, aspartate and orotate to be really good, but that could just be an individual difference.

Garlic also fights yeast overgrowth, and Kefir and coconut oil too, so I read.  I also take Coconut oil daily as well as homemade Kefir daily.
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To your questions:

1. How do I know that treatment is actually working?

Mainly, you'll know by blood tests the doc will do.  How soon you *feel* better depends on several things like how run down you were when treatment started, and whether you have co-infections that the doc may have tested for.  

2. If treatment is working, how long until I am well again?

Unless your infection was very recent, it may take at least several months to feel better, and could be longer.  My body was pretty well trashed, and then I had problems with the yeast, so I'm not a good measuring stick.  I know someone who was in treatment at the same time I was and sailed through treatment, no problems, and felt pretty normal a few months after treatment was done.  Everybody is different.

3. Will the anxiety, depression, and mind set get better with treatment?

It should, but magnesium can help with that too.  If Mg doesn't do it within a few weeks, ask your doc about prescription meds as a possibility.

4. Is there anything else I can do to speed up the recovery process?

Rest, sleep, walk a bit if you are up to it, and eat healthy foods freshly prepared rather than with lots of additives.

5. Is it safe to take adderall? Seems to be the only thing that seems to give me energy.

Good question.  It's worth asking the doc about if you need it to keep up at work etc., but if you're tired, it may just be your body struggling to fight the infection, and in that case, be kind to your body and rest, exercising gently, but not overdoing it.  Your energy will come back when your body is well and fully rested.

Hope that helps.  Let us know how it goes, okay?