Biaxin side effect or herx? Very worried

[takethat89]

It has only been 2 days on the abx and i do have lots of nerve irritation it seems. I get tingling, numbness, cramps, twitching, and pain specifically in my arms, although my calf muscles often feeling tight and heavy and my feet get random vibration sensations and my legs get numbness and tingling also as well as random shooting pains.

So the first night after taking the second pill i got this really weird burning sensation in my fingertips that lasted about 10 mins. The burning felt really hot and i have never experienced this before. Then after todays pill all my hand issues disappeared except for the stiffness feeling in them, but i randomly started to feel extremely achy in my legs, really weak achy knees, and i felt like both hip bones were severely bruised.

Later i started to get pain in the right leg only. It isn't a shooting pain but a constant painful type pain. I took a hot bath which while i was in it relieved this, but 10 mins after the bath the pain came back again, and i have never had pain in my leg like this before. It lasted until about noon today and then went off. Both legs feel pretty heavy although the right one is much worse. I have also had some numbness and feel like it is hard to walk.

Does this sound like a herx? I am hoping it is although i am also concerned that this may be a side effect of the meds. I emailed the doctor but i think she may just put it down to herxing...but i am feeling paranoid i am doing more harm then good. I guess it always concerns me when it is something new i have never experienced before and only happened when abx started.

Lately i just feel like i am losing my battle with this. I also feel like i have more health problems going on than just lyme as i get so many random problems. I just took another pill and have tightness in the calf muscles but no pain yet. I am scared it is something bad

[mojogal]

A herx is a worsening of symptoms so it could very well be a herx and yes Lyme plays with many aspect of the body but there are also co-infections.

These infections come along with the tick bite and as in my case, are worse than the actual Lyme. Most Dr's won't test for it or if they do the chances for a false positive are great. A good llmd will treat you based on your symptoms.

My bartonella test came back positive but my babesia test did not however my LLMD treated me anyway based on my symptoms.

[JackieCalifornia]

Welcome to MedHelp Lyme --

Your description of how you are feeling is well said and should help your doc respond.  (No one here that I know of is medically trained, but we've all been through Lyme, so glad to give you our thoughts.)

Your symptoms could indeed be Herxing, which occurs when the antibiotics you are taking kill the Lyme bacteria, which releases toxins from the bacteria and irritates your body.  Herxing is a temporary thing, but everyone is different in how hard it hits them.  The effects you are having may taper off after a while, but everyone is different, and you are wise to have put in a message to your doc.  Your doc may want to adjust your meds, but let the doc make that decision.  

Here's another thought:  did your doc talk to you about taking vitamins/supplements to help bolster your body while it goes through getting rid of the bacteria?  Some docs aren't interested in vitamins etc. (mine wasn't), but others are keen on it.

I was never big on taking vitamins and supplements (and my Lyme doc wasn't interested either), but one thing that helped me when I had Lyme was to take magnesium supplements.  

Lyme bacteria use up magnesium ('Mg') in their reproductive cycle, so it is easy for a Lyme patient to end up with low levels of Mg.  The American diet can already a bit short of Mg, and when the Lyme bacteria have been using up a bunch of it from your body too, Mg deficiency can occur.  Taking Mg helped me a great deal when I had Lyme, and I still take it now, several years after I got rid of Lyme.

Mg is used in a number of bodily systems and helps relaxation and sleep, as well as preventing muscle twitches and aches.  Milk has a lot of Mg in it, so that's another way to take it, but the dosing is easier to figure when taking the capsules, and it might take a lot of milk to get enough when the Lyme is using it up in your body.  I am a lightweight when it comes to meds and supplements, and even today I take ~400 mg (milligrams) a day of Mg, half in the morning and half before bed.

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You say, "Lately i just feel like i am losing my battle with this. I also feel like i have more health problems going on than just lyme as i get so many random problems. I just took another pill and have tightness in the calf muscles but no pain yet. I am scared it is something bad."

Lyme can and does mess with the whole endocrine (hormonal) system, and that directly affects mood.  So not only can you feel physically lousy from Lyme, but mentally and emotionally lousy too.  Some docs take that aspect more seriously than others, because it's hard to measure 'mood' ... but know that you aren't alone if what's happening because of Mg deficiency.  

Once Lyme is killed off, mood may well stabilize without extra Mg, but I actually *still* take Mg every day, because the American diet (including mine) can be quite low in Mg.

And Mg helps you sleep.  You know how a baby gets all floppy and sleepy after drinking a bottle of warm milk?  It's partly the warmth, and partly the full stomach, but it's also partly ... the Mg.
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Here's the trick:  Mg comes in several different chemical formulations, such as Mg malate, orotate, citrate, aspartate, and some others.  Note that all those types of Mg end in "-ate".  I have taken each of them at different times, and I like some of them a bit better than others, but not a lot of difference among them.  Just be sure whatever formulation the Mg is, it ends in "-ate".

These Mg formulations are available in good health food stores and pharmacies etc., but one thing I read from a reliable source is NOT to take a combination of Mg and calcium, which is sold under various brand names.  Apparently the calcium can interfere with Mg absorption, so read the label before buying.

               So.  I would do two things:  keep trying to get through to your doc till you get a response, and get some good quality magnesium supplements, ending in "-ate."  My Lyme doc wasn't much interested in vitamins and supplements, but they really helped me, and I still take Mg every day with my regular vitamins.

Note:  if you take too much Mg, it can cause diarrhea, so don't overdo the dosing -- just take what the bottle says and see how you feel.

Take care, and let us know how you do, okay?