Is this Lyme? Have I given it to someone else?

[mrdude1234]

Hi all,

Past few weeks I've been having odd symptoms come and go.

Started with tinnitus in one ear, headaches, Pins and needles, dizziness etc. None of which I've really had prior.

Managed to see a LLMD quite quickly and he prescribed me with 6 weeks worth of minocyline antibiotics. I've been taking them now for about 2 weeks and I do feel better, but still not 100%.

I've  had unprotected sex with my girlfriend, and she has suddenly developed tinnitus in one ear which she's never had before.

We had sex last night, and her tinnitus started this morning. Can Lyme even transmit that quickly?

I'm very concerned that I may have passed something. My LLMD said that if it is Lyme, the antibiotics should be effective since I took them only 2 weeks after symptoms started.

But now I'm worried about my girlfriend since she has tinnitus. Should she go on minocyline also as a precaution?

Any help is appreciated!  

[mojogal]

There is an Australian support group on FB. I am a member. It's great you are getting an igenex test. As for passing Lyme on through sex, it's a big debate. Many believe it does and many believe not.

I was with my fiancée for years and he never got it. But we just don't know for sure and since everyone is different with different co-infections, it's hard to say..

I wish you luck!

[JackieCalifornia]

I went digging on the 'net about doxy vs minocycline for Lyme, and found this, on a site called eMedExpert (see especially the places below where I have put ==> arrows >>   "Although doxycycline and minocycline attain comparable serum [meaning blood] levels, there are important differences in CSF [cerebrospinal fluid, meaning the fluid around the brain and spinal cord] and CNS [meaning central nervous system] concentrations. The high lipid [fat] solubility of minocycline may cause vestibular [meaning inner ear balance] side effects, limiting the administration of minocycline to 100 mg twice daily rather than 200 mg twice daily. ===>>> Because of this, doxycycline (400 mg daily) remains the preferred antibiotic for treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis. <<<=== For patients for whom treatment fails, minocycline may be a therapeutic option9.

"Minocycline may permit a shorter duration of treatment in Lyme neuroborreliosis than high dose oral doxycycline because of its excellent CNS penetration9."
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just fyi.  Let us know what you do and how it goes, okay?  
all good wishes to you --

[mrdude1234]

I have an appointment scheduled for early August some will see what happens. Thanks again.

Hopefully 150mg a day of minocyline will deal with the issue since its early.

[JackieCalifornia]

To my understanding, Lyme disease may be sexually transmitted, so you and your girlfriend could give Lyme etc. to each other over and over, as one of you gets treated and cured, and the other infects you again.  Might be an idea to get you both tested and if needed get both of you treated.  Just a thought.

[mrdude1234]

Thanks. I'm not even sure if I have Lyme, but I'm just freaking out because my girlfriend has the tinnitus that I had in the same ear. Hers started about 8 hours after we had unprotected sex, it's hard to tell if it's related or if she has tinnitus because of something else.

My antibiotic course finishes around early August, and I'm due to see the doctor again in October. As a result I have scheduled an appointment with a different LLMD for August and I will see what happens then.

Hopefully none of this is Lyme and passes, but time will tell.

[JackieCalifornia]

I would not worry too much that you only have one pass at killing off the bacteria.  Yes, the docs (for good and valid reasons) try not to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but you seem to still be early in the game, with additional opportunities to treat successfully.

Lyme have particularly slow reproductive cycles, so that 6 weeks of abx may not be enough, but it's a good start.  If your further research indicates that 6 weeks is not enough, then have your MD lined up to continue treatment without a break, to avoid creating medication-resistant bacteria.  Note also that different infections may need different medications, so do keep researching a bit to know what meds are most effective against the particular infections that you have.  

Signing off the night here in the U.S., back in the morning.  

[mrdude1234]

Thanks again Jackie, I have checked ILADS for doctors in Australia and my state, without much luck. There are a few LLMD's though, and the one I saw has prescribed minocycline, which I believe is commonly used for acne and such.

I will have a read of the Burrascano guidelines and see what information I can gather. I have received an IGENEX test kit in the mail which I have not yet submitted, but it's there in case I need to send a specimen off for observation.

In the meantime, it's hard to tell if I have Lyme or even co-infections. I just hope that these 6 weeks of antibiotics will do the trick. And I really hope I haven't given something to my girlfriend, but if so, at least it won't be too difficult to get a script for some antibiotics.

[JackieCalifornia]

You are quite welcome ... Lyme is a miserable little beast when it takes a mind to, so it is good that you are being pro-active.

Are you familiar with ILADS, a voluntary group for MDs who specialize in Lyme disease and other infections ticks may bring?  ILADS [International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society] is based in NYC, but its membership is worldwide.  They have a website you might find useful at ILADS  [dot]  org.  In particular, you may want to look at Dr Burrascano's treatment guidelines posted there.  It's a bit heavy going in places, but give a quick read and then go back to the parts that seem most useful.  I recall that the site is updated with new data and information fairly often.
  
One topic you may wish to focus on is what medications are prescribed for Lyme and its co-infections (which are 'bonus' diseases carried by the 'Lyme' ticks).  Burrascano's guidelines are wordy, but accessible to the layman with a little effort.  Don't be overwhelmed by it, but use it as a reference.  

When I had Lyme, minocycline was not prescribed, but it has been some years ago that I was treated.  If the names of the medications don't match up between what is available in Australia and what the Guidelines say, it may be simply different naming conventions that you can work out.

One thing to read about in the Guidelines are co-infections, which are infections different from Lyme itself, but carried by the same creatures that bring Lyme to us humans:  in the US, it is usually tiny ticks. Perhaps half of all Lyme patients in the US also have one or more co-infections along with Lyme, and medication for the co-infections is usually different from what is given to treat Lyme itself.

(I had Lyme and babesiosis, which is in the malaria family.  I was treated first for babesia, and then for Lyme, using different medications for each infection.  Length of treatment is usually measured in months, not weeks or days, due to the slow reproductive cycle of the Lyme bacteria, which are most susceptible to antibiotics when the bacteria themselves are reproducing and the cell wall is breached.  Burrascano's Guidelines can give information on that point and others.)

I am not medically trained, but to my recollection, the most critical point in understanding and eradicating Lyme is the ability of the Lyme bacteria to hide by creating 'biofilms' in the body (human and animal) which prevent the immune system from locating and eradicating the bacteria.  Once the bacteria have encysted in the human body, 'cyst-busting' medications must be given to allow the antibiotics access to kill the Lyme bacteria.

[mrdude1234]

Also Jackie, I have seen that you had lyme and successfully treated it.

How long did you have symptoms? And were any neurological? I seem to be having physical and neuro symptoms.

[mrdude1234]

Thank for your help Jackie.

I live in Australia and there are very few LLMD's here, especially in my city. As a result I was very lucky to even see him in the first place, and the next available appointment is in October.

I have emailed the doc and explained that I am concerned for my girlfriend, Andrew that if symptoms develop/persist, if he could see her or at least prescribe a course of antibiotics.

When I saw The doc I ran through a list of common lyme symptoms and I responded and told him which of those I had. Based on my symptoms, he prescribed minocyline and told me to take a blood test now, and in 4 weeks time for Western blot I believe.  

Blood test came back with low vitamin d, everything else was ok.

Again im not even sure if I have lyme, so I've still been intimate with my partner and I'm just very worried for her at this point.

If her symptoms get worse or are similar to the ones I had, then I'll have to assume the worst. It is currently cold and flu season here and she's a bit sick, so her tinnitus could be a symptom of that but in case it's not I'd like to stay on the ball.

Will keep updating.

[JackieCalifornia]

Welcome to MedHelp --

Did your doc ask you about having been intimate with anyone recently and/or currently?  Sounds like he did not.  To be on the safe side, why not call the doc's office in the morning and ask whether your partners should seek medical advice and/or antibiotics.

About still not feeling 100% after 2 wks on meds, Lyme (to my recollection) is not something that vanishes right away after taking med, like a headache does.  But also ask that question when you call in tomorrow.  The doc may want to see you, and if so, then I would go, just to close the loop.  Then if you see the doc, ask the question about your partner needing meds.  It's wise of you to raise the issue, just to be on the safe side.

Did the doc talk to you about symptoms of other infections the ticks often carry in addition to Lyme?  There are a few, and they often need different meds from Lyme.  

To my understanding, an MRI isn't diagnostic of Lyme, but I am guessing your doc had the test run to rule out anything else, which is fine.

You say, "I'm very concerned that I may have passed something. My LLMD said that if it is Lyme, the antibiotics should be effective since I took them only 2 weeks after symptoms started."  I don't quite follow the doc's logic, since the concern is about whether you are contagious, not how long you had been infected.  

Sorry not to be of more help, but if you have any concern at all, do call back to the doc.  If the doc won't respond in a manner you are comfotable with, then consider taking your girlfriend to another doc for some quick abx ... as in, don't wait to see if she gets ill.

I'm not medically trained, and these are all judgments that a doc or other qualified medical personnel should determine.  If your doc won't answer because your girlfriend is not his patient, then she can call her own doc (internist, gyn, whatever) and ask the question about quick treatment.

Try not to worry, but good for you for thinking this through and being responsible.  Note also that there is much confusion in the medical world about Lyme disease, so 'better safe than sorry' is a good watchword.

Would you post back and let us know how things progress with the docs etc?  It could help someone else later.  Thanks.

[mrdude1234]

Also MRI came back fine, my blood work showed that I was vitamin d deficient.

All other parts of blood work seemed ok, vit b12, thyroid etc.