Advice Please: Anaplasma phagocytophilum and minocycline

Today we had our very first visit with an LLMD/ND (who is also a member of ILADS.) My wife's Igenex complete co-infection panel showed an "80" on Anaplasma phagocytophilum IgG (IgM was <20). The Dr prescribed minocycline and fluconazole. My wife NEVER takes any kind of meds so she is nervous to take them, especially after she read all the cautions & warning on the label.

Any words of encouragement, esp from those that have conquered (or are conquering) this co-infection or who have taken these meds? Any suggestions/advice on other things that may have worked for you (even naturally, or things which reduced side effects, etc)? What should she perhaps expect from taking these? Also, he said nothing of any kind of detoxing first. Should she?

Thanks in advance! This is a scary road to go down, but it's important. Trying to keep things positive. :)

Post Edited (cirenep) : 4/29/2015 7:22:30 PM (GMT-6)

Surely the third time I post this, it will take!!! Ugh!

Yes, please do have your wife start detoxing. Have her start off slow and there are detoxing suggestions in the "New to Lyme?" thread. If she has any questions, please ask.

She needs to start off slow and on low doses with her meds - and any supplements. If I remember correctly, she's pretty ill with this, isn't she? If so, she needs to only start one new thing a week, and on low doses. I wish I had more information to share, but I don't know enough about the abx for treating these infections.

I'm sure that others with much more knowledge on them will be along shortly to add more information.

Tell her that these infections will do more damage to her body than the abx will. And if the abx are too much for her, many can still tolerate herbal protocols and heal also.

One step at a time, and it will feel like a very long road to her, so hang in there!! We are here to help you find the answers you need though.

One thing that may help your wife to adjust her view of the medicines, it is best that she view them as her champions and rescuers, instead being frightened of them or see them as the enemy.

I was looking at my medications basically as poisons and realized that that was not very positive. Our brains play a very important role in our healing. So I started visualizing the Lyme Cavalry riding over the hill to join in the fight every time I downed my medicines. My improvement was very marked.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for your expressions and thoughts!

@achievinggrace - Great way to look at it. :)

Wish we could do it 100% natural. But, maybe that's not an option for this?

Using natural protocols are options for any of the tick-borne infections. While I used abx for a time, I was an abx failure. I started using herbs and healed from Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, RMSF, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichia, and other long standing, chronic tick-borne infections.

If anyone knows differently, and has links to show, I would appreciate them sharing!

From what I understand, Lyme treatment knocks out Anaplasmosis. With that in mind, there are several herbal only protocols that don't require a MD to order them that you could look into.

Buhner's protocol is the one used most by the people on this forum:
buhnerhealinglyme.com/the-protocols/

There is also Cowden's protocol that you can look into:
www.nutramedix.ec/ns/lyme-protocol/292-condensed-cowden-support-program-summary

And one that is now being tried by several other members is the one that I used to heal (twice now!), called Chronic Tonic:
Here is how I used the herbs: www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3244272

or we have some members buying it from Misty Meadow's site. It's the same herbs, only made slightly differently:
www.mistymeadows.org/onlinestore/syrupsTonics/index.htm

You can do a search on this forum to see what successes others have had with these protocols - or start asking more questions!! This should get you started down the right path in looking into alternatives. Then you can talk it over with your wife to see what she wishes. One thing to remember - some herbal protocols can be taken at time as pharma abx.

Also, I haven't mentioned all of the protocols that are out there, as I feel like we should stick to those that have been "proven" at least some.

I hope it helps you and your wife come to a decision about treatments. She definitely needs them, now she just needs to find one that she's comfortable with and that works for her. Please do let us know how we can be of help.