How did y’all feel when stopping oral antibiotics after a long time

Hi Solaris, unfortunately can't tell you what it feels like to be off antibiotics, i'm still on it but can i ask, are you symptom free right now? If not why did you decide to stop?

Garion said...
Hi Solaris, unfortunately can't tell you what it feels like to be off antibiotics, i'm still on it but can i ask, are you symptom free right now? If not why did you decide to stop?

I got to 99% better after 6 weeks of Rifampin/Mino and then started getting negative returns even with reducing the dosage and taking breaks. I was feeling wonderful and then fatigue started creeping back in, eventually becoming significant, plus diarrhea, increased anxiety, headaches, and malaise. After nearly 9 months on abx it feels like my body can’t handle much more. It’s possible that perhaps Lyme or babesia May have returned but my LLMD feels it’s more likely due to medication side effects causing an exaggerated immune response/inflammation in my CNS. I guess I’ll find out if he’s right - supposed to start bicillin injections tonight (if CvS gets the order in) and try some herbs once those arrive as well. If not, I’ll have to rethink what to do. My last dose was Tuesday around 11 - tues and wed I felt terrible, this morning a little better but then I got wallopped by fatigue around 1130. The rif should be out of my system but the Mino has a long half life so that’s probably still in my system.

Freeeeee! Almost. I was on abx for about 18 months and developed so many sensitivities I couldn’t handle the meds anymore. The herxes were mental and I couldn’t tolerate feeling so panicked or depressed all the time. I stopped abx and started Chinese medicine and acupuncture a few weeks ago. I’m still herxing, but my doctor is really good about supporting me thru the anxiety attacks.

What I like best is:
1. Not killing my stomach
2. Not worrying about Candida all the time (I can eat fruit without feeling like I’m feeding a yeast infection)
3. Not worrying about the abx-probx-food-no food-vitamins-supplements interactions. The schedule was getting ridiculous.
4. I’m treating my whole body,and detoxing at the same time with this protocol.

I was afraid to quit abx but it’s so freeing without them! I feel healthier even though I still have the herxing and good and bad days.

Girlie said...

Solaris719 said...
Next Friday the 13th would have marked my 9th month on abx conswcutively save for a week break here and there. I treated Lyme (Doxy/Zith/tinda) for 4 months, babesia (mepron/Zith x 1 month, coartem/Zith/Doxy x 2 months), and then Bart Mino/Rifampin x 2 months. I will lost a more detailed thread later today on my
Journey/results, but I am off oral abx as of Tues 7/3 and wanted to know what others experienced when stopping. I would imagine after being on for a long time there are going to be some bumpy moments as the immune system kicks in, Candida die off, etc. I’m fairly nervous about this (even though I’ll be taking bicilin injections for 10 weeks starting tonight and starting herbs soon) and wanted to others to be so kind as to share experiences and what to possibly expect as I make the leap.

Have you thought about weaning off them...to allow your immune system to kick in?

Gradually increasing your time off and lessening your time on?

I kinda ended up doing that due to the side effects. After the first 3 weeks I took 2 days off, then 2 weeks onnagain, then 2 days off, then 1 week on, then 5 days off, then 2 weeks on (at decreased dosage), now off since last dose on Tuesday morning. I don’t know how long a break is enough for immune system to kick in but I am just hoping the fatigue etc I an experiencing are either side effects of rif/Mino or the immune system coming back and not the Bart or something else having a comeback party. I got my bicilin Injection Friday afternoon so that should address any Lyme spirochetes lurking, and I started the Artemisia on Wed and the JK I took 5 drops before bed last night.

How have others done the abx weaning? Is there a general consensus on how long to go between abx doses if you are pulsing and want the immune system to kick in or draw out any hiding bugs? (I know some don2 weeks on then 2 weeks off). Anyone have experience with bicilin and how long it takes for them to have an effect/if any (im not expecting it to cause a herx but you never know).

bluelyme said...
1 yr off abx but still do bvt 1x a week feeling great

What’s BVT?

How did you initially feel when you stopped (pre and post)?

bluelyme said...
Bee venom therapy ....i had been on roceph and zith for a year. .i was nervous until I read eva sapis paper on bee venom and borrelia

How does one do bee venom therapy? Is it specific for Lyme or is it applicable to Bart/Babs? I’m not familiar