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Scared of Doxy due to side affects

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Posted 7/14/2021 4:05 PM (GMT -5)
Hi guys. I’ve been experiencing neurological Lyme symptoms for 6 months, I was repeatedly misdiagnosed with other things so have had no treatment. I’m to start the Buhner protocol soon with Napier’s Lyme Clinic, but my doctor has also given me 21 days worth of Doxycycline. One of my most troubling symptoms at the moment is terribly painful ear pressure and tinnitus. I’ve read that a fairly common side effect of Doxy can be tinnitus and ear problems so I’m terrified of worsening symptoms, not to mention the herx. I’m not a fan of antibiotics as it is and would much rather stick to the herbs but I know this is ridiculous of me as I’m getting worse. Does anyone have any experience or advice about this, I’d very much appreciate it.
Posted 7/14/2021 5:53 PM (GMT -5)
Totally understand your apprehension. Not knowing reactions is always nerve racking. But the only way to know is to try it. As a lot of people will probably jump in and say, starting low and slow may be best if you are nervous. Just having a 21 day supply makes that harder, but making show you are doing a lot of detox methods could help.

Rather than mention them all, you can go to the search bar on this site and type in Lyme detoxing. You should have a lot come up with that. Also, if you haven't already been told, do not be in the sun a lot with Doxy, and know 21 days is not a long time to treat.
Posted 7/14/2021 8:22 PM (GMT -5)
It is going to be a long hard road to heal from Lyme and Co's. Doxy is only a starting point and it will take much more toxic abx protocols plus herbal regimens before you stumble on the right combo to get you better. Many of us here have tried everything under the sun to get better. No one has a formula for what will work for you. Experiment with both abx and herbals to see what works best. Most folks get much worse through treatment before progress can be measured.

God speed.
Posted 7/15/2021 2:39 AM (GMT -5)
Thank you for your replies. I’m in the U.K. where they only use the Elisa test, it’s massively inaccurate so I used Armin Labs in Germany where I tested positive for pretty much everything. Lyme is not really recognised as a real thing here. Our NHS health service refuse to recognise tests other than their own so I’m lucky to even get the 21 days. We have no genuine Lyme literate doctors so I’m relying on Napier’s herbal clinic. They come highly recommend, but still, it’s scary to have to rely on them alone.
Posted 7/15/2021 5:17 AM (GMT -5)
for most people and compared to other antibiotics doxy is a pretty benign antibiotic

to help give some context -
-its given long term ( years) to many many people for acne - which is not a life threatening condition
-and its given routinely for recreational travel to malaria endemic countries as prophylactic

also - i do not see problems with hearing commonly listed as a prominent side effect of doxy
eg see side effects list here
https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_doxycycline/drugs-condition.htm
and the symptoms you are experiencing though in the same area of the body as the side effect you mention - these are obviously not caused by doxy as i understand you are not yet taking it.
they are therefore very likely caused by a separate mechanism, driven by the infection or inflammation.

as a result the doxy may well help these symptoms rather than make them worse - at least its not a safe assumption that it will make them worse.

to my mind the risks and consequences in delaying treatment far outweigh the risks and consequences of increased side effects.

doxy is about the best antibiotic to use in early stage lyme ( first month or so ) after that combinations - may well be required - but will often still include doxy - along with other modes of treatment - in particular diet and lifestyle changes and herbs can be transformative for many

adverse reactions are possible with any drug - or herb for that matter - and sometime inflammation goes up during treatment before going down - so i would just monitor as you go and be prepared to stop if you do have an adverse reaction and really cannot continue.
Posted 7/15/2021 6:13 AM (GMT -5)

Garzie said...
for most people and compared to other antibiotics doxy is a pretty benign antibiotic

to help give some context -
-its given long term ( years) to many many people for acne - which is not a life threatening condition
-and its given routinely for recreational travel to malaria endemic countries as prophylactic

also - i do not see problems with hearing commonly listed as a prominent side effect of doxy
eg see side effects list here
https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_doxycycline/drugs-condition.htm
and the symptoms you are experiencing though in the same area of the body as the side effect you mention - these are obviously not caused by doxy as i understand you are not yet taking it.
they are therefore very likely caused by a separate mechanism, driven by the infection or inflammation.

as a result the doxy may well help these symptoms rather than make them worse - at least its not a safe assumption that it will make them worse.

to my mind the risks and consequences in delaying treatment far outweigh the risks and consequences of increased side effects.

doxy is about the best antibiotic to use in early stage lyme ( first month or so ) after that combinations - may well be required - but will often still include doxy - along with other modes of treatment - in particular diet and lifestyle changes and herbs can be transformative for many

adverse reactions are possible with any drug - or herb for that matter - and sometime inflammation goes up during treatment before going down - so i would just monitor as you go and be prepared to stop if you do have an adverse reaction and really cannot continue.

Thank you for the helpful advice Garzie. I just had my appointment with the Napier’s clinician. She was fantastic. She told me to absolutely start the doxy also, along with the herbs. The preliminary herb mix they sent me seems to have improved the painful ear pressure at least, although I feel like crap after taking it. My doctor had me stop taking it for a day before a blood test and the pressure came back, as soon as I started it again it went away. Ears continue to buzz like heck though. She mentioned activated charcoal for herxing, so I’ll order some of that. Thanks again everyone for the support.
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