Husband getting sicker and sicker... are antibiotics to blame????

My husband tested positive 1 1/2 years ago although he was very active and had no symptoms of Lyme disease (or anything else). He was tested becasue I had already tested pos. and had started treatment 2 years earlier. Our doctor put him on antibiotics Clarithromycin and Augmentin. Since starting treatment he has gotten worse and worse.

I would go off of them if I were him. I went off abx a couple of weeks ago because they were making my muscles ache and giving me vertigo. Lyme does not suddenly relapse, like bartonella does. Even if the disease is making him this sick it will take a little while for his symptoms to worsen. He can also use herbs for a while to see what happens.
I posted when I was feeling really bad asking if what was wrong with me was a herx, a flare or the abx. No one, not even the doctor could tell me. Therefore you have to do what you feel is best. I am getting better after quitting the abx, not worse. I know I still have lyme and bart but I hope I can control it with herbs.

Have you considered the possibility that he may be allergic to one of the medications seeing how he did not have any symptoms prior to taking them?? D

Hi limberlostgirl,

Hi limberlostgirl -

I am so sorry for what you and your husband are going through!! As far as your husband is concerned, I agree with Deejavu - I am no doc of course but I think as long as one has no symptoms, its kind of hard to say if abx is a wise decision - at least for long term use... just what I think personally.

As for stopping the abx maybe it could be good to go off slowly - cut the dosage down over two or three days ?! Just a feeling I have. There are detox remedies for tissue and lymphatic system detox which can be used in addition to liver and kidney detoxing;; those helped me a lot and my detoxing was much more a success than prior /without them.

I was told that after abx usage we must give ourselves some time to get our whole body rebalanced and be aware that our body must take over again fighting bad bacteria and regrow the good bacteria; we should have some patience if our body is not 100% successful at once. Also our body may feel to react drastically to bad bacteria i.e. with producing low fevers over few days which normally would not be necessary b/c good bacteria would do the job ....all this does not automatically mean that it is lyme crawling back, but that our immune system is in a kind of "reboot - and take- over process"

I wish you both all the best!! My special greeting and whishes for recovery to your husband!! dorit

Hi limberlostgirl.  I am sorry your husband is dealing with so much.  Has he been tested for the co-infectoins?  Has he had immune function testing done?  How long has he been on these meds and what are the doses?  Has he been doing anything to strenghten his immune system?

I recommend getting a second opinion from a knowledgeable doctor. 

You can test positive for Lyme and be symptom free because the WB can indicate other stuff. Many people are positive especially if you're tested often.

Get him the heck off the ABX and hopefully he'll restore his health.

Why would a doctor prescribe somthing when there was no need to ? I'd find a doc with some common sense.

Bafflng.

I can only speak from my own personal experience.  From 2002-2006 I started experiencing Lyme sypmtoms.  Late 2006 I was diagnosed with Lyme and co-infections.  I did the antibiotics for 4 months and never had a real herx.  I just kept gettting worse and worse.  No periods of "feeling pretty good".  My stomach and gut were being destroyed.  I was not allergic to the antibiotics, but i ended up doubling over in pain from each dose anyway.  I eventually had to stop all antibiotics due to the pain and the fact that I was getting progressively worse on them.  My LLMD told me to stop orals for a long time to let my stomach and gut heal.  Immediatley after getting off antibiotics I felt much better in general.  He put me on Bicillin injections which ony got rid of joint pain.  No other benefit that i could see.  I'm currently on all natural and have had success in feeling better and becoming healthier, but only after a very long, complicated, treatment process.

Dear Limberlost,

Your concerns for your husband and his concerns about his diagnosis and treatment, given his symptoms, are all valid.  This is where it can get so very confusing.

However, b/c of what we do know about the Lyme bacteria and it's co-infections, it is not wise to just stop antibiotics or even begin to remove the treatment protocol without your doctor overseeing.  If it is a matter of confidence in your husband's current LLMD there is a question as to whether this came about b/c he/she is not listening to the symptoms or perhaps they have not been communicated to him/her yet.  If the symptoms are not known yet by his doctor, you must call and inform them in detail of what he is experiencing. 

If it is another physician that is needed to, as Ticker says, offer a second opinion, then please move forward, so that a bridge of treatment can be appropriately in place in the event your husband is fighting this bacteria in his body.  To just stop could be detrimental.

For one, your husband is not detoxing properly.  Is he drinking enough water each day to flush his system?  How is his daily diet?  There is a seemingly huge inflammatory response.  There are things he can do in the meantime to help move the lymph system; key for detoxification.

There is a legitimate concern for reaction, co-infection, other complicating factors - none of which any of us can know.  The fact that he tested positive is reason for caution in how you proceed so that the bacteria does not act as an opportunist in a vulnerable host.

I do not know where you are located geographically, but, if you are in need of another physician and depending on your location or ability to travel for care; please feel free to pm my way if I can be of help bridging that for you.

It may come to ending antibiotics; but your question was regarding wisdom.  I am grateful you are watching out for him.  Wisdom would have a bridge in place to protect his immune system and assure that it is just the medication and not complications stemming from Lyme and co-infections.

I second Ticker.

Blessings,   Sojourner

 

Sorry your husband is not doing well on abx.

It could be possible that he had a false positive.
I know it's a controversial thing to say but a very prominent LLMD says that up to 40% of tests can lead to false negatives or false positives.

Hi all,

For me, I don't believe ABX helped me one way or the other. Not really sure - no test can prove it, but if my body is any indication - no difference. Except no GI issues! And that is good for my immune system.

I do think I'm a little stiffer OFF the ABX then ON; so, maybe the ABX did something. But there must not be a cure or something as I am not well. I'm experimenting with my own treatment since my feet got worse on ABX. Seems like I should have seen SOME improvement on six massive doses of ABX???

WOW! thank you for all of the fantastic responses. My husband has read each of them and he also appreciates the input. He has cut back on the antibiotics and is looking for a new LLD for a second opinion.