Can Lyme disease worsen after antibiotic treatment?
Question by caralee1780: Can Lyme disease worsen after antibiotic treatment?
I’ve been on antibiotics for 2 months, when I started the treatment I wasn’t that bad, a little pain in my feet. Since I’ve been on the antibiotics, the pain has spread to my whole body and I’ve been in nonstop pain since going on the antibiotics…any advice? I know about the Herx, but I thought that was only supposed to last a little while after I took the antibiotics, and supposed to start getting better.
Best answer:
Answer by Ty B
Generally speaking, a very long course of antibiotics is required to cure Lyme’s disease. Are you certain that’s what you have, or is your doctor just basing his diagnosis on your symptoms? You should call him and report this worsening. He may want to add a second antibiotic for cross-coverage.
Good luck…
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January 24th, 2012 at 8:44 pm
Yes, symptoms can get much worse with treatment. (Seems monumentally unfair, I know. You’re trying to get better, not worse.)
I recommend you join an on-line patients’ support group.There are such yahoo groups in just about every state. Example, here’s the one for CaliforniaLyme:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CaliforniaLyme
For other states, you substitute your state’s name in this URL, like ArizonaLyme or NewJerseyLyme.
There’s also a good on-line support community at http://www.lymenet.org.
Talking to others who are going through the same thing is invaluable. I also recommend the book “The Lyme Disease Solution,” by Dr. Kenneth Singleton.
Good sources of info about Lyme disease:
http://www.lymedisease.org
http://www.canlyme.com
http://www.lymenet.org
http://www.lymeinfo.net
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org
http://www.ilads.org
http://www.betterhealthguy.com
January 24th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I don’t know a lot about herxes, but I also highly recommend the book, “The Lyme Disease Solution.”
January 24th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
The key is: does the pain [that you've supposedly had "nonstop" since you started abx] get better & worse in waves?… or is it a continuous level pain… and if so, is it worsening overall?
The former can indeed mean a long [Jarsch-]Herxheimer reaction, while the latter Might mean you have another situation going on.
Have you been tested for “co-infections”? Pain in your feet (esp. the soles in the A.M.) can indicate Bartonella.
Treatment is often different than for Lyme & will require different meds.
It’s also important that you build up to/ are “at” an antibiotic level recommended by ILADS guidelines, not IDSA. Often the IDSA levels aren’t enough to quash the critters. Esp for the disseminated stages.
I should know. I was sick for many weeks & not improving… until an LLMD switched my antibiotic & built me up to a higher level. It still took a couple months more but I finally got my energy back. And my life!