About which other antibiotics are used instead of doxycycline, there are several, including Biaxin (generic: clarithromycin), which is what I took.
To my understanding, doxy is useful in the earliest stages of Lyme, before the bacteria have have a chance to wall themselves off into areas not reached by the immune system or the blood stream. Once that happens, doxy cannot penetrate these 'biofilms' and so can't locate the bacteria to kill them.
LLMDs often use a combination of antibiotics after the very earliest stages of Lyme, one med to penetrate the biofilm, and the other to kill the bacteria hiding there.
NonLLMDs often use only doxy, which is largely not effective in Lyme once the bacteria are well established in the body and build their biofilm palaces. That is one of many reasons to see an LLMD, but is one of the most important in my view.
Spelling error--- Bactericidal instead of what I said above. :)
BUT---- preference of a bactericidal over a bacteriostatic drug isn't as easy as it sounds! There are times when a bacteriostatic dose or drug is preferred. Too complicated to go into here----- but I might try to simplify this difficult distinction in another thread.
Doxycycline at 400 mg/day is bacterialcidal and is administered for early or late Lyme.
The Lyme dosage is 400 MG a day.
For me, mine was a very old infection by the time I started treatment and it worked on me but everyone is different.
Rocephin is another good one.
" it's not effective after the bacteria have settled in and created protected areas called biofilms in the body, where doxy can't penetrate."
What other safe oral antibiotic can substitute doxy? I have had lyme symptoms for more than two years , i was already taking doxy 100 mg / day since last one month for acne , now i doubled the dose hoping to kill any lyme bacteria.
The PCR test from IGeneX does not rely on your immune system reaction, which trails off after a while even if the bacteria are not all dead.
Therefore PCR may show a valid positive where the W.blot and ELISA tests do not.
"i have a test in a month and a half to make sure I am negative"
I hope you are---- but remember ALL tests (whether from Igenex or another, even less reliable lab) can give a negative test when the opposite is true.
I never had a positive WB from Igenex yet was it was proven I did have Lyme by a lumbar punch (which I wouldn't advise getting).
Generally speaking, doxycycline is used only immediately after a recognized tick bite. Some MDs still use it without regard to length of infection time, but from what I understand, it's not effective after the bacteria have settled in and created protected areas called biofilms in the body, where doxy can't penetrate.
How long ago were you bitten?
Thanks guys! I will certainly keep you informed, thanks Jackie! :)
Cave, that's interesting to hear that the Hyclate is the double coated one, as I have read and experienced Mono causing less side affects. Thanks for the info though.
I actually stopped taking the antibiotics yesterday. I was on them for 22 days. I'm not showing any real symptoms of lyme and I haven't really during the meds as I can tell, but i have a test in a month and a half to make sure I am negative.
Thanks alot to all of you for helping me with this and I'll keep you updated. I feel like my stomach will take some time to heal.
Thanks again!! :)
Ash
The enteric coated doxycycline is:
"Doryx is a ENTERIC-COATED doxycycline hyclate which means that it breaks down in the small intestine vs. stomach."
"DORYX (Doxycycline Hyclate Delayed-Release Tablets, USP), for oral administration, contain specially coated pellets of doxycycline hyclate, a broad-spectrum antibiotic synthetically derived from oxytetracycline, in a delayed-release formulation for oral administration."
http://www.rxlist.com/doryx-drug.htm
There's a generic form also.
Oddly enough, I couldn't make out from the PDR online or other things I read which of the Doxies was enteric coated and which was not.
You could just call your pharmacy and they might tell you over the phone. Some pharmacists are chattier than others. But your analysis above makes perfect sense. Do address the stomach issues, so it doesn't come to interfere with treatment. You're posing good questions, so you'll do fine --
Keep us posted (and informed!) -- best wishes --
Thanks guys! That makes sense, as I have learned in my search that Mono was produced to cause less GI/Stomach issues. I also read that Mono makes it to the small colon before breaking down, which would explain the double coating and decreased stomach issues. If all of this is true then it would harmonize with my experience, as Mono was MUCH more tolerable. Unless my recent stomach pain is an accumulative issue, meaning I've been on antibiotics for 3 weeks so far and even if I went back to the Mono I would be as sensitive. Not sure but I advocate Mono (Doxycycline Mono) over Clarithromycin and Doxycycline Hyclate!
And thanks, I will try to remember to ask a pharmacist. :)
Yes, that is what I was told but I agree with Jackie to ask your pharmacist to be sure.
It's hard to tell from the information available online, but one of them appears to be enteric-coated, meaning it has an extra covering layer on it to reduce stomach irritation.
A pharmacist can tell you in about 10 seconds.