I am wondering if anyone has done the iv treatment as that is what my Doctor is wanting me to do since I have done 3 doses of the oral antibiotics and nothing has changed?
I was on 2 1/2 months of Doxycycline and now I’m on my second month of IV antibiotics. I noticed slight improvement on both oral and IV but I still would recommend it.
There have been numerous studies done, and so far none have indicated that there is enough improvement after 28 days of ABX given the known risks of extended antibiotic risk to extend it. Doxy is a pretty fair anti-inflammatory and at one time was used in early RA. Its use fell into disfavor as more and more effective NSAIDs (with fewer risks) became available. That might be the place I would look next. At some point or another the symptoms become so overwhelming it simply becomes time to treat them as they appear. Trying to cure the disease that caused them and most likely is not active anymore beyond the possible presence of antibodies (something every disease creates) doesnt’ deal with the problems at hand.The last thing anyone needs is brain fog caused most frequently by antibiotics and inflammation, not to mention the fatique that comes with it. Of course there are worse things that happen like C-diff and Inflammatory Bowel disease with extended antibiotic treatment, but inflammatory related problems are enough…
I agree with the risks of being on ABX too long. My ID doctor would not extend ABX a 2nd month but my LLD recommended it and I agreed because my knee was still swollen but I’m not extending it any longer. I don’t think the 2nd month of ABX has provided me noticable improvement. I’ve had better luck with the meds the rheumatologist recently prescribed me. I see my LLD this week and it should be interesting to hear what her next plan is for me.
I think you will be amazed with what your rheumy can do for you. These conditions are what they are trained to treat. Inflammation and Immune System issues are their “thing” Hang in there and Good Luck
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