3 ms·
Unfortunately there’s no way to know that one currently has Lyme disease unless the symptoms are close in time to a tick bite. Treatment is with antibiotics, u
by erentz 7y ago
Unfortunately there’s no way to know that one currently has Lyme disease unless the symptoms are close in time to a tick bite.
Treatment is with antibiotics, usually doctors will use a combination of two types of antibiotics (eg doxycycline and cefdinir) for which there is some research suggesting better results. In rare cases IV antibiotics may be required, especially if evidence of cardiac or neurological involvement. Duration of treatment is for 1 to 4 months. There’s next to no evidence you should go longer than that.
After treatment patients may also need immune modulation treatment due to autoimmune reaction to the infection. High dose ivig in serious cases. Some patients also find benefit using low dose naltrexone for this though it can have a very nasty side effect of causing depression so watch yourself using it.
Almost everything else is a scam. And unfortunately with Lyme, while the patients are clearly very sick, there are an aweful lot of quacks ready to part them with their cash so be weary.
It’s important to know there are other illnesses that people need to rule out too, check for dysautonomia, POTS, ME/CFS, MS, and aaSFPN for example.
- voidlogic 7y ago>Unfortunately there’s no way to know that one currently has Lyme disease unless the symptoms are close in time to a tick bite. I thought you could test for bacterial nuclear material in the blood? Edit found it: Its a PCR Assay: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26469112 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26469112
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- Medicalidiot 7y agoWhy do you say cefdinir as the second antibiotic? It's not recommended in uptodate.
- hnzix 7y agoAny advice on POTS treatment avenues? There seems to be poor GP knowledge around the condition, apart from giving fluids via a port to reduce symptoms.
- DoreenMichele 7y agoI'm not familiar with POTS, but a quick google suggests that adding salt (and fluids) to the diet is a standard treatment. I have a different condition where a high salt diet is a standard medical recommendation. I benefited from getting really picky about salt quality, though that's not anything doctors ever talked about. I eschewed table salt in favor of sea salt containing a mix of natural minerals and micronutrients, not just sodium chloride. I also generally recommend keeping a journal to track diet and symptoms in the face of any chronic condition.
- erentz 7y agoI’m mostly familiar with POTS in patients with other chronic symptoms such as fatigue. I’ve been on high dose IVIG and it’s been helping my POTS a lot. Take a look at a video on YouTube by a Harvard doctor Anna Louise Oaklander called Small Fibers Big Problem about the association they are making with something they label aaSFPN. Also take a look at some results for adrenergic and muscinaric auto antibodies, which are showing up in patients with POTS and other dysautonomias.
- hnzix 7y agoThank you very much for providing this information, those are some great leads I'll follow up.