Doryx vs Doxycycline?

[TischSEB]

Hi,

Has anyone noticed a difference between using brand name Doryx and generic doxycycline?
Our new LLMD switched SEB specifically to Doryx and we are not sure why – altho it looks like the brand name is a time released form and is possible gentler on the stomach.

Tisch

[mschmidt]

Tisch,

I'm not currently taking doxy so, I have no personal experience with noticing a difference between that and Doryx.  What I do know is that the main difference between the two are the dosing.  Usually the Doryx is taken once a day, and the generic is taken twice daily.  (not sure if this is the case with Lyme, though, as dosing requirements can be higher)  You are correct in that the brand name is specially coated, making it easier on the stomach.

I see you are also taking Metroprolol and Flecainide–I'm assuming you have high blood pressure and an arrhythmia?  Did your LLMD put you on those, or were you on them before?  I ask because I was one of the first recipients of Flecainide when I was a kid, for supraventricular tacchycardia.  I started to experience side effects, and was pulled off the drug, right before I underwent cardiac ablation surgery. (which successfully “cured” my problem)  It's weird because I started having heart palpitations again in 2008, about 8 months after I started to get sick.  When I was finally diagnosed with Scleroderma, the rheumy said it was “panic attacks,” and not to worry about it. (she wanted me to take clonzepam for it!!)  When I tested positive for Lyme last year, and started on meds for it, my mysterious “heart palps,” and PVC's (pre-ventricular contractions) completely went away and have not re-appeared.  Coincidence?  Makes me wonder if I had Lyme as a kid, and my heart issues where due to Lyme.  Just a thought…

Maria

 

 

[Maz]

[user=1536]Tisch&SEB[/user] wrote:

Has anyone noticed a difference between using brand name Doryx and generic doxycycline? Our new LLMD switched SEB specifically to Doryx and we are not sure why – altho it looks like the brand name is a time released form and is possible gentler on the stomach.

Hi Tisch,

I switched from generic doxy to Doryx in October and noticed a slight difference in effectiveness….a little herxing when I switched over. I haven't had any stomach probs with any abx I've been on, so not much help there…I must have a stomach of steel (touch wood!). It was really only plaquenil that gave me intestinal gurglings and gas probs. :blush:

Maria, I can equate to your heart palps and pvcs (feels like your heart is doing backflips). Mine started within a year or so of my first tick bite, 12 years ago. I never made the connection until my second (known) tick bites and the onslaught of over Lyme/RA. During those years after the first tick bite, though, the symptoms were clearly Lyme….palps, pvs, migraine headaches, muscle twitches, night sweats, etc. I put it all down to changing hormones during those years, but all the symptoms were way too severe, though all tests (EKGs, heart monitor, ultrasound never really found anything significant)….and disconnected, too, so there was no rhyme or reason for when they would come on (though stress exacerbated them). Now I look back in retrospect, the connection is pretty nigh undeniable…I had none of those symptoms prior to the first tick bite. The second bites were the ones that really kicked things off for me RA-wise. I often think I was “fortunate” to have seen the rashes, as I never would have made the connection otherwise. Kind of makes you wonder how many folk never do. 🙁

Tisch, do hope Seb is doing okay and that he'll see some nice improvements on the Doryx.

Peace, Maz

[mschmidt]

Maz,

Omg! I had horrific migraines in my mid-late 20's and early 30's, and panic attacks.  I had severe aura, nausea, vertigo, light/smell sensitivities, and visual disturbances.  I started with these severe migraines about 1 month after a horrible boating accident, and thought my migraines were caused by that.  Hmmm…maybe the accident was my trigger/stess that compromised my immune system, and brought out the Lyme?

 

[Maz]

[user=977]mschmidt[/user] wrote:

Omg! I had horrific migraines in my mid-late 20's and early 30's, and panic attacks.  I had severe aura, nausea, vertigo, light/smell sensitivities, and visual disturbances.  I started with these severe migraines about 1 month after a horrible boating accident, and thought my migraines were caused by that.  Hmmm…maybe the accident was my trigger/stess that compromised my immune system, and brought out the Lyme?

Hi Maria,

I guess anything is possible with this nightmare set of infections. As you most likely already know, children are the most susceptible to Lyme and the largest growing sector of the population to be affected as they are outdoors so much, playing. Lots of things can be attributed to each symptom, if taken in isolation, but it's the big picture and all the symptoms, when placed side-by-side, that suddenly the light goes on. At least, that is how I realized I was probably infected a long time and my immune system was just keeping everything pretty much in check….until the second tick bites and a period of grieving that came at the same time…and everything blew, like a pressure cooker waiting to pop its lid.

Fibromyalgia seems to come on after a big stressor and even the literature on the disease mentions car accidents as being a common trigger….and fibro has long been tied to Lyme. I really don't think there is any coincidence that accidents and other life stressors bring on these diseases.

What gets me is that I live in CT and went to my doctor for years for annual check-ups and in-between for help on all these separate issues and he never put the big picture together or thought of even testing for Lyme. I think it's really good to be able to talk with others about this stuff, because it's clear there is quite a pattern amongst us all with this when looking back in retrospect.

Peace, Maz

 

[Kim]

You are right, Maz, the patterns that brought us all to this party are freakishly similar.  What initially weakened my immune system was brought on by a car accident, resulting in a cervical disc fusion, then you throw in major life stresses and over 20 tick bites and I was in a heap of trouble. :crying:

Take care…..kim

p.s. Oh, and my heart palps are now a rare occurrence post Lyme tx too. 🙂

[TischSEB]

[user=977]mschmidt[/user] wrote:

Tisch,

[TischSEB]

[user=27]Maz[/user] wrote:

Hi Tisch,

During those years after the first tick bite, though, the symptoms were clearly Lyme….palps, pvs, migraine headaches, muscle twitches, night sweats, etc. I put it all down to changing hormones during those years, but all the symptoms were way too severe, though all tests (EKGs, heart monitor, ultrasound never really found anything significant)
Tisch, do hope Seb is doing okay and that he'll see some nice improvements on the Doryx.

Peace, Maz

Hi Maz,

Thanks for your response. No doc has ever been able to explain SEB's heart issues either. No test has shown any enlargement, inflammation, or structural defect to explain the onset of the irregularity.

Thanks for your good wishes. I will pass them on!

Tisch

[PhilC]

I just learned something interesting that may be helpful to folks like us. According to this web page, there is no generic equivalent to DORYX:

http://www.wcrx.com/products/doryx/

I suppose what they mean is that there are no doxycycline generics formulated as a delayed-release tablet like Doryx. That's just a guess, though.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Author]

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