For those with swollen bellies

[Susan LymeRA]

Since I began treatment, I have put on 30lbs mostly in my stomach. I eat healthy and exercise plenty, but the big stomach won’t go down. Today I saw this article on Yahoo and seriously believe this could be my issue.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/are-antiobiotics-making-us-fat

[Jan Lucinda1]

Interesting article. I wonder if a low calorie diet would help.

[Trudi]

Hi Susan–
Good to see you post! I’ve seen other articles mentioning a connection with antibiotics and weight gain. It has been mentioned on here also. When I was on antibiotics I actually lost weight, I felt so unwell. I’ve gained about 10 pounds back and have kept steady at my current weight for a year.

Take care,
Trudi

Lyme/RA; AP 4/2008 off and on to 3/2010; past use of quinolones may be the cause of my current problems, (including wheelchair use); all supplements (which can aggravate the condition) were discontinued on 10/14/2012. Am now treating for the homozygous MTHFR 1298 mutation. Off of all pain meds since Spring '14 (was on them for years--doctor is amazed--me too). Back on pain med 1/2017. Reinfected? Frozen shoulder?

[Susan LymeRA]

Trudi,

I am happy to hear you are maintaining your weight. I miss you guys here but I never forget you. I am happy to say I am busy with life. So far, all is well with me and I am not in any pain.

Susan

[fastspinW]

“States with the highest rates of antibiotic prescriptions also rank as the least healthy…”

Susan,

Statistics like that drive me nuts. For while they certainly seem to draw a strong causal link between antibiotic use and poor health one can’t help but wonder if the researchers factored in the variable that of course folks taking antibiotics (and many other types of drugs) are less healthy to begin with. Why else would they be taking antibiotics in the first place?

Without seeing the study that determined this connection I would be extremely hesitant to give it much weight. The same, I suspect, could be said about the data connecting antibiotic use with weight gain. Only this time the improvement in health experienced by a sick person who takes antibiotics getting healthier and thus gaining weight would be the most likely variable not properly factored in.

I know it seems implausible in this day of advanced scientific research that any study involving data sampling could be designed poorly enough to allow for this gross exaggeration in causal links, but believe you me, if I had a buck for every example of same I’ve encountered I’d finally be able to retire! Often all one needs do is unearth the the sponsoring company or agency to determine how certain conclusions were reached.

All best,
Winston

[Susan LymeRA]

Winston,

I chuckled at that statement too. Of course they are unhealthy. That is why they are taking antibiotics. But I do not chuckle at the 30 lbs I put on when I started Mepron in March 2009. Mostly in my belly. I am very active. I do not suffer joint pain anymore and ride horses for a hobby. Not a passive sport. I was very trim until this weight gain. Unfortunately, the weight did not fall off after the Mepron stopped.

I am always trying to figure out why.

Susan

[Maz]

@Susan Lyme/RA wrote:

But I do not chuckle at the 30 lbs I put on when I started Mepron in March 2009.

Hi Susan,

Very happy to hear you’re doing so well! 😀

I put on a little weight while I was on Mepron, too, last year. I was on it for about 7 or 8 months. In order for it to be absorbed properly, my LLMD told me to take it with at least 10 gms of fat daily… 20 grams total, as I was on a BID dose. In my case, I only put on a few pounds and these came off again, although I am still overweight since starting RA 5 years ago (when I was at my ideal weight). In my case, my belly fat is probably due to hormonal changes as these have been my peri-meno years and I was not exercising as I used to due to pain in the first couple of years. I’m still pretty erratic about exercise, but try to get to the gym several times a week. Really not working out to the level I used to, though,so in my case, I can’t blame anything but myself.

I was re-reading bits of The New Arthritis Breakthrough the other day and Brown talked about RA and how some people gained while others lost weight. Certainly, in the case of Lyme disease, I have heard many LLMDs talk about how this weird weight phenomenon occurs in Lyme, too…some people pack on pounds while others lose.

As I was scanning the article, I got the impression that the author was emphasizing the value of probiotics in this scenario to offset gut imbalances? In most cases, conventional docs don’t rx probiotics when they prescribe abx, which leads to gut imbalances. I’d have to read it again, though to be sure.

I have to admit, I’m not entirely convinced either that abx are the one and only problem, though candida can be a cause of weight gain as a direct result of gut imbalance due to abx (not enough probiotic?), but so can hormone imbalances (thyroid, ovarian, HPA)…or just eating more as one feels well again. As Winston mentioned, people who take abx are sick and those who are on AP are chronically sick. In the chronically sick, as with Lyme, there is mitochondrial malfunction (which leads to other breakdowns throughout the body). Mitochondria are the cells’ “power houses” where cellular metabolism takes place and is converted to energy. When this system goes down, metabolism slows. Some of this naturally happens with age, of course, but in the case of Lyme, it’s like a terrorist taking over the controls and hijacks everything. Prof Nicholson has done some work on this if you’re interested in contacting him:

http://www.canlyme.com/conf070505pt2.html

Here is some more info on LymeNet, but bet you could find quite a bit of info online with a few searches if you’re on a hunt to figure this out:

http://www.lymeinfo.net/thiamin.html

Susan, were you able to wean off the Enbrel (or Humira) as you’d hoped? I remember you being nervous about going on this biologic but felt it had helped and didn’t plan on being on it for good. Either way, glad you’re feeling so good and back to living your active life to the full again. 🙂 Perhaps Dr. Z. has done some research on mitochondrial malfunction in Lyme patients and can share her thoughts on whether this might be something all Lymies would do well to check out.

[Jan Lucinda1]

The article is by Lisa Cool. It doesn’t say if she has any Pharma connections. That woul be interesting to know.

It says that normally hunger hormone levels drop after eating a meal. However, in veterans treated with abx, they rose 20% and 6 times. I have noticed feeling hungry after taking abx and I know others who have said the same thing.

[Jan Lucinda1]

Another article dealing with this is:
http://www.healthiertalk.com/are-antibiotics-m … u-fat-3631

She says weight gain comes from lack of gut bacteria which help metabolize fat so a lack results in fat accumulation. She says a quality probiotic is important so you might think about your probiotic.

[Susan LymeRA]

Lord I take so many probiotics and eat probiotic rich food. I also take doxy and zith.

Maz, I have self stopped the Enbrel for the moment. During Sept, I got a bad infection (sinus) so I was scared to take Enbrel until that cleared up. Then I got a bee sting and had such a severe reaction they had to give me a steriod shot. You all know what a big no-no that is. My doctor couldn’t believe I agreed to the shot, but my arm was 4x the size of my other arm and loaded with watery blisters. I was sick on my stomach from the venom. Well, the shot lasted 30 days and so no Enbrel. That was mid-Oct. I have not had any pain since then, so I’m just waiting for pain before I use Enbrel again. I sure would like to never, ever need it again. shhhhh…..no one tell my doctor. She would kill me I think.

The stuff (Enbrel) works very well and actually stops joint damage from occurring. I would be a big fan except for the dangerous side effects.

Susan

[Trudi]

@Susan Lyme/RA wrote:

I also take doxy and zith.

Hi Susan–
This recent thread–https://www.roadback.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5948–reminded me that when I was on doxycycline I did gain weight–went from my supposed “ideal” weight of 113# to 123#. I looked sickly at 113# 🙁 ! Might be something to do with doxy–who knows??
Glad you are off the Enbrel and doing so well!!
Take care,
Trudi

Lyme/RA; AP 4/2008 off and on to 3/2010; past use of quinolones may be the cause of my current problems, (including wheelchair use); all supplements (which can aggravate the condition) were discontinued on 10/14/2012. Am now treating for the homozygous MTHFR 1298 mutation. Off of all pain meds since Spring '14 (was on them for years--doctor is amazed--me too). Back on pain med 1/2017. Reinfected? Frozen shoulder?

[Blondie283]

Just wanted to note, that I have been on Doxy for 11 months and have lost weight. But I also cut out all dairy and anything with white flour. I also have high levels of Candida Albicans, so if I eat anything with white flour or high sugar my stomach swells. I am also on diflucan. My Dr has me on 800 billion strain of probiotics too. He believes in the high dosage of probiotics. Everyones metabolism is different, and our age and hormone factor plays such a huge part in all of this too. In my opinion, if the small amount of weight gain is a result of having no pain..I wouldn’t complain for the trade off.

[Susan LymeRA]

Trudi,

I believe it did start when I switched from mino to doxy. Of course, age is factoring in on me too.

[Maz]

@Susan Lyme/RA wrote:

Maz, I have self stopped the Enbrel for the moment. During Sept, I got a bad infection (sinus) so I was scared to take Enbrel until that cleared up. Then I got a bee sting and had such a severe reaction they had to give me a steriod shot. You all know what a big no-no that is. My doctor couldn’t believe I agreed to the shot, but my arm was 4x the size of my other arm and loaded with watery blisters. I was sick on my stomach from the venom. Well, the shot lasted 30 days and so no Enbrel. That was mid-Oct. I have not had any pain since then, so I’m just waiting for pain before I use Enbrel again. I sure would like to never, ever need it again. shhhhh…..no one tell my doctor. She would kill me I think.

Wow, Susan, what a rotten reaction to the bee sting. You poor thing – must have been pretty scary. Did they give you an anti-histamine shot, too? I’m sort of wondering how this relates to immune function in the context of bee stings and melittin as bee sting therapy is used for arthritis (bee keepers who get stung frequently never get arthritis):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melittin

You likely already know all the above, but just wondering how the bee venom may have interacted or have been antagonistic with the Enbrel in some way ❓ , as they seem to have effects on similar immune pathways. ..there is a lot of info with studies about how mellitin affects immune function and inflammatory pathways at the following site and the quote pasted below is just one piece:

http://www.apitherapyreview.org/article31.php

“Moon et al., (2007) investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of BV and its major component, melittin (MEL), on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia. Their findings indicate that BV and MEL exert anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing the transcription of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 genes and proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha.”

Sheesh, if you’ve now gone a couple months without experiencing any rebound, perhaps you don’t need the Enbrel anymore? Maybe Dr. Z will be celebrating along with you and the bee sting was a really nasty experience, but nice bit of serendipity? Are your RA labs all within normal ranges now? This might give you some clues about your current status. I wouldn’t worry too much about the doc’s reaction…that was a pretty scary experience to go through and would unnerve anyone. 😉 I’m sure she’ll have compassion for that.

[Maz]

@Blondie283 wrote:

In my opinion, if the small amount of weight gain is a result of having no pain..I wouldn’t complain for the trade off.

Hi Blondie,

The rational side of my brain feels as you do, but admit I have to remind myself sometimes (especially after looking in the mirror at the belly fat) that I’d be in a far worse place had I not gone on abx therapy. It’s such a strange thing (and probably pretty universal) how the human mind has such great capability for forgetting past run-ins with pain – childbirth is similar and if we women remembered how painful delivering a child can be, maybe we’d never have another one! 😆

I was thinking back the other day how I was talking with my doc in the early days, in abject fear for my life, and then only about a year later complaining that I still couldn’t get my nice heels on. Geez…I laugh now when I think back on that…my doc must have been shaking his head in wonder…he’d literally just saved my life and there was this crazy woman worrying about her shoes? It was just female vanity on my part, but further along now I see a bigger picture…those moments of vanity were actually a really great sign that there was a shift in my thinking from fearing I’d even have a future to actually believing I’d have one.

So nice to see you,Blondie, and hope you’re faring well. 🙂

[Author]

Posts