What is your personal experience taking two antibiotics?

[Margaret Mueller]

I am wondering how the use of two antibiotics to fight disease works, because I need to have a discussion about this with my doctor, and I don’t know enough about it to have that conversation.

What are different ways to alternate taking them?
Did/Do you de-tox your liver many times a day during this process?
Did you end up going off and getting back on for some reason?
Are there other things to consider if you are taking two antibiotics at the same time?
Is this what is called pulsing?
If it is, does the method for pulsing vary a lot?
Has this been successful for you?
Was there anything un-successful about it?
Is there something I should have asked that I haven’t?
Does doing something like this harm the effectiveness of one or both of the abx?

This is the reason: I have both muscular dystrophy and SD. When I started on Doryx four years ago, my MD was immediately helped by the doryx (doxy). Oral Clindy for twelve days was intolerable, but on the fourteenth day, all of my “atrophied” neck ligaments and muscles began to function, virtually overnight, and have improved consistently over the last three and a half years. At the same time, my SD vastly improved, but kind of stalled out after a while. Last summer I had IV clindy, and both the SD and the MD took huge leaps of reversal, and I started on minocycline which has been great for the SD. The problem is that over the last three months I have had substantial MD deterioration to the point where I am losing the use of my arms which is really disheartening. It could be that this is the course of the disease, but I kind of suspect that the doxy was effectively slowling it down or suppressing it’s progress. (a few doctors I have talked to said this is something they have seen, but won’t give me specifics, and won’t support me even though I’m one of the patients they have seen who is in the best condition; “that is not in the scope of my practice”) A few months ago I could reach into my cabinets again, but now I’m having trouble with reaching to my face making eating, and brushing my teeth a lot harder. I would like to alternate the doxy and mino, but I don’t know if that is possible. I want to ask my doctor, but I need to understand what doing this is all about.

Thanks.

[Dawn]

Margaret, I do not have the same issues you do; but did want to share that I am taking Doxy and Mino as follows currently with no problems: M & F doxy at 200 mg each of those days, T, W, Th mino at 100 mg each of those days – clear for the weekend.

Healing Hugs, Dawn

DawnF

[Margaret Mueller]

Thank you, Dawn. This is very helpful, and I appreciate your response.

Margaret

[PhilC]

Hi Margaret,
@Margaret Mueller wrote:

Does doing something like this harm the effectiveness of one or both of the abx?

Not necessarily. It depends on which antibiotics are being used together. As far as I know, there are no incompatibilities between any of the antibiotics typically used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases — tetracyclines, macrolides, and clindamycin.

Some previous discussion that may be helpful:
Is It OK to Combine Doxycycline & Minocycline?

Phil

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

[enzed]

I’ve been taking 200mg of Doxycycline daily and pulsing with Roxythromycin twice a week.
I have previously pulsed with other antibiotics as well.
My experience on combination AP has been an acceleration in the reduction of symptoms (including skin thickening).
All antibiotics tend to make me feel quite tired.
The feeling of fatigue definitely increases when I take combination antibiotics.
Small price to pay though, for the measurable gains I have made on AP.

However, I need more energy to enjoy the festive season, so have reduced Doxy to 100 daily and stopped the pulsing with Roxy. I will resume the usual full doses after Chrisrmas. I’m already much more energetic having reduced the doseages. 😛

[schirrm]

I’m actually on four antibiotics.
These are both pulsed during the week ( on days and off days) and also pulsed on a monthly base (on and off weeks).
I’ve experienced the same as others where my symptoms improved significantly and fatigue also increased slightly.
I’ve had no adverse effects except the increase in fatigue during the higher pulse periods.
My doctor performs liver testing periodically.
During my off weeks I also do some detox on my own including NAC and water consumption.
As yourself, Minocine got me to a apex and then just leveled out. Going on a combination ABX did improve my condition measurably.

[lynnie_sydney]

Hi Margaret
I have been on 4 antibiotics (in small doses) for the last 5 years. They are changed up every so often when something raises its head that needs to be dealt with (in terms of active pathogen). I have had little problem with this kind of protocol and always have pulsed whatever combo is rx’d on 3 days per week – MWF. My current one is working extremely well for me. Almost nothing in the way of flares….and the classic rheumatoid symptoms (small joint involvement) went within two weeks of substituting a small amount of cipro in place of the clarithromycin. Also fatigue has subsided, something that always plagued me. My CPn is well under control and another pathogen that was picked up seems to be also.
If you are taking in larger doses than me (see my sig line), just be cautious re replacing beneficial gut flora with a very good probiotic.

Pulsing is generally about spacing out doses – taking on a few days a week with some “on” days and some “off” days.

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

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