TB Tests, Antibiotics and Side Effects

                         

                   Tests-Antibiotics and Side Effects                                                    

                                                (Dec 30 2011)

                          

Initially when first diagnosed in 2001 i was prescribed Four different Antibiotics

dosage based on my then steady weight of between 51-53 kg, taken Twice daily

and a Monthly routine of Tests.

   Antibiotics :

* Pyrazinamide

* Rifampicin

* Ethambutol

* Clarithromycin
 

  Monthly Tests:

* Blood tests

* Sputum tests

* X-ray Tests 

I also had One Breathing test and One CT Scan -and never another!

That was my choice… i was a very difficult patient back then

and the relationship with the first Lung Specialist was rather strained and grinding…

Partly due to the patronising way i felt he treated me

and partly due to my difficult character when it comes to following orders

especially trusting decisions about my body in the hands of another.

Initially i fought fiercely, Wild Stallion style, perhaps because something in me

refused to believe that i was so sick and partly because his fixed tack

of constantly defending all ugly, uncomfortable symptoms i was experiencing,

as due to supplements i had been taking for well near two decades,

instead of accepting they were the usual side effects caused by the antibiotics.

I had never been a pill popper person, hardly used antibiotics more than 4-5 times

in my entire life till then and painkillers or anything coming from the chemist

was avoided like the plague.

The sudden overload of them, in number, frequency and quantity

so overwhelmed my body that i found impossible to operate

– was heavily fogged up and felt so ill that i wanted to die.

One of the most torturing problems was a burning sensation

in different parts of my body as if burned by trillions of hot pins

and the appearance of lesions in my private areas.

When i mentioned these symptoms and complained

(back then suspecting they were caused by the Pyrazinamide,

because Pyra comes from the greek ‘pyra’ meaning fire)

i was bluntly told i was …”highly strung!” …

I was insulted and frustrated on top of desperate

but i knew there was nowhere to go with this fellow

so i turned into investigating other possibilities

such as Candida yeast -suggested- but not checked- by my GP-

and told to use Clortimazole without any effect whatsoever.

Eventually, as the idea had started to dawn that it was either

antibiotics and their ills or dying, made me reluctantly surrender ,

i stopped complaining and accepted the lot as a general antibiotics side effects…

Unbeknownst at the time, both to him as well as to myself

was that some of the worst side effects mentioned above

were caused by an overgrowth of Malassezia Yeast Fungus
started and promoted by the heavy long term use of the antibiotics.
 

(This true cause of problems and effects

became apparent and clear just recently

the details of dealing with, in a separate blog

currently under construction:

 http://malasseziablog.wordpress.com/

At the end of 9 months of the above treatment

i felt like my body was just about to explode

and that if i did not stop, something more dire will happen

so i made the sudden decision to Stop the Antibiotics
-they had not been working up to then anyway.

My Lung Specialist was initially taken aback but he knew by then i was determined.

 He accepted and we left it at ‘see how things go’ in three monthly follow up visits.

I felt better, more enthusiastic, and the sense that something was going to explode

disappeared within a few days…

After taking some L-Phenylalanine capsules for a few days, the burning fire of hell

and its lesions also eased and cleared.

The Specialist was rather surprised to see how good i looked during the following

two visits, and he seemed genuinely pleased, which helped my feelings mellow a bit

-our strained relationship having already improved with time.

But three months later, after a total of also 9 months off the antibiotics

i suddenly started to cough up blood …

so when i went back for the next visit i asked:

“HOW LONG from here?” … meaning …till i die …

He took in an exasperated breath, followed by a rather distraught expression on his

face and with a low voice, much like approaching a dangerous unpredictable animal

                       
                           (Tigress in Me)

                He said softly: “Let’s try again”

I surrendered …

but remembering the trouble of the trillion pins of burning fire and lesions

i declared adamantly: “I am not going back to Pyrazinamide!”

After a few phone calls he presented me with an adjusted dosage of the remaining three :

* Ethambutol * Rifampicin and * Clarithromycin.

It was not long within this routine that i discovered to my dismay three things:

1) It was not the Pyrazinamide causing the Fire and lesions

which returned with a vengeance … (so i started to suspect the Rifampicin… )

2) After every hospital visit whether for the routine tests of X-Rays, Blood, Sputum

or to see the Specialist and the test results, i would get very ill with severe,

flu similar symptoms, would frequently bleed, as well as get new,

more severe lesion outbreaks, extending to my shoulders and back as well as underarms.

3) Changes were in motion due to Local Government /Hospital reconstruction

which meant my Lung Specialist moved to a different hospital

and i was passed on into the care of the TB Control Clinic – held at our local hospital.

The change was good, the TB Control Specialists were great and very cooperative

and after having explained that i was not interested in living long and running around

perpetually chasing tests of all kinds, if they were not contributing to cure as such,

and that all i wanted was living ‘quality’ of life while possible, for and with my family,

and due to reason number 2 above, the routine visits were accordingly set initially

to three monthly, as blood tests indicated, that with my successfully detoxifying diet

i was nowhere near any danger of dying from liver toxicity.

So, having accepted the fire and the lesions as antibiotic side effects

all run smoothly from there on for some years to follow.        

 

Atypical TB Mac Antibiotic Side Effects — During and After Termination—

 

         Atypical TB: Antibiotic Side Effects

           (During and After Termination)           

                                            (July 2012)                     

                   

It has now been near Four Years (August 09- April 13 – )

since i came Completely Off Antibiotics and i am still here…

Some of the Side Effects vanished soon after the termination.

Some are still present and persistent as a result of the long term use

and Some have become Irreversible.

During the first Six months the Side Effects were very Severe on all levels

from the pure Physical, to the Mental and Emotional sides

as there was no area that normal body functions had not been affected

and thrown out of balance and dismal disarray.
After that came a rather abrupt body adjustment

and it all felt kind of Normal … within its new established … Abnormality!

Side Effects during first 6 months and onwards while on Antibiotics

* Extreme Lethargy, Fatigue, Frequent Confusion

* Diminished ability to perform daily Normal Co-ordination tasks,

  let alone anything requiring any Thinking or Planning process.

* Almost non Existent Reflexes

I could hardly keep my eyes open, my limbs were always Lead heavy

and keeping track of time and other spatial awareness was often

in disturbing disarray.

I could not trust myself to go out alone and after i was nearly hit by a car twice,

once in front of my terrified daughter who reported the incident to my man

and once while accompanied by my husband himself,

we had decided that i should never go out alone

until i had adjusted to the effects of the medications.

*Extreme and abrupt Hot and Cold Sessions

Several times a day there would be a sudden heating up of my body

as if my temperature was rising to fever heights and near suffocation levels

and then it would start reversing going down… down… down…

as if entering Siberia unaccustomed territory or as if ‘shelved’ inside a Freezer.

No amount of clothes put on or taking off or outside temperature variations

made any difference to that process that usually lasted approximately 5-10 minutes

and then subsided until the next cycle- repeated several times each day.

* Constant Sick feeling in the Stomach spreading throughout the body

* General Lack of Hunger, Appetite and Sense of Taste

* Development of Severe Food Intolerances

My Stomach felt constantly full and more often than not nauseated too.

This apparently i have read was the effect of Clarithromycin

I had to force myself to eat and i did it by the Clock as there was never

natural sense of hunger, nor appetite or craving for anything

and neither anything tasted the way i remembered it used to

but Nutrition was one of the Best Defences of my Body

against the Illness and despite the tremendous effort at each meal

i was not prepared to compromise the benefit.

I knew well that my body was not only fighting a Killer illness

                                

but also highly Toxic Medications that had to be monitored carefully

month by month, to ascertain containment of toxic effects on Liver and Kidneys.

So… Three Highly Nutritious Meals a Day

was the Medicine i Provided to my Body for its Fighting Battle

and which i valued highly and without the fear of long term side effects

as i had for the antibiotics .

Another side effect that started to develop pretty soon was severe Food Intolerances.

Many Foods that belonged to the category of causing Lung allergies or irritation

i voluntarily gave away though with great regret, but there were many more

that were -as far as i knew- beneficial to the Lung and yet i would get

unpleasant symptoms after consumption, some even if in the smallest quantity.

Most important of them all was

*Lung Bleeding

Other symptoms were

* Feeling of Dull Pain and Fullness in the Liver area

* Nail like Pains in the Kidneys, and as a result

* Severe Fluid Retention and

* Strong, Nauseating Migraines,

Only rarely ever occurring prior to commencement of Antibiotics

and usually during the Naughty period of Christmas

when succumbing to the temptation of tasting some foods

                           

still in the category of ‘healthy’ but much lesser grade.

(More details in a Diet Entry soon to follow)

* Overgrowth of Malassezia Yeast Fungus

One of the most Torturing problems which started within days

of the commencement of Antibiotics and remained present throughout,

causing Uncomfortable Burning sensations on different parts of my body

as if burned by trillions of hot pins which resulted in highly painful Lesions

in sensitive skin areas and especially in my private areas.

It has taken Over a Decade to Finally identify the Problem and deal with it

as will be described in my specifically dedicated Blogs:

http://malasseziablog.wordpress.com  

Side Effects Accumulation Before Terminating Medication

During a Nine Month period before the final decision to terminate medication

there were side effects that were indicating increasing cumulative effects

that were leading fast to a downward spiral with possible consequences

i was not prepared to sit passively and let happen.

These were:

* Increasing Daily Bleeding with frequently scary large volumes

* Frequent -to almost daily- feeling of Fullness and Pain in the Liver area

* Frequently strong Waxy / Orangey Colour on Face  

  (not including the white of the eyes)

* General Feeling of Toxic Overload which i felt my body was progressively

unable to process and cope with.

* Kidney Dysfunction as in Diminished Urine Output to just 1 teaspoon

in a 24 hour period, despite the quantities of liquids consumed.

* Losing weight rapidly, from 52 – 53 Kg down to 43 – 45 Kg

and progressively unable and severely restricted in consuming

many nutritious foods and /or supplements.

My Personal Judgement was that my general condition was Deteriorating Fast

and i was not prepared to wait until either Liver or Kidneys gave up

and had to go for Kidney Dialysis or whatever was i heading to – fast

so i made the Scary Decision to Stop and give my body a chance

to recover from the Medication and see if it could handle the A-TB

on its Own – and if not… then at least it would be up to Destiny and

Natural course of Progression of the Illness.

Side Effects Disappearing After Termination of Antibiotics

Even though my illness was steadily killing me

– or so i was told and have no doubt it was quite true –

i felt much worse upon commencement and throughout the duration

of being on medication.

A great feeling returned after the Termination, even though

i was secretly worried about the difference of appearance versus reality

i.e. ‘ feeling good did not mean i was better’

and ‘ feeling bad did not mean i was getting worse ‘…

but which WAS TRUE???… if any…

Was it more likely that my body had a breather from daily bombardment

of toxicity and relieved with steady clearing it off?…
Because in the end during the course of antibiotics

* I was Neither Feeling Good

* Nor was i Getting Better,
and in fact the signs as described above, were that I WAS getting Worse!….

(Losing Blood, Losing Weight, My Body was not working properly etc.)

Once I stopped medication i experienced

* Extreme Lightness

* Elation and Euphoria

* Increased Energy

* Clearing Effect

* Heat and Freezing changes Decreased in Frequency and Intensity by 95%

* Bleeding stopped for much Longer Periods often for Many Weeks apart

(and only certain conditions gradually identified and avoided caused it to start)

* Became able to gradually add back Nutritious Foods and Vitamins

that i had not been able to consume for a long time

* Liver Pains disappeared

* Kidney functions Improved dramatically

* My weight was brought back Up to 48 – 49kg

(hard to get it back to 52-53 as the loss of blood had caused loss of Calcium

and other minerals affecting Bone mass)

(Note: having some leftover medications after i stopped,

i tried to use for some bladder infections, one of them in particular,

as more suited to the problem and noticed that within a day

lung bleeding returned and continued for the duration of the five day course

and stopped immediately upon completion

– this repeated twice more… i did consider more than coincidental

but rather a confirmation of a long time suspicion, knowing that

this particular antibiotic is reputed – medical files info – to affect blood viscosity.

Side Effects Present and Persistent after Termination of Antibiotics

Generally speaking, due to the continuing presence of the Lung illness

and the passing of nearly a  full Decade, it would be honest and right to say

that Nothing has really gone back to what was known as ‘Normal’ before.

Just a General feeling of Improvement in Many areas

and many Drug caused Side effects are Certainly Gone

but this is counterbalanced by the natural progression and deterioration

of the A-TB and the Malicious effects of the stress and all ills caused

by the Malassezia Yeast Fungus -especially during the past 3 1/2 years.

The Malassezia Beast 

I am now mainly still Battling and is the Direct Cause and Result of the Long Course

on Antibiotics and X-Rays, and may have to battle it on for as long as i live

hopefully only on the reduced levels i have finally managed to bring it down to

and control it – and which at this stage indicate constant meticulous maintenance needed.

Still hope for a Decisive Miracle but have learned it may arrive with other unpleasant

strings attached…

Side Effects Permanent and Irreversible after Termination of Antibiotics

* Malassezia Yeast  

* High Sensitivity and Lack of Adjustment to Temperature Changes

  Especially when in Immediate Contact with any Part of my body*

  I have now established through repeated occasions that there has been

  a Permanent Alteration to the ‘Thermostatic Adjustment’ mechanism

  in my Body -confirmed by medical info and repeated observations-

  caused by at least One of the Antibiotics i know.

  I do not intend to end up thought as an advocate against antibiotic use

  as each individual is different and have their own responsibility of choices

  to make along the course of their illness.

  Therefore readers are urged to research on their own the medical validity

  i mention above regarding the part of ‘confirmed by medical info’

  and wherever else i mention ‘medical information or conformation’.

* This Sensitivity, unless Special Temperature Measures taken,

  causes Spontaneous Short Lung Bleeds –within minutes to hour

  or belated Long and Heavier ones at a dreaded time during sleep.

                     

                                                             *

   

Atypical TB MAC: Eight -8- Year Revision of Antibiotic Side Effects

                                                           *

Atypical TB: 8 Year Revision of Antibiotic Side Effects

   

                             (July 01 – June 09)

          

     The Entry Below is Copied Directly from my Diary Files

              Recorded prior to Terminating Medications

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

During the Past 8 Years of Antibiotic Treatment 

i have been Suffering from the following Side Effects

on either Daily and Constant or Frequent basis:

* Severe Gastrointestinal Disturbances

  (Indigestion, Extreme and Painful Bloating, Stomach Cramps, etc)

* Kidney Pains Followed or Accompanied by

–   Severe Migraines & Nausea 

–   Fluid Retention

–   Blurred Vision

–   Loss of Appetite

–   Development of many Food Intolerances

    getting increasingly harder to process: 

    (such as absolutely minimal Protein intake,

    or Total Exclusion of many otherwise Beneficial Foods or Substances) 
      

* Thunderous Massive Heart Palpitations 

    resulting in
 

–   Lung Bleeds

–   Blood Vessel Bursts (Large Bruises/Haemorrhages)

–   Headaches

–   Anxiety

–   Insomnia

*  Liver Pain, Discomfort and Fullness

*  Permanent Presence and Frequent Yeast Flare Ups 

(This Below refers to Malassezia Yeast Identified as such much later)
 

* Also Tormented throughout since the Commencement of Antibiotic treatment

   by an Unidentified ‘Devil’ that lives Under my Skin and / or Nerve endings or Blood?

   frequently Erupting in Clusters of Severely Itchy, Fluid & Blood Filled Bubbles
 

* Almost Constant Skin Irritation 

 – like Trillions of Needles Piercing or Stretching  my Skin

   to tearing point often causing Involuntary Nerve Spasms and Twitching.
 

  (This symptom may be part of the above or a separate one 

  difficult to separate as they both coincide or one precedes the other)
 

Additional Non related to Antibiotic treatment but Exacerbated by all the above:
 

* Panic, Anxiety attacks, Depression

* Osteoporosis (Antibiotics Inhibiting Calcium Absorption)

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Near the End just before i decided it was time to get Off the Antibiotics

my Kidney Urine Output for the Entire Day had Diminised to a mere 1 Tablespoon

Regardless of tones of Fruit and Fruit Juice consumption , Broths, Water etc.

I was worried and Not Prepared to Wait for a Kidney Failure to Occur, so

I Took the Necessary Action: I Stopped and Never Regretted it since.

                                    * * *

ANTIBIOTIC RESEARCH for TB and MAC

                                            *

                           ~Atypical TB MAC ~

                                            *

                                   http://sonatasstory.wordpress.com/

                                                                 * * *          

                                    TB- Antibiotic Research Articles   

                                          

  In this Section are included some Research Articles from my Files.
 

* The Date at the top of Each Article indicates time of Recording item in my Files

   Their Publication Dates where applicable are included at End of Each Article.

 

* Colour or  Bold Type Highlights are also mine (for My Convenient Spotting of References).

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Articles in the Section ‘Antibiotic Research’ have been collected at various times

from Google search engine for my personal files and Info.

I include them here as part of all around information without any recommendations.

Some of them may have been updated at later stages.

* * *

                                                                      Articles:

– Rifamycin-Sparing Regimen Shows Promise in Mycobacterial Lung Disease

– Moxifloxacin Has “Considerable” Promise as a New Anti-TB Agent

– Research for (Clofazimine-Amikacin-R207910)

– New TB Drug May Shorten Treatment Times

– F.D.A. Approves Drug for Resistant Tuberculosis

– Vitamin C Kills Tuberculosis in accidental discovery

* * *

More may be added in time

Please click on Menu to read

Rifamycin-Sparing Regimen Shows Promise in Mycobacterial Lung Disease

 *

(Monday, December 08, 2003 )

Rifamycin-Sparing Regimen Shows Promise in Mycobacterial Lung Disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 17 –

For patients with mycobacterium avium-intracellular complex (MAC) lung disease,

treatment with a macrolide, ethambutol, and clofazimine is a “reasonable alternative”

to regimens that include rifamycin, two clinicians from Canada have found.

Currently recommended treatment for MAC lung disease calls for a macrolide

(clarithromycin or azithromycin), a rifamycin (rifabutin or rifampin), and ethambutol

until sputum cultures remain negative for 1 year, Dr. Stephen K. Field and Dr. Robert

L. Cowie note in the October issue of the journal Chest. But long-term treatment

with these medications is not well tolerated by the elderly and relapse is common.

The two researchers treated 30 consecutive elderly HIV-negative individuals

(27 women and 3 men) with MAC lung disease with clarithromycin (500 mg bid)

or azithromycin (250 mg/d) on weekdays in combination with ethambutol

(15 mg/kg/d) and clofazimine (100 mg/d).

Four subjects withdrew from the study before sputum conversion due to

clarithromycin intolerance, while the remaining 26 completed an average

of 10 months of treatment.

According to the researchers, sputum findings converted to negative in all 26 patients (87%).

One patient died of unrelated causes during the study and 5 patients (19%) relapsed

an average of 17 months after completion of treatment.

Therefore, the combination of a macrolide, ethambutol, and clofazimine

was successful in 20 of 30 patients (67%),

they write.

This regimen, the University of Calgary researchers say,

was “relatively well tolerated and achieved sputum conversion to negative

and relapse rates that were at least as good  as any of the previously published

macrolide-containing regimens.”

Moreover, this regimen “[spares] patients the need for treatment with

and potential side effects of rifamycins and aminoglycosides.”

Chest 2003;124:1482-1486.

* * *

Articles in the Section ‘Antibiotic Research’ have been collected at various times

from Google search engine for my personal files and Info.

I include them here as part of all around information without any recommendations.

Some of them may have been updated at later stages.

Moxifloxacin Has “Considerable” Promise as a New Anti-TB Agent

*

(December 08, 2003)

Moxifloxacin Has “Considerable” Promise as a New Anti-TB Agent

By Megan Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 23 – Moxifloxacin has bactericidal activity comparable to rifampin in human subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), results of a phase II study indicate, leading researchers to recommend further testing of the drug.

“For some years there has been considerable excitement about the potential activity of this 8-methoxy quinolone, which had been shown to be highly active in vitro and in mouse models of TB,” Dr. Stephen H. Gillespie from Royal Free and University College London told Reuters Health.

In the current trial, which was performed in collaboration with colleagues in Tanzania, patients were randomly allocated to 5 days of monotherapy with either moxifloxacin (400 mg/d), or isoniazid (300 mg/d), or rifampin (600 mg/d).

The estimated time to kill 50% of viable bacilli in sputum was 0.88, 0.46, and 0.71 days for moxifloxacin, isoniazid, and rifampin, respectively.

“Moxifloxacin had a similar level of activity to rifampicin, but less than isoniazid,” Dr. Gillespie told Reuters Health.

After5 days of monotherapy, the patients then went on to conventional four-drug therapy with rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol.

This study “confirms that the excellent in vitro activity of moxifloxacin translates into activity in the human host,” the researchers write in the December 1st American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

“Moxifloxacin joins the small number of highly bactericidal antituberculosis drugs and may contribute to the development of more effective regimens,” they add.

“Further large scale clinical trials should be performed to determine how best moxifloxacin should be used to improve the treatment of tuberculosis,” Dr. Gillespie told Reuters Health.

* * *

Articles in the Section ‘Antibiotic Research’ have been collected at various times

from Google search engine for my personal files and Info.

I include them here as part of all around information without any recommendations.

Some of them may have been updated at later stages.

Vitamin C Kills Tuberculosis in accidental discovery

*

22 May 2013

Agence-France Presse

Lab-grown tuberculosis (TB) bacteria has been killed with good old Vitamin C – an “unexpected” discovery scientists hope will lead to better, cheaper drugs.

Credit: Rüdiger Wölk/ Wikimedia

PARIS: Lab-grown tuberculosis (TB) bacteria has been killed with good old Vitamin C – an “unexpected” discovery scientists hope will lead to better, cheaper drugs.

A team from Albert Einstein College ….

Link to complete article:  (redirects to a different site)

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/vitamin-c-kills-tuberculosis-in-accidental-discovery/

* * *

Articles in the Section ‘Antibiotic Research’ have been collected at various times

from Google search engine for my personal files and Info.

I include them here as part of all around information without any recommendations.

Some of them may have been updated at later stages.