Lyme Disease Support Group

Hi there, I am trying to figure out how to get all my supplements and food in around my antibiotic "diet." Any tips on how you all orchestrated your days? My doctor told me I could take the abx with food, even the ones that say not to, as long as I don't take it with dairy. But the package inserts say to take with crackers or milk...I don't eat much dairy but I'm wondering if it is the calcium in the dairy that is the problem...I eat lots of other foods that contain calcium and I don't want to be screwing up my bladder or something because I'm eating food with my abx. Any advice out there? Thanks!

Soraya

Some antibiotics say specifically NOT to take with dairy or anything else containing calcium, since calcium binds to the antibiotic.

I take most of my meds and supplements with a meal or snack, but don't take them all at once. I'll allow 10 minutes or so in between. Seems to work best for tummy upsets. I do the same when taking more than one doxy - take them about 10 minutes apart.

organic instant sugar free oatmeal was a lifesaver for me. abx killed my stomach, but the oatmeal helped big time. I would cut up some banana or apple and cinnamon into it for sweetness and flavor and it was good. Nut thins or any gluten free cracker with peanut or almond butter also helped with the nausea.

One of my faves these day is GF frozen pancakes. Just pop one in the toaster and enjoy...doesnt even need butter or syrup..tasty plain. Simple.

good luck to you...this part can be tricky. just experiment to see what works for you.

eeewww to instant oatmeal... I like Coach's Oats or similar, takes 5 minutes to cook.

When I was having nausea issues, I found that having organic granola handy was the best thing for me. Seems doxy was the only thing to trigger this, not the other meds. Not sure why, but grain products like granola were the only things that could help the nausea go away.

Some say that nut thins are not so good, claiming that as soon as nuts are exposed to heat they start becoming rancid. Not sure about this, but I do feel better when eating raw nuts than processed ones.

GF pancakes sound yummy, but watch the carbs if you're staying on a modified candida/lyme diet.

I did a very strict candida cleanse and had a horrible time dealing with my meds. You are absolutely right in all that you said but with 3 little kids in the house and pills that were fighting to come back up, these were quick fixes that made a world of difference to me. Nut thins cost me half what other GF crackers do and as much as I wish it werent the case, the carbs are what quells my most severe nausea. I went through a phase of under medicating but sticking to the best diet and had to find a middle ground. Again, not ideal but we all have to find what works for us individually.

I did take doxy with calcium containing foods (not dairy) for a couple of weeks before I figured that out. I wonder what effects that might have...I mean does it eventually unbind from the calcium or does it just stay in your system that way?

If I remember right, whatever the calcium binds to just flushes out of your system. The main issue is that the antibiotics lose effectiveness when you take calcium at the same time. I did take minor amounts of calcium containing foods when I was on doxy, and the doc didn't think that was an issue. For example, she said a little bit of sour cream was ok, but calcium-fortified milk was not. You can also take calcium foods and doxy a couple of hours apart from each other instead of eliminating them completely.

Hi

While I am on antibiotics, I avoid any form of calcium and magnesium. But I only take antibiotics 1 week a month,high doses, and always a different one. I also take super pro-biotics and a liver support with the antibiotics.And I always eat a lot while I am on the antibiotics....to keep the nausea at bay....

Regards Silvie

Thanks Silvie. I have decreased my cal/mag intake by a 1/3 but I'm I've been on abx for 10 weeks now and get my first week off on 12/28. I guess I'll really focus on getting my minerals then. I'm on a good probiotic and started taking milk thystle. I've been taking COq10 but like 60-120mg/day rather than the 150-250 recommended so I'll have to up that. Are you GF too? I was GF for 9 months last year before I knew I had Lyme but I became senstive to nightshades which are often in GF foods so I haven't been GF since the summer. How exactly does being GF and low carb help fight Lyme?

Thanks Linda! I was actually taking it with rice milk/in cereal thinking "it is not dairy." Anyway, I've got that straight now. Thanks!