thanks,

Laura

But----

from:

http://www.drugs.com/ketek.html

What are the possible side effects of Ketek?

Ketek may cause sudden and serious liver damage. In rare cases, liver failure can develop and may cause death. Stop using the medication and call your doctor right away if you have nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). Stop using Ketek and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

diarrhea that is watery or bloody;

irregular heartbeats;

feeling light-headed, fainting;

problems with vision (difficulty focusing, drooping eyelid);

muscle pain or weakness;

trouble swallowing; or

loss of balance, coordination, or ability to climb stairs or rise from a chair.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome

I had irregular heartbeats start within a couple of days of starting Ketek and stopped immediately.

I expected my llmd to be irritated with me but he said---- "it's good that you did".

It's a hard call----- 'gut' through it (and I've done my share of that) or stop the med. Only YOU can decide. But ONLY if you're sure you know that you're not imagining. Do NOT depend on people who are not doctors! I'm not a doctor.

That's why I hope that everyone here will get familiar with how to use google (it's really easy) to find out what I found (above) with just a couple of keystrokes. (But be sure you stay away from sites that are SELLING or PROMOTING something!!!)

Ketek is not being used as much as it was when it was newer.

I personally, like the 'older' drugs. Ones that weren't on the 'fast track' to FDA approval as so many are now.

The trials have been speeded up now in the hurry to get it to market. The older drugs not only had more checks and balances----but there's also been a LOT of people actually using that drug and most problems would have surfaced.

Hope this helps you.

There are a lot of abx out there that work with treating this disease. As far as doxy - just because you didnt Herx when you first took it, doesnt mean you wont herx if you go back on it.

Herxing is a normal process for lyme - and it is a GOOD sign - the abx is killing bacteria - but you have to detox to lessen the effects.

If you symptoms get serious, like such mentioned by Cave - then of course stop and try something different. But if you are just herxing...make adjustments...detox with water and detox teas, adjust your diet...

Some abx work well for some and not for others...I have done well on Suprax, Zithro, Amox, Rifampin...and a few others. At this point, with the exception of amox, I will only take the stronger ones...things like doxy in my opinion would be worthless for me...

Christine