LDN, MS, Lyme, and Minocycline

[Guest guest]

Well, that's a mouthful of a subject, isn't it? I raise a few

issues here, so hang on.

I've had 2 neurological attacks in 2 years, but as of my last MRI,

no lesions. So clinically, I don't have MS, which means my neuro

hasn't asked me to take a CRAB (or anything else) yet. But we are

both assuming it's a waiting game until lesions show up, as I've

been tested for everything else under the sun with negative results.

Not wanting to wait while I got worse, I had my internist prescribe

LDN for me in December. Since starting it, my symptoms (sensory,

fatigue, weakness) have mostly been getting better. 2 weeks ago, I

had a " mini-attack " for about 2 days, as I wrote about in

the " Relapse while on LDN " thread. In an effort to be more

aggressive in slowing down the presumed MS, I asked my internist to

prescribe minocycline. Minocycline is a common antibiotic, but it's

being tested as a therapy for MS. Note that it's not the antibiotic

effect that works with MS, but the anti-inflammatory effect. I've

been in contact with 2 RR patients who have had good results with

minocycline. I'll post links at the end of this for those who want

more info on this.

So as of last Saturday, I was taking my 4.5mg LDN nightly, and I

started 100mg minocycline twice a day. The first couple of days

were fine, but Tuesday I felt like I'd been run over by a truck--

fatigued, weak, with a flare up of my symptoms. This leads me to

several questions.

1. Is anyone aware of any reason why LDN should not be taken with

an antibiotic? I didn't see anything on the ldn web site one way or

another.

2. One of my doctors several months ago proposed that, even though

I tested negative for Lyme, I should take a trial of tetracycline

(almost the same as minocycline). His theory was that if I had Lyme

bacteria, I would feel worse as the Lyme bacteria died. I didn't

try it then, but I appear to be living his prediction now--I think

it's called the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (although mine is mild,

I think). So maybe I have Lyme, not MS? Has anyone experienced

anything like this? Or I'm just having an MS flare-up? Or ???

3. Can anyone see any reason not to take LDN with minocycline when

it's acting as a " neuroprotective agent " (see links below)? This is

probably a question for Dr. Bihari, if anyone can pass it along to

him.

Wow, that's a lot! Thanks for any thoughts or random speculation!

Here are the links on the prospects of minocycline as disease-

modifying therapy for MS:

http://tinylink.com/?MdYn9bcmoQ

http://tinylink.com/?HJaBhZ3iak

Thanks again!