Bartonella and motor/vocal ticcing

[rowingmom]

Interesting rowingmom, how did you come to understand Bart was the reason for tics? my son has been dx'd for Bart too and he's PANS as well.

 

Our LLMD says that of the coinfections, bartonella is the one that usually produces the problematic psych issues, and that if we can treat bartonella her PANS reactions will resolve. While she is taking rifampin she does not have the usual PANS reactions to viral or bacterial infections she used to have (increased urinary frequency, decreased handwriting ability, decreased ability to concentrate, rages, ticcing, some mild OCD - drawing the same pictures over and over again).

 

Rifampin (along with another Abx, because without the second resistance is common) works well for bartonella as it penetrates the BBB. Twice we have noted increased ticcing and other bart pain symptoms (pick-like headache, long bone pain, sole of foot pain) shortly after introducing rifampin (a herx which dissipates with time). We have also noticed an immediate increase of bart symptoms and ticcing while ramping up too quickly with A-Bart, but not with A-L (for lyme). We did not see any increased ticcing when the lyme abx (bactrim, biaxin) or strep abx (penicillin) were introduced or changed. With these we saw herx reactions of fatigue, sound and light sensitivity and increased emotional lability. With these 3 different abx there was also a decrease in ticcing but not a resolution. Until rifampin was added these 3 abx were not used in any combination.

 

Ticcing and other bart pain symptoms returned when rifampin was discontinued for three months, but while remaining on biaxin. There was no increase in her lyme symptoms. We have not tried rifampin alone because of it's tendancy to produce resistance so I'm not sure if it's the Abx combo or the rifampin that is relieving her ticcing/PANS symptoms.

 

Her bartonella/PANS/ticcing symptoms seem to react to treatment as a group, the lyme symptoms of fatigue, joint pain, extremety tingling, and stiff neck as another. The IBS/stomach pain/cycle diahrrea resolved when we began treatment a year ago and have not reoccurred since.

Edited May 2, 2012 by rowingmom