Has your child used Mepron?

[landamom]

Hi all, I know this is not a Lyme forum but this is much more active then the Lyme forum and so many of us are dealing with PANS and Lyme. My dd just got IGeneX testing with Dr. J. Her Babesia Duncani test came back as a sort of positive. It was a 20 which is considered borderline positive apparently. This was very annoying to me as we've been tested for Babesia two times before and it's been negative, and she has no symptoms of it. Regardless, dr. j recommended putting her on Mepron. It is probably one of the nastiest meds out there as far as texture and consistency goes. My DD was actually on it for a month last summer when her first LLMD said she may have Babesia. Anyway, I thought there was an issue with it being quite toxic - dr. J says its one of the safest drugs out there and is even given to pregnant women. But I was wondering if any of you have experience with it, good bad indifferent? Think you so much!

[tpotter]

Yes, DS did take mepron. It is rather gross, apparently (I didn't taste it, but looks gross, and it's super bright yellow.) I think we may have mixed it into applesauce, because we mix most gross tasting things into that. But, it's been about 2 years, and I can't remember for sure. But, you don't want to mess with babesia...wrecks the red blood cells, spleen, etc. Definitely worth taking. I bet he doesn't leave your child on it for terribly long (we did 2 months, which is way less than all the other things we've done.) There are alternatives, too, but again, we used mepron and DS is ok. I'm actually more concerned about how long my DS has been on tindamax (I think almost a year...1 week on/1 week off) than I was about the mepron. BTW, DS tested negative for all lyme and co-infection at first (actually there were several indeterm, but it wasn't until after starting treatment that he finally tested positive for erlichiosis. BUT, he had symptoms of babesia (enlarged spleen, elevated liver enzymes) and bartonella ("stretch mark" rash, and rages), so there's no question he had both of those. If Dr. J. thinks your DS has babesia, I would listen to him.

[mdmom]

Mepron was well-tolerated by my entire family - my husband, myself, my 13 yr old daughter and my 15 yr old son. We all took it for 9 months. One tip - get the pre-measured packets prescribed. Each is a single dose of Mepron (1 tsp) and it is much easier to take - no mess and you can't see the actual medicine (it is a bit much on the senses because it looks like bright yellow school paint). The taste is actually pleasant.

[sf_mom]

Two of our children took Mepron for approximately one year. The third child is still on Alinia for Babesia (Mepron for at least a year as well). I have been treated for a very long time for Babesia as well, over one year on Mepron and at least six months on Melarone. We are rotating back in some herbal remedies on top of current antibiotic protocol to readdress Babesia in two of children not currently being treated: Bab-3, Enula and Crypto-plus.

 

A good resource regarding Babesia treatment is "Dr. Schaller's 2009 Update To Babesia Treatment". You can read it on-line and discusses dosages and medication for treatment. You should NOT be supplementing with CoQ10 while treating Babesia. Babesia needs CoQ10 to survive. Mepron/Melarone disables/depletes the CoQ10 so the parasite dies. By supplementing with CoQ10 while treating with Mepron/Melarone you are canceling out effectiveness of anti-malarial. When your DD stops Babesia treatment you should supplement with CoQ10 to reestablish levels and give her fighting power for other chronic infections she has along with Babesia. Dr. Horowitz also has some great You Tube Video on the topic of Babesia.

[landamom]

Thank you so much for all the info and advice! Good to hear you have all been able to tolerate it for long periods. I had no idea about the pre measured packs - I will check in to that. Have you all felt that the Mepron has helped with Babesia? It's one of those things where it's like, how do you know if its gone with unreliable tests and Lyme still being an issue. Thanks again.