Question on Abx - Oral or IV?

[nitshel]

Wanted to ask folks on the forum a simple (?) question. If there are so many side effects of taking high doses of Abx orally (our DS gets Candida and gut issues for example) which exacerbate the symptoms - why can one not start off with IV Abx from the get-go?

I appreciate the fact that it is probably more inconvenient with an IV "pick" sticking out of the arm 24X7 - but since it bypasses the gut, I am guessing Abx is absorbed better, fewer gut issues, is more effective for say, Lyme and co-infections in the blood - and our kids will likely recover faster.

 

Am I missing something? What are the downsides?

 

Thanks!

[laure]

Infection risks (low), insurance issues, Dr. liability concerns. That said, they helped my DD tremendously. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Hrosenkrantz]

out of curiosity, when doe a doctor bypass oral abx and go to iv?

[laure]

In our case, nothing was working. If you read Joe Burrascano's guide to treating lyme disease, he states several times that in cases of later stage lyme that present primarily with neuro-psychiatric symptoms, IV antibiotics are the most effective treatment.

[mdmom]

IV abx can still affect the gut, but not nearly as much as orals

 

My children both have been on IV abx almost 2 years, as they have chronic Lyme & Co. It is by far one of the best decisions made for them. My son has a Hickman catheter in his chest.. My daughter has a port-a-cath. Our insurance has paid for this. The doctor switched to IV after 9 months of failed oral treatment.

[nitshel]

We asked our LLMD about going the IV route. She said she preferred Oral since our DS was too young (he's almost 8). Not sure what to think about that - mdmom, it looks like your kids were older....

 

@ mdmom - Do the Insurance companies make a fuss about the port-a-cath or similar set up? What level of "evidence" do they need - at the moment we have Advanced Labs and some "probable" Igenex tests but nothing like the Wwestern Blot that is the standard (but incomplete) test....

[PowPow]

My daughter had a PICC for lyme tx. Insurance paid for line no problem. Though due to lyme diagnosis they only paid for abx for 30 days. We paid for several months out of pocket. She did have a CDC pos western blot after massive oral abx.

she was going to get a central line placed in her chest for monthly infusions last year, but she had a major downturn night before and we physically could not get her out of the house. Insurance did precert that also. It was ordered by neuro for encephalitis.

Edited December 12, 2013 by powpow

[mdmom]

Insurance has not (cross my fingers) fussed or balked at any tx the doc has ordered, including the insertion of central IV lines.

 

We happen to be very fortunate to have insurance in one of the few states that mandates insurance coverage for tick-borne illnesses.