lymiesarah

There is a drug I have been reading about called roxithromycin that people in europe use for late stage lyme, and read that it has been very succesful. I would have to buy it online, but am going to talk to my doc about it tomorrow. Below are snippets I have found online about it... tell me what you guys think or already know about this....

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Roxithromycin has been reported to be of benefit in patients with late-stage symptoms (neuroborreliosis, (1) arthritis (2)) of Lyme disease, given in combination with co-trimoxazole, although the contribution of the latter is uncertain.

Roxithromycin is a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic. It is used to treat respiratory tract, urinary and soft tissue infections. Roxithromycin is derived from erythromycin, containing the same 14-membered lactone ring. However, an N-oxime side chain is attached to the lactone ring.

Roxithromycin is available under several brandnames, for example Surlid, Rulide, Biaxsig, Roxar and Roximycin.

Roxithromycin uses: The only macrolide antibiotic that crosses the blood brain barrier. Used to treat Lyme Disease

Abstract:
In this pilot trial, 18 patients participated in an investigation in which the combined therapy of co-trimoxazole and roxithromycin in late Lyme borreliosis was tested. The study has been performed as a result of earlier case reports in "The Lancet" where this combination has been used successfully in order to thwart late Lyme disease. The authors show that 76% of the patients recovered completely. In 2 patients, symptoms could be resolved with i.v. penicillin and 2 did not respond to any antibiotic therapy. These results show that oral therapy of co-trimoxazole and roxithromycin in combination provides similar results as i.v. antibiotics in earlier studies.

Oral treatment of late borreliosis with roxithromycin
plus co-trimoxazole

SIR, - Early, but not late, Lyme borreliosis has been successfully
treated with oral antibiotics such as penicillins, erythromycin, and
tetracycline. The possibility of an oral treatement is desirable,
especially in view of the great difficulties that arise with long-lasting
intravenous treatment in third-world countries.(1, 2)

Various workers have shown relapses and failure of treatment in late
Lyme borreliosis(adrodermatitits chronica atrophicans, arthritis,
neuroborreliosis) even with high doses of intravenous penicillin or
ceftriaxone. (2, 3)

Treatment that is both orally applicable and effective is certainly
needed.(2) Co-trimoxazole is a powerful antibiotic combination to
which many microorganisms respond, including the spirochaete
Treponema pallidum. Furthermore, it has been show that the new
macrolides(such as roxithromycin) show a remarkable antimicrobial
activity angaint B burgdorferi.(4,5)

It is noteworthy that the blood/brain barrier is highly permeable
to roxithromycin.

A 30-year-old man infected with B burgdorferi 7 years ago was
successfully treated with a combination of roxithromycin(300 mg
twice daily) and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole(320 mg/1600 mg
twice daily) after both intraveous penicillin(20 million IU
daily ober 3 weeks) and later ceftriaxone 2 g twice daily for 3 weeks)
had failed (figure {not included} ). Both intravenous penicillin
and ceftriaxone reduced the symptoms transiently, while IgG remained
positive.

However, shortly after a 3-week course of roxithromycin/co-trimoxazole
all symptoms disappeared and a recent assessment of IgG revealed a
negative titre. The recovery of the patient's neurological
disorders was strikingly rapid, possibly because of the high
permeability of the blood/brain barrier to roxithromycin. Thus,
albeit in only 1 patient, we have shown successful oral treatment of
late Lyme borreliosis with a combination of roxithromycin and
co-trimoxazole.