Hi Joy...I gained 25 lbs over the past year. I have only been on abx (Minocycline) for the past 2 months, so I can't blame it on that. I have been on Paxil for 5 months (because my doctor thought I was having panic attacks before I was diagnosed with Lyme) and Paxil causes weight gain, so it may be that.
Two days ago I decided to do something about it and started exercising for an hour a day. It took all my self-control just to start because I have absolutely no energy. All I can tell you is I felt so much better when I was done that I am going to try to do this every day. I am hoping this will help with the weight gain, but if it doesn't, it's still making me feel better.
That is tough gaining 25 lbs. I am sure you are lilke me and the weight gain just adds too feeling worse. 2 years ago - way before lymes - I started working out with a personal trainer (worked with PT for about 6 months) then continued on my own at least 5 days a week. 30-45 min. cardio and then about 30 minutes of weight training. Since lymes I have continued but it has been a huge effort. I used to start my workout around 6 a.m. but now it is later because my best sleep seems to be from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. It really is fustrating that I have gained and my exercise and eating have not changed. Keep up with the exercising I known even through it is so difficult to get started I too feel better afterwards. It seems like a real good sweat helps with my blues.
Joy, I had the very same experience. The summer of 2006 I was on Doxy - 800 mgs a day and gained 15 lbs! Part of my problem was that the Doxy gave me a bad taste and also I felt like eating all the time because I felt nauseous with an empty stomach. So I sympathize with you.
I am again on antibiotics since my CD-57 test (for killer cells) went from 120 to 34 over the last year. I am now taking Amoxicillan and Flagyl and feel pretty good on them. I guess they are used for chronic Lyme.
I used to work out all the time too. I am 55 years old but always did my Jazzercise classes and walked. It is hard now. I always have such neck and jaw pain and just don't feel like it. As if Lyme isn't enough to deal with I went through menopause recently too. Both can cause weight gain. I just need to get off my fanny and get moving again.
Good luck with your workout efforts and take care!
I also have weight gain trouble stemming from Lyme, but mine is not related to Doxy, which I was on at one time.
I am 5'8". July 2004 I weighed 135 lbs. Then in December 2004 I weighed 220 lbs.
During those months, my symptoms flared up in full force. I believe it was the bacteria getting into my nervous sysytem including my thyroid, pituitary and hypothalamus glands which regulated my body's metabolism.
I've been fighting the Lyme and Bartonella for three years now and my weight hasn't budged. As my health improves, naturally, I become more active but still my weight does not budge.
No way can I excercise as I used to. The spirit is willing but the body cannot cooperate. I am so jealous of you who can!
I don't know when my weight will come off, but I am really looking forward to it.
I don't like to look in mirrors. I don't recognize myself anymore. Should I happen upon a picture of myself pre-Lyme, I get so upset since I don't recognize the woman in the photo.
I know a person who goes from a type-A, super woman, never-sit-down lifestyle to a suddenly sick and sedentary lifestyle can gain weight, but 90 pounds in 5 months? I doubt it.
My eating habits have never been better than they are now. I try to eat as healthy as I can to give my body the best fighting chance it can have. Yet still, the weight does not budge.
I miss my old body. I worked so hard to be fit at my age (41 and I still wore a bikini). I miss wearing trousers with a tight cinched belt, I miss wearing jeans and tank tops, I miss my shoes, my shirts, my dancing gowns (I taught ballroom dance part-time) and even my work suits. I miss tan lines. I don't even fit into my old watches for pete's sake. My clothes, even my old undies and froo-froo bras that don't fit are in bins, waiting for me to fit into them again. (I went from a 36B to a 44D)
I don't know at what point in my recovery the weight will come off. I've heard that Lyme recovery can go in reverse: your first symptoms can be the last ones to go away. I sure hope that's true and that as I recover, the weight will come off and I will look at myself and recognize the woman in the mirror.
Hope I wasn't a downer, but wanted to share my experience.
My weight changed from 220 to 300 lbs in less then a year.
This was at a time when I struggled with the disease for over 20 years. I began drinking on the nights I did not force myself to go to the gym. This sent me into a whole new low with the disease. I could not make a fist without burning and the muscles in my forearms, legs, shoulders, everywhere could not stay contracted.
I also could not get strength from foods. I had this problem from the beginning with Lyme, but it became worse over the years. I relied on very simple carbohydrates because I knew I had severe enzyme deficiency as a result of the disease. I would rely on ground beef and semolina pasta. If I did not have this high calorie, high fat meal, I had difficulty walking or thinking straight. I manipulated very well for a few years, but finally everything caved in and no matter what I ate, I retained tremendous amounts of fluid...my face looked swollen and so did my fingers and every other part of my body. My color looked gray to white to yellow.
After almost three years of daily detox baths I've cleared enough bacteria out of my tissues to actually have some brute strength...but I have a way to go because this is very short lived. If I try to go back to the gym for a regular workout, it puts me down for a day at least where I feel like I cannot move.
I'm getting there...I'm just running short on patients I guess.
Hope this helps.
Hi. Has anyone experienced weight gain from lymes or may be it it the medication. I am taking doxcycline. I have gain 10-13 lbs.
Joy...
Yes, I gained weight from Lyme, too. I contracted Lyme about 7 years ago and put on about 30 pounds within a year of contracting it. My appetite was out of control. I was always hungry! I could eat a man-sized meal and be totally stuffed, but still hungry! I didn't know I had Lyme and thought I must have a hormonal problem. It isn't normal to be hungry when you're stuffed, but I was. I was ALWAYS hungry.
I lost the 30 pounds due to sheer will power and stubborness. I basically starved myself for 2 months (600 calories a day). I do NOT recommend anyone else doing that. I ended up with a kidney stone that required surgery. I'm sure the starvation contributed to the kidney stone. Nothing else worked for me. I tried the Atkin's diet and didn't lose a pound...ditto for aerobics and every other thing I could think of. All that was left was starvation, so I finally did that. It was extremely hard to do and probably very bad for me, but I did lose the weight. I've kept it off. I was desparate. I could hardly walk at all due to the weight and the partial leg paralysis from the Lyme. I got winded walking across a room. My back hurt.
My heart goes out to you. Most Lymies lose weight. To the few that gain...it isn't your fault!!! I've been there. I know how you feel...hungry all the time, yet bloated. I don't know the medical reason behind it, but it's the Lyme.
Hi Joy. Yes, Lyme and some of the meds can cause weight gain. As if having Lyme was not bad enough!
Thyroid disorders can also cause weight gain. I suggest that you have your Free T3, Free T4 (besides the T3 and T4) and thyroid antibodies tested in addition to the normal panel. They are not usually done but are necessary for a comprehensive view. Some people, including myself, have Lyme disease and a thyroid disorder.
Do everything you can to take good care of yourself--eat healthy, drink a lot of water, get enough rest, exercise when possible, and take appropriate supplements.
Rachelle, Hi. You asked me whether I was seeing Dr. Lerner - the answer is no. I have heard of him but didn't consider seeing him for Lyme. My LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Dr) is in Grand Rapids. He is worth the trip. He was the only one that would believe me - and it was confirmed that I have Lyme through a Western Blot sent to Igenex in CA.
I know you are in Mt. Clemens. Who do you see? There are only a couple of Drs. around here that really know about Lyme. I found my Dr. when I was deathly ill and had no where to turn. That was after seeing 7 Drs. and 7 or so Dentists and getting nothing but the "runaround". Got him from the Lyme Disease Association website Dr. referrals and he saw me the following day. Bless him!
The doctor I first saw in Romeo sent my blood to Ingenex, tested positive
On the Western Blot IGG., and my CD57 was very low...then, a friend of mine had the same thing, and went to Dr. Lerner and said she didnt have it? Im just concerned. Ive had lupus for years, and now going through menopause symptoms from a surgical hyster I had last year. Im not sure what is going on, and neither do my docs. Just this week im getting fevers and not sure why..nightmare!!!! I go back to Dr. Lerner soon for results. Guess I will need to make a decision on whatever he says. I was just reading where any type of infection can interfere with hormones, thus causing weight issues. I dropped almost 20 pounds the first two months I was sick, now, i dont eat much and my weight just stays the same, but my hormones are def out of whack and yeast can add weight like crazy. Whenever I was on diflucan, i could drop the weight?
Hi Rachelle,
Sorry about all of your problems at once! I too went through menopause the SAME MONTH I was diagnosed with Lyme. When it "rains it pours". I am so fat now - I am 5' 6" and went from 145 to 167 in just a few months! Of course with Lyme it is hard to workout. I just work and lay around. I did rejoin my Jazzercise class yesterday and kept up. I am going to keep working out to see if I can drop this weight. Like you I am eating much less than I ever did. I eat totally low fat and healthy too. This totally sucks!
Also, I am very bloated. I am not sure if it is from Lyme or Menopause - although I think Menopause is the culprit. My breasts are so swollen and sore all the time. I feel like I have permanent PMS. Fun fun. My Gynecologist put me on hormone cream but it doesn't work.
The last two years have been soooo hard - I am hoping it all gets better! Good luck to you with all your trials and tribulations.
