Saturday, March 23, 2024

How To Treat Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

Must read

What Is Lyme Disease

Dr. Kalpana Shere-Wolfe on Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

Several countries around the world, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, and all 50 states in the US have already reported cases of Lyme. The disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia, and it is spread by ticks. One of the biggest controversies surrounding Lyme is determining whether or not someone has the so-called persistent or chronic Lyme disease. The CDC and most specialists prefer to use a different term, post-treatment Lyme disease .

Impact On Life Functioning

In order to capture the impact of health status on life functioning, the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, Version 2 , was administered at each study visit. It has been designed to study eight health attributes and has been shown to have high reliability and validity across a range of populations . Each of the 36 items in the measure loads onto one of eight subscales: Physical Functioning, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health. Raw scores of 0100 are generated for each subscale, and then scores are adjusted using a linear transformation to a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 using 1998 general population norms . Lower scores reflect more negative impact of health status on life functioning. In our sample, we found Cronbachs of > 0.70 for all subscales, with 5/8 subscales > 0.90.

Donât Miss: Can Nerve Damage From Lyme Disease Be Reversed

Chronic Lyme Disease Vs Post

Patients typically use the term chronic Lyme disease to describe the cluster of symptoms that started after getting Lyme disease and that persist despite having received a course of antibiotic treatment which has been deemed curative by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Patients say, Im not cured. I have symptoms now that I never had before Lyme disease. Im fatigued 90% of the day. My muscles ache. My brain is in a fog. I cant think clearly any more. Im super sensitive to light and sound. What is going on? Chronic Lyme disease does exist Im a living example of it!

Whatever one calls it, the experience is the same. Most often these patients experience profound fatigue, pain, and/or cognitive impairment. Mild to moderate levels of depression and anxiety may also accompany these symptoms, as the functional limitations can lead to social isolation, inability to work, and loss of sense of ones identity as a provider, caretaker, or friend. Sometimes patients find themselves identifying with Job the just and good man in the Bible whose life was wrecked by illness, death of loved ones, and economic disaster he felt tormented by God.

Recommended Reading: Whats Lyme Disease In Humans

Also Check: Symptoms Of Lyme In Child

Late Persistent Lyme Disease

If Lyme disease continues without a diagnosis, you can develop serious symptoms months or even years after the tick bite. This is late persistent Lyme disease. One common symptom is arthritis of the knee, which sometimes spreads to other joints. Symptom flares can last as long as six months.

You may have some of the same symptoms as early disseminated Lyme disease, including fatigue, memory problems, and inability to control your facial muscles. You may also have heart palpitations. Rarely, people develop meningitis. You may have a headache and stiff neck, but meningitis from Lyme disease is not fatal.

Recovery from late stage Lyme disease takes 4 to 6 weeks for most people. You will take oral antibiotics for about a month. After a month, if you still have symptoms, especially neurological symptoms like memory loss, your doctor may give you antibiotics through an intravenous drip.

If the infection affects your heart, you may need a temporary pacemaker. Very rarely, heart problems from Lyme disease can be fatal.

The majority of people, about 90%, recover fully from late stage Lyme disease. Arthritis from Lyme disease can sometimes cause permanent joint damage, but this is not common.

The Cortisol Connection: Are You Addicted To Your Pain

Lyme Disease and Post

Cortisol, the stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, connects the limbic system to the rest of the body via the HPA axis. Chronic stress in the form of Lyme co-infections keeps the HPA axis functioning over time leading to cortisol addiction .

An autopilot cortisol addiction forces the body to remain in an eternal state of survival mode with unceasing PTLDS inflammation and chronic pain.

You May Like: Stop And Shop East Lyme

Recommended Reading: Best Lab For Lyme Disease Testing

Update Of The Swiss Guidelines On Post

Publication Date: 04.12.2016 Swiss Med Wkly. 2016 146:w14353

Johannes Nemeth, Enos Bernasconi, Ulrich Heininger, Mohamed Abbas, David Nadal, Carol Strahm, Stefan Erb, Stefan Zimmerli, Hansjakob Furrer, Julie Delaloye, Thierry Kuntzer, Ekkehard Altpeter, Mathias Sturzenegger, Rainer Weber, for the Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases and the Swiss Society for Neurology

Is There Something Here Possible Mechanisms For The Persistence Of Symptoms

The significance, etiology, and perpetuation of PTLDS remain poorly understood. As a result, controversy in both the research and clinical realms exist surrounding each of these unknowns. There are three main, competing hypotheses of PTLDS pathogenesis. The first hypothesis posits the potential for an ongoing host inflammatory response independent of ongoing infection as suggested by molecular mimicry in antibiotic refractory late Lyme arthritis and anti-neuronal antibodies in PTLDS . Alternatively, inflammation may be driven by either occult persistent infection, as suggested by a recent mouse model of antibiotic-treated Borrelia burgdorferi infection . These biologic explanations warrant further research that falls outside the scope of this paper.

You May Like: Property For Sale Old Lyme Ct

Lyme Disease Relief With The Wim Hof Method

The Wim Hof Method is a method that can help you take control over your body and mind. Wim Hof used its principles to achieve extraordinary feats like running a half marathon in snow and ice on his bare feet, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts. Scientists have studied Wim Hof and the effects of his method, and have found evidence that it can be used to influence ones autonomic nervous system, resulting in an

Many patients with Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome report that they use the Wim Hof Method to help them manage their symptoms. There has even been a trial with twenty-two PTLDS patients, who were trained in the method for ten weeks, while their progress was being monitored. The patients in this trial reported benefits such as more energy, less pain, and a significant reduction of Lyme related brain fog.

Pain Depression And Ptlds: Using Ketamine To Treat Post

New Lyme Disease Scan Technique Reveals Brain Inflammation with Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month. For support, research updates, and other important resources for patients and family, visit The Lyme Disease Association. To connect with a local support group, see The Lyme Disease Network.

Each year, nearly 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme diseaseand this number continues to climb.1 While some patients experience a full recovery after treatment, many have found that complications of Lyme persist long after the initial diagnosis.

When Lyme disease is caught early, it can be cured by antibiotics within a matter of weeks. However, many who suffer from this condition have experienced symptoms that persist or worsen after antibiotic treatment. Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome is a condition in which symptoms of Lyme disease are reported for months or even years after the initial diagnosis.

Because of how difficult it is to cure, there is no widely-accepted treatment for PTLDS.

Also Check: Lyme Disease Treated With Antibiotics

Looking Forward: The Future Of Ptlds Treatment

Ketamine therapy is not approved for the treatment of Lyme disease or PTLDS, but evidence so far indicates that it may provide crucial symptom relief. The success of ketamine in treating depression, chronic pain, and substance abuse could usher in a bright future for the treatment of chronic illnesses.

Lyme disease was first definitively identified in 1975, which means researchers have had less than 50 years to study the outcomes, effective treatments, and related conditions associated with this disease. While there is no approved treatment for PTLDS today, medical research continuesand ketamine could be the treatment of tomorrow.

Pay Attention To Your Environment

When you feel depressed, foggy, headachy, in pain, or wiped out, take notice of what is happening around you. What is going on in your life? Are you overextending yourself, working too much, neglecting your nutritional needs, spending too much time indoors, not sleeping enough or too much? Is there an external factor that is triggering an emotional response? Are you stressed?

You May Like: Chances Of Getting Lyme Disease From A Tick

Don’t Miss: What Kind Of Ticks Give You Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease Prevention And Treatment In Greater Houston

Internal Healing and Wellness MD has already helped thousands of people in Spring, The Woodlands, and other cities in Greater Houston deal with their Lyme disease diagnosis and make a comprehensive plan for recovery. We can also educate the public on how to minimize interactions with ticks and other disease-carrying animals.

What Are The Risk Factors For Post Treatment Lyme Disease

New scan technique reveals brain inflammation associated with post ...

Risk factors for Post Treatment Lyme Disease include:

  • Delay in diagnosis
  • Increased severity of initial illness
  • Presence of neurologic symptoms

Increased severity of initial illness, the presence of neurologic symptoms, and initial misdiagnosis increase the risk of Post Treatment Lyme Disease. PTLD is especially common in people that have had neurologic involvement. The rates of Post Treatment Lyme Disease after neurologic involvement may be as high as 20% or even higher. Other risk factors being investigated are genetic predispositions and immunologic variables.

In addition to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, there are several other tick-borne co-infections that may also contribute to more prolonged and complicated illness.

Also Check: Homeopathic Protocol For Lyme Disease

Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome Why Do Symptoms Persist

Why are symptoms seen, long after bacterial elimination?

Long-term stress combined with an acute infection can cause the limbic system to be hyper-activated. Our ability to detect danger or threats and activate a fight-or-flight reaction is primarily a function of the limbic system. A well-regulated limbic system in a healthy person is selectively triggered but knows when to return to homeostasis.

With chronic illnesses such as Lyme, we often see the limbic system become massively dysregulated. An impaired stress response tricks the mind and body to perpetually be in an ON fight or flight state.

Practice The Wim Hof Method

You can benefit from the Wim Hof Method yourself by signing up for our Fundamentals online video course. This practical video course is specifically designed to give anyone the means necessary to incorporate the principles of the Wim Hof Method into ones daily life. You can watch the videos whenever and wherever it suits you, as you only need an internet connection and a quiet place where you can concentrate. You get unlimited access to the video course, so you can watch the videos as many times as you like. After completing the course, you will have basic knowledge about the method, the principles on which it is built, and how you can apply the method in day-to-day situations. Watch some of the testimonials on our website to get an idea about what you can expect.

Also Check: Do You Always Have A Rash With Lyme Disease

Treatment Of Lyme Disease

Early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease is important and can help prevent late Lyme disease. The following treatment regimens reflect CDCs interpretation of the most current data for four important manifestations of Lyme disease. These regimens are consistent with guidanceexternal icon published by the by the Infectious Disease Society of America, American Academy of Neurology, and American College of Rheumatology.

Some patients report persistent symptoms of pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking even after treatment for Lyme disease. The state of the science relating to persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease is limited, emerging, and unsettled.

Additional researchexternal icon is needed to better understand how to treat, manage, and support people with persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease. In light of these research gaps, recommendations for treatment of persistent symptoms in people previously treated for Lyme disease are not provided here.

If you are interested in information on chronic Lyme diseaseexternal icon, see NIHs website.

Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.

Chronic Lyme Disease Complex Is Not A Diagnosis

Treatment of Lyme Arthritis, Post-Infectious Lyme Arthritis and Complications by John Aucott, MD

Chronic Lyme Disease Complex is not an official diagnosis but is a term Envita Medical Centers uses to categorize patients who suffer from a wide variety of vector-borne diseases and primary and secondary infections. We have been treating Lyme disease for nearly 20 years at Envita and have found that Lyme is often associated with a myriad of different infections that must be addressed to facilitate the patients progression to a better life.

Common primary co-infections that have been linked with Chronic Lyme Disease Complex include anaplasmosis, coltivirus, ehrlichiosis, mycoplasma pneumoniae, Powassan virus, Q Fever, chlamydia pneumoniae, and many more . We use the term Chronic Lyme Disease Complex because we feel it more accurately represents the wide range of infections patients can experience and better illustrates the complexity and uniqueness of the condition every singular patient is burdened with. Often these patients will have a resistant borrelia infection which is almost always followed by multiple other infections.

Recommended Reading: Jobs Near Old Lyme Ct

Treatment Data On Ptlds

The best available evidence on the natural history of PTLDS and the effect of antibiotic treatment can be obtained from randomised, controlled, prospective clinical trials comparing antibiotic treatment with placebo in patients with persisting symptoms following proven acute Lyme borreliosis .

Klempner et al. included 115 patients in two double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials . Patients were eligible if they had a documented clinical history, laboratory findings of Lyme borreliosis, and documented adequate antibiotic treatment. Symptoms attributed to PTLDS had to have begun within 6 months after infection and to have persisted for at least 6 months. Patients with negative serology for borreliosis were included only if an erythema migrans was clearly documented by an experienced physician. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either antibiotics or placebo. The antibiotic treatment consisted of 1 month of intravenous ceftriaxone followed by 2 months of oral doxycycline clinical response rates were documented after 3 months. The overall status improved in roughly one third of patients, remained unchanged in another one third, and deteriorated in one third of patients, and did not differ between the intervention and the placebo group.

Dont Miss: Arizona Lyme Disease Treatment Center

What Is Chronic Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. In the majority of cases, it is successfully treated with oral antibiotics. In some patients, symptoms, such as fatigue, pain and joint and muscle aches, persist even after treatment, a condition termed Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome .

The term chronic Lyme disease has been used to describe people with different illnesses. While the term is sometimes used to describe illness in patients with Lyme disease, it has also been used to describe symptoms in people who have no clinical or diagnostic evidence of a current or past infection with B. burgdorferi . Because of the confusion in how the term CLD is employed, and the lack of a clearly defined clinical definition, many experts in this field do not support its use.

Read Also: Lyme Disease Flare Up Treatment

You May Like: How Do You Treat Lyme Disease In Humans

Where Is Lyme Disease Prevalent

LD is spreading slowly along and inland from the upper east coast, as well as in the upper midwest. The mode of spread is not entirely clear and is probably due to a number of factors such as bird migration, mobility of deer and other large mammals, and infected ticks dropping off of pets as people travel around the country. It is also prevalent in northern California and Oregon coast, but there is little evidence of spread.

In order to assess LD risk you should know whether infected deer ticks are active in your area or in places you may visit. The population density and percentage of infected ticks that may transmit LD vary markedly from one region of the country to another. There is even great variation from county to county within a state and from area to area within a county. For example, less than 5% of adult ticks south of Maryland are infected with B. burgdorferi, while up to 50% are infected in hyperendemic areas of the northeast. The tick infection rate in Pacific coastal states is between 2% and 4%.

Why Do Lyme Symptoms Linger

Lyme Disease

As you know, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The conventional approach to eradicating Lyme disease is to eliminate the bacteria, which is why a long series of antibiotics is the standard treatment. But B. burgdorferi is a tricky bugger and one that can continue to wreak havoc long after it has physically been eradicated from your system.

The persistent neurocognitive symptoms that can manifest from PTLDS can include chronic fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, mood or behavioral changes, disrupted sleep patterns, memory loss, dizziness, and headaches. A common consistency among those suffering from PTLDS is that symptoms tend to wax and wane. This, of course, makes PTLDS very frustrating, and as a result, can greatly impact the quality of your life and your ability to shine in all aspects of your life .

Also Check: Common Signs Of Lyme Disease

Supporting Patients With Long

There has been controversy about Lyme disease , first about whether people really can have persistent problems after Lyme disease, and then about whether more antibiotic treatment is beneficial if they do still have symptoms. This overview compiles into one summary information about what the studies have found about the cause of the symptoms and the possible treatments, so that GPs are better able to advise patients who have the long-term problems.

Some patients have persistent symptoms after LD, despite having had the recommended antibiotic treatment. A small proportion of LD patients have a relevant delay in treatment, which may increase their risk for the development of problems that can last a long time, perhaps a few years. These delays can sometimes result from the difficulty of diagnosis, particularly as many LD cases do not have the erythema migrans rash. Catching LD while holidaying abroad may make a delay more likely because it may be some time before the patient returns home and sees a doctor. The Royal College of General Practitioners has prepared an LD toolkit and mentions post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome as one term used to describe these long-term problems. PTLDS can significantly impact quality of life and recovery may be extremely slow, with no apparent improvement from one month to the next, although very subtle improvement may be seen from one year to the next.

More articles

Popular Articles