Ok, this is strange one guys.....was feeling sicker than norm over last 3 weeks. Everything hurts so bad and sinus/allergies the worst ever. Could barely stand up. Never can tell if Im flaring, or have an infection somewhere. The other night, I was in so much distress. My head was so plugged up so I decided to try an antibiotic. I never take them because of my severe systemic yeast issue, and my constant tummy battles with gastroparesis. I decided to give 1 250MG of Erythromycin a whirl, since Its used for the gastroparesis. I took it just before bed, as as I remember from before when I took one awhile ago, it kept me tossing and turning most of the night, slight headache, and some numbess/tingling and little red on my chest. We'll, woke up in the morning feeling a jolt of energy and overall not too bad. My tummy not so good, which is what I expected. Anyways, throughout the day I began to feel better and better. Hardly no joint pain, no sinus pressue, and no fatigue at all. Neuropathy almost gone, I mean I didnt even take my extra motrin or medrol in the afternoon. My eyes werent that dry either. I was shocked on how much better I felt. I began doing research on the internet and found a few articles about Erythromycin as an anti-inflammatory, and was surprised on all the great info I found. I see they found it helpful with chronic sinusitis in this article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11270500
There are also several other articles about this being used for inflammation.
Here is the kicker...my 75 year old mom, who is very healthy had some sinus/chest congestion going on for past few days. I didnt know it, but she took some Erythromycin the same night I did, and yesterday she said she felt 100% better. All her nasal stuff was gone? WOW!
Forward back to today...me feeling sick as usual. Wish I could stay on this med, but would encourage others to try it, especially if you have chronic sinusitis. I just wish they could find the same type mechanisms in this drug and come up with a new drug for autoimmune patients. I mean, even high dose steriod and motrin did not do what this did for me? 1 little 250mg tablet?
Interesting to hear if any of you tried this before and noticed a change?
Gurs
i always used erytromicyn because its one of the antibiotics that is used when allergic to penicillin but it does not exist anymore in europe since two years; its of the family of macrolits(i do not knoe the right name in english). this month i had to go to the hospital amd make a test for allergy to another of the family called klacyd.
i had no strange effects with erythromicin, may be some little effects on my gut but nothing else, not bad effets no good effects, i used it for more than 30 years
gurs--I had good luck with a cousin of erythomyocin, azithromyocin or z-max 2 years ago
I had to take it because had pneumonia but I discovered a side effect was it way decreased my dental and neurogenic spine and other pain--so my doc let me try it again like a month later but I couldn't tolerate it as well when I wasn't sick with pneumonia --I don't tolerate anti-biotics well
It was interesting revelation to realize more of a bacterial component to my health than I knew.
I wouldn't take EryThomyoCin again though--it is one of the factors responsible on front end for precipitating CFS and chronic pain in me. I was very hearty with little pain or fatigue when I was in my 20s but one summer many years ago the dermatologist gave it to me for what he thought was rosacea (turned out later to be chelitis) because back then they would just put you on long term antibiotics for that sort of thing. I ended up getting a gallstone and after the surgery etc I have never been the same, some level of disability. Years later I learned they found out erythomyocin can cause gall stones so be careful, if your gut system is sensitive it might mess with your ability to digest etc For short periods might be ok, I was afraid to take z-max for that reason but since pneumonia can be dangerous of course I did and my gut survived it ok (I think!)
The Zithromax has anti-inflammatory effects as it is an erythromycin product. My immunologist has given me this on occasion years ago but it doesn't do much for me. I have taken so much of it over the years that my ENT said I might as well pour it down the drain.
I take doxycycline when I have infections and this also has an anti-inflammatory effect that works for me. I just got an order for it. I don't know what the heck I have going on but it is some kind of an infection. I have been putting up with it for a few months. I am of the opinion that it is a cross between a yeast and a bacteria that is probably one of the normal flora in the nasopharynx. I feeling a little better after 3 pills.
If I continue to have this come back to plague me I will go have another culture done. These infections that we get can drive us crazy. I have the low t-cells and IgG levels and have been having a lot less infections after all these years of IgG infusions.
I don't know how many of you folks have these weird infections but I have been known to have overgrowth of normal flora and immunologist says I need antibiotic as my body doesn't deal with this in the normal way.
It may be that some of the other antibiotics have some anti-inflammatory effect. The problem is that our infections end up being resistant to the antibiotics plus we have all these allergies. I will soon need IV antibiotics if I get an infection that is more aggressive. Sort of like flying by the seat of my pants. Good luck. irish
Irish--that is interesting. My rheumatologist had speculated that the z-max helped my pain probably because of it being a potent anti-inflammatory like you said.
I just had tooth extraction few weeks ago and have been in awful systemic pain flare since then--some if it could be because of my neck and head getting jostled (issues there) but wishing I would have taken prophylactic anti-biotics as I suspect the bacteria from it flared me up. I don't like amoxicillin or clindomyocin that dentists have tried, I know there was some a/b a dentist gave me like 5 years ago before a cleaning that prevented a flare up but I don't know what it was. I was thinking it started with a D--is doxycycline something you could use that way? Do you think its too late to try taking it or another one now? I want to think of a good one I can take prophylactically in future for dental stuff because this flare is ridiculous.
Too bad we cant tell most of the time if we have an infection or not. That is my biggest beef with this disease-autoimmune in general I guess.
I cant tolerate the anti's at all..never could. My stomach and gastroparesis just gets worse, and like I mentioned, the yeast is huge for me.
I read penicillin not good for lupus..can trigger flares, as Im guess same goes for sjogrens.
It really was amazing though. The difference was incredible...Guess I enjoyed my one day of no fatigue!! ha ha
gurs
Very interesting gurs!
I was given a broad-spectrum antibiotic a few months ago for a salivary gland infection,
took it for 12 days and felt considerably better in general while on it (besides the GI pains).
I was sorry to have to stop taking it.
Now I've been prescribed Doxycycline for 3 months for my eye condition. I've read up on this antibiotic and found
that it too posesses anti-inflammatory qualities. Some people with AI issues feel much improved on it BUT for some it actually triggers AI disease, sometimes leading to Lupus.
So...it's not an easy decision to make.
There's also the issue that irish mentioned of developing resistance to antibiotics that is an additional consideration in long-term antibiotic treatment.
It is good to know though that these possibilities exist.
We need as many cards up our sleeves as possible!
Hi :)
We really are all different aren't we?
If I take erythromycin I get awful stomach cramps and tend to throw up yellow froth, which I've been told is a side effect, not an allergic reaction.
My daughter does the same thing.
Glad it made you feel better.
Take care - Scottie :)
I took Bactrim or Septra (can't remember which but container sulfa) and ended up with the weirdest skin thing below my groin on my upper thigh. Really ugly and and looked like blood blisterers. My immunologist did not see it but thought it was such and such a problem and told me not to take sulfqa again. Sulfa can really kick in lupus and other autoimmune issues for some reason.
I am on the doxycycline now and it is helping my nasal/sinus issues but my other joint pains, etc are not being relieved. I have taken a ton of doxycycline over the past 30+ years and sometimes I feel better all over and sometimes not. I think that the anti-inflammatory effect of the antibiotics can be variable. They are not made specifically for anti-inflammatory. The immune and autoimmune diseases are closely related and sort of overlap at times resulting in the unexspected relief of inflammation. Take whatever we can get I say!! Irish
irish, Bactrim is sulfa.
Seems that in the States You still have Erithromicine, very interesting for me. any one here from Europe who take it?
Blue Gardenia, am from the states---but am curious why its interesting to you that Erythomyocin still around here---because of the known side effects? have they stopped it in Europe?