Lyme Disease Support Group

Hi kbr0632,

Herxheimer reactions are when lyme symptoms seem to cyclically flare, sometimes around every 30 days. They are thought to be due to bacteria being killed and your body overloaded with the toxins from the die-off, or something like that.

I have copied and pasted Dr. Burrascono's explanation of a herxheimer reaction. This is from his Diagnostic Hints and Treatment Guidelines:

Several days after the onset of appropriate antibiotic therapy, symptoms often flare due to lysis of the
spirochetes with release of increased amount of antigenic material and possibly bacterial toxins. This is
referred to as a Jarisch Herxheimer-like reaction. Because it takes 48 to 72 hours of therapy to initiate
bacterial killing, the Herxheimer reaction is therefore delayed. This is unlike syphilis, in which these reactions
can occur within hours.

It has been observed that symptoms will flare in cycles every four weeks. It is thought that this reflects the
organism’s cell cycle, with the growth phase occurring once per month (intermittent growth is common in
Borrelia species). As antibiotics will only kill bacteria during their growth phase, therapy is designed to
bracket at least one whole generation cycle. This is why the minimum treatment duration should be at least
four weeks. If the antibiotics are working, over time these flares will lessen in severity and duration. The very
occurrence of ongoing monthly cycles indicates that living organisms are still present and that antibiotics
should be continued.

With treatment, these monthly symptom flares are exaggerated and presumably represent recurrent
Herxheimer-like reactions as Bb enters its vulnerable growth phase and then are lysed. For unknown
reasons, the worst occurs at the fourth week of treatment. Observation suggest that the more severe this
reaction, the higher the germ load, and the more ill the patient.

When I'm herxing, I feel just horrible. All the symptoms that have been less severe seem to get worse. My whole body usually feels like it's been hit by a truck.

The little buggers die-off floats around in your body and releases toxins. This makes you feel worse. I have had a rash come out as a result of not being able to get rid of those toxins from my body.

This time around my herxes have not been so bad and now are very mild.

I wish you all the best.

SO..does it get better with time? Or when you come off of the antibiotics?
I haven't been diagnosed yet. I am waiting for my blood work (that I just had done on Saturday). I am praying that they find something that can be cured with a pill or something. I am afraid of this lyme now. I thought this was going to be easy..explain a lot of things...i.e. intermittent pain, dizziness, itchiness, etc...but now I am not so sure that I want to go through this herx stuff. Is it better not to be on the antibiotics at all?

We didn't mean to scare you!!!! First of all, not everyone herxes, but most people with lyme do. If the treatment is working, herxes become milder as time goes on, typically.

Personally, I would rather over-treat lyme early on than giving it a chance to become chronic.

Well wishes!

If I do have lyme, it's chronic...it's been years since I was bit..that I can remember. Thanks for the info.