P.S.

If I'm sicker than a dog on this medication, does that really mean I have Lyme or is it a problem with taking the medication?

I, too have much wrse symptoms on Doxy, I can herx for 12 or more hours varing in intensity. Last Fri. night I thought I would have to go to the hospital (and I was out of town in 22 degrees cold) Sat. morn. I looked like I had aged 10 yrs. but cycle was over. I stopped Doxy for two days and back on it now - going on one month.

Hi Cheppie. I am sorry you are feeling so crummy.

Doxy itself can cause nausea especially if you do not eat something substantial (and non-dairy) before taking it. What helped me most was eating a sandwich with some kind of protein. Eat well before you take it. See if this helps.

Make sure you drink a full glass of water when you take it.

The flu-like symptoms is likely from Lyme.

Will you be seeing a Lyme doctor?

I totally agree with eating something substantial before taking this medication. I was on it for months earlier this year and every time that I forgot to eat before a dose I wound up paying dearly for it later :) Don't miss your dosage or stop without trying the food thing first.

The medication comes with info not to eat or have milk products. This drives me crazy.

Here's another question on the antibotics. I've had amoxicillin many times over the years. Probably penicillin too. How come those didn't make me sick? What's special about doxycyline?

Cheppie,
I don't know why the other drugs do not make you sick like the doxy does but I have had the same awful reactions to the doxy where i have never had any reactions to the other drugs. Don't stop taking the Doxy. I know it is rough now but it will help. You need every dose. The information that comes with the drug says "Do not miss a Dose". Hang in there, it will get better.

Cheppie,
Although the medicine says take this medicine on an empty stomach, it also says it may be taken with food if it upsets your stomach. How ever certain foods such as milk and dairy products may decrease the absorption of this medicine.

I took the doxy on an empty stomach which was awful because it made me nausious to the point of throwing up at times. This was probably dumb on my part but I was determined not for any of the medicine to be absorbed by the food I was eating.

Stay away from the dairy products 2 hours after taking. I tried to eat my favorite food ice cream twice after taking the drug. Needless to say it didn't stay down and made me feel a whole lot worse at the time.

Hope you get to feeling better soon.

i WAS ALSO ON DOXY AND SOME PEOPLE WITH lYMES HAVE ADVERSE REACTIONS TO CERTAIN ATIBITOCS- i WON'T BORE YOU WITH ALL THE VARIOUS SYMPTOMS i WAS HAVING, BUT ONCE THEY CHANGED ME TO ANOTHER ANTIBIOTIC- i WAS MUCH BETTER- (SORRY THIS IS ALL IN CAPS- DID THAT ON ACCIDENT) There we go- Talk to your doctor and ask him to test you and see if your body is having a severe reaction to it- if you can find a doctor who uses MSA or MSA-21 teating equipment, it is a diagnostic tool that uses a computer and measures how your body reacts to certain medications and it can also read how well your Lyme's is coming along. Check it out on the internet for more info- but the only other thing is that you are having a herxheimer reaction and again you would have to talk to a Lyme's specialist about that. Good luck and I hope you feel better- I will pray for you right now. Your friend, Hairrocks- erica

Do you think it could be Herx? I always have to eat a lot of food with doxy from day one though. If dr says take am and pm I take with lunch and then after dinner that way there is enough food in me before first dose. Breakfast just never seems to be enough.

Lioness you may want to ask your doctor about taking the Doxy this way.

Sometimes it is better to have the doses spaced out evenly for maximum effectiveness, such as every twelve hours.

What dose are you taking?

I take 100 mg twice a day.

Hi Cheppie. As posted before, 200 mg of Doxy daily is not strong enough for Lyme. I believe the recommended dose is 300-600 mg daily.

It is important to get proper treatment. Learn as much as you can so you can get the best treatment.

Apparently even that low of dosage is kicking my butt. :)
My diabetes doctor prescribed it. To Lyme drs. in Idaho.

I heard the Doxy is usually used in the beginning of Lyme and that there has not been much of success with it for people that have had it for a long time...